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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-181256

PROSPECTUS

 

Linn Energy, LLC

Linn Energy Finance Corp.

Offer to Exchange

up to

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933

for

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933

 

 

Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page 11 for a discussion of factors you should consider before participating in the exchange offer.

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.

Each broker-dealer that receives the notes for its own account pursuant to this exchange offer must acknowledge by way of the letter of transmittal that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of the notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker-dealer in connection with resales of the notes received in exchange for outstanding notes where such outstanding notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities. We have agreed to make this prospectus available beginning on the date of the consummation of the exchange offer and ending on the close of business one year after the consummation of the exchange offer. See “Plan of Distribution.”

The date of this prospectus is September 24, 2012.

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This prospectus incorporates by reference business and financial information about us that is not included in or delivered with this prospectus. We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of these filings, other than an exhibit to these filings unless we have specifically incorporated that exhibit by reference into the filing, upon written or oral request and at no cost. Requests should be made by writing or telephoning us at the following address: Linn Energy, LLC, 600 Travis Street, Suite 5100, Houston, Texas 77002, Attn: Investor Relations, telephone number: (281) 840-4000, internet web site: www.linnenergy.com. To obtain timely delivery, you must request the information no later than October 16, 2012.

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			3
RISK FACTORS			11
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES			17
USE OF PROCEEDS			18
THE EXCHANGE OFFER			19
DESCRIPTION OF EXCHANGE NOTES			27
CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS			82
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			87
LEGAL MATTERS			88
EXPERTS			88
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			88

 

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NOTICE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENTS

NEITHER THE FACT THAT A REGISTRATION STATEMENT OR AN APPLICATION FOR A LICENSE HAS BEEN FILED UNDER RSA 421-B WITH THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE NOR THE FACT THAT A SECURITY IS EFFECTIVELY REGISTERED OR A PERSON IS LICENSED IN THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE CONSTITUTES A FINDING BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT ANY DOCUMENT FILED UNDER RSA 421-B IS TRUE, COMPLETE AND NOT MISLEADING. NEITHER ANY SUCH FACT NOR THE FACT THAT AN EXCEPTION OR EXEMPTION IS AVAILABLE FOR A SECURITY OR A TRANSACTION MEANS THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS PASSED IN ANY WAY UPON THE MERITS OR QUALIFICATIONS OF, OR RECOMMENDED OR GIVEN APPROVAL TO, ANY PERSON, SECURITY OR TRANSACTION. IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE OR CAUSE TO BE MADE, TO ANY PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER, CUSTOMER OR CLIENT, ANY REPRESENTATION INCONSISTENT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS PARAGRAPH.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. We may add, update or change in a prospectus supplement any information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as any post-effective amendments to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, together with the additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference” before you make any investment decision.

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on its front cover. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the date indicated on the front cover of such documents. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the units offered hereunder, nor does this prospectus constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The following reports are incorporated by reference in, and are an integral part of, this prospectus, and references to this “prospectus” include the documents (or portions of documents) incorporated by reference in this prospectus:

 

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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, filed on February 23, 2012;

 

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our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2012, filed on April 26, 2012, and June 30, 2012, filed on July 26, 2012;

 

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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 17, 2012, February 28, 2012, March 2, 2012, March 13, 2012, April 5, 2012, May 15, 2012, May 24, 2012, June 27, 2012 and August 2, 2012, our second Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 23, 2012 (Items 8.01 and 9.01), our second Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 26, 2012 (Item 9.01) and both of our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on May 8, 2012; and

 

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our Current Reports on Form 8-K/A filed on April 30, 2012, September 18, 2012 and September 19, 2012.

We also incorporate by reference each of the documents that we file with the SEC (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K) on or after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement and on or after the date of this prospectus and prior to the completion of this offering. Any statement contained in the filings (or portions of filings) incorporated by reference in this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or in any filing by us with the SEC prior to the completion of this offering modifies, conflicts with or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains 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:

 

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business strategy;

 

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acquisition strategy;

 

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financial strategy;

 

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drilling locations;

 

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oil, natural gas and NGL reserves;

 

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realized oil, natural gas and NGL prices;

 

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production volumes;

 

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lease operating expenses, general and administrative expenses and development costs;

 

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future operating results; and

 

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plans, objectives, expectations and intentions.

All of 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 the “Summary,” “Risk Factors,” and other sections of this prospectus. 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,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus 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. We caution all readers that the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are not guarantees of future performance, and we cannot assure any reader that such statements will be realized or the forward-looking statements or events will occur. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements due to factors listed in the “Risk Factors” section or elsewhere in this prospectus. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus. We do not intend to publicly 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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RISK FACTORS

An investment in the notes involves risks. You should carefully consider all of the information contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference and provided under “Where You Can Find More Information,” including Item 1A—Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Please read “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including the risks described below, elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference.

If any of the following risks actually were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be affected materially and adversely. In that case, you could lose all or part of your investment in or fail to achieve the expected return on the notes.

Risks Related to the Exchange Offer

If you fail to exchange outstanding notes, existing transfer restrictions will remain in effect and the market value of outstanding notes may be adversely affected because they may be more difficult to sell.

If you fail to exchange outstanding notes for exchange notes under the exchange offer, then you will continue to be subject to the existing transfer restrictions on the outstanding notes. In general, the outstanding notes may not be offered or sold unless they are sold in transactions that are registered or exempt from registration under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Except in connection with this exchange offer or as required by the registration rights agreement, we do not intend to register resales of the outstanding notes.

The tender of outstanding notes under the exchange offer will reduce the principal amount of the currently outstanding notes. Due to the corresponding reduction in liquidity, this may have an adverse effect upon, and increase the volatility of, the market price of any currently outstanding notes that you continue to hold following completion of the exchange offer.

Risks Related to the Exchange Notes

Our leverage and debt service obligations may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, business prospects and our ability to make payments on the notes.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. At June 30, 2012, we had approximately $6.1 billion of total indebtedness, including the notes, and additional borrowing capacity of approximately $646 million under our revolving credit facility (which includes an approximate $4 million reduction in availability for outstanding letters of credit and a $200 million reduction in availability related to a restriction on swap agreements outstanding associated with an acquisition pending at that date, which no longer applies since the acquisition has closed). The level of and terms and conditions governing our indebtedness:

 

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require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to service our existing debt obligations, thereby reducing the cash available to finance our operations and other business activities and could limit our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;

 

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increase our vulnerability to economic downturns and adverse developments in our business;

 

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limit our ability to access the capital markets to raise capital on favorable terms or to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures or acquisitions or to refinance existing indebtedness;

 

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place restrictions on our ability to obtain additional financing, make investments, lease equipment, sell assets and engage in business combinations;

 

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place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to competitors with lower levels of indebtedness in relation to their overall size or less restrictive terms governing their indebtedness;

 

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make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations under the notes or other debt and increase the risk that we may default on our debt obligations; and

 

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limit management’s discretion in operating our business.

Our ability to meet our expenses and debt obligations will depend on our future performance, which will be affected by financial, business, economic, regulatory and other factors. We will not be able to control many of these factors, such as economic conditions and governmental regulation. We depend on our revolving credit facility for future capital needs and we have drawn on our revolving credit facility to fund or partially fund quarterly cash distributions, because we use operating cash flows for investing activities and borrow as needed. Absent such borrowing, we would have at times experienced a shortfall in cash available to pay our declared quarterly cash distribution amount. We cannot be certain that our cash flow will be sufficient to allow us to pay the principal and interest on our debt, including the exchange notes, and meet our other obligations. If we do not have enough money, we may be required to refinance all or part of our existing debt, including the exchange notes, sell assets, borrow more money or raise equity. We may not be able to refinance our debt, sell assets, borrow more money or raise equity on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Our ability to comply with the financial and other restrictive covenants in our indebtedness is uncertain and will be affected by the levels of cash flow from our operations and events or circumstances beyond our control. Failure to comply with these covenants would result in an event of default under such indebtedness, in which case we would be unable to make borrowings to fund distributions, and, in addition, such an event of default could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to access the capital and credit markets to raise capital on favorable terms will be affected by our debt level and by disruptions in the capital and credit markets.

Disruptions in the capital and credit markets could limit our ability to access these markets or significantly increase our cost to borrow. Some lenders may increase interest rates, enact tighter lending standards, refuse to refinance existing debt at maturity on favorable terms or at all and may reduce or cease to provide funding to borrowers.

We may not be able to generate enough cash flow to meet our debt obligations.

We expect our earnings and cash flow to vary significantly from year to year due to the cyclical nature of our industry. As a result, the amount of debt that we can manage in some periods may not be appropriate for us in other periods. Additionally, our future cash flow may be insufficient to meet our debt obligations and commitments, including the exchange notes. Any insufficiency could negatively impact our business. A range of economic, competitive, business and industry factors will affect our future financial performance, and, as a result, our ability to generate cash flow from operations and to pay our debt, including the exchange notes. Many of these factors, such as oil and natural gas prices, economic and financial conditions in our industry and the global economy or competitive initiatives of our competitors, are beyond our control.

If we do not generate enough cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as:

 

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refinancing or restructuring our debt;

 

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selling assets;

 

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reducing or delaying capital investments; or

 

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seeking to raise additional capital.

 

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However, we cannot assure you that undertaking alternative financing plans, if necessary, would allow us to meet our debt obligations. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, including our obligations under the exchange notes, or to obtain alternative financing, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We distribute all of our available cash to our unitholders after reserves established by our Board of Directors, which may limit the cash available to service the exchange notes or repay them at maturity.

Subject to the limitations on restricted payments contained in the indentures governing the Existing Senior Notes including the exchange notes offered hereby and in our revolving credit facility and other indebtedness, we will distribute all of our “available cash” each quarter to our unitholders. “Available cash” is defined in our limited liability company agreement, and it generally means, for each fiscal quarter, all cash on hand at the end of the quarter:

 

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less the amount of cash reserves established by our Board of Directors to:

 

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provide for the proper conduct of our business (including reserves for future capital expenditures, future debt service requirements and anticipated credit needs); and

 

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comply with applicable laws, debt instruments or other agreements;

 

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plus all cash on hand on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made after the end of the quarter for which the determination is being made. Working capital borrowings are borrowings that will be made under our revolving credit facility and in all cases are used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to unitholders.

As a result, we may not accumulate significant amounts of cash. If our Board of Directors fails to establish sufficient reserves, these distributions could significantly reduce the cash available to us in subsequent periods to make payments on the notes.

The exchange notes and the guarantees will be unsecured and effectively subordinated to our and our subsidiary guarantors’ existing and future secured indebtedness.

The exchange notes and the guarantees will be general unsecured senior obligations ranking effectively junior in right of payment to all existing and future secured debt of ours and that of each subsidiary guarantor, respectively, including obligations under our revolving credit facility, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing the debt. At June 30, 2012, our total indebtedness was approximately $6.1 billion, $1.15 billion of which would have been effectively senior in right of payment to the exchange notes to the extent of the value of the collateral securing that indebtedness and $4.9 billion of which would have ranked equally in right of payment to the exchange notes; and we had approximately $646 million in additional borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility (which includes an approximate $4 million reduction in availability for outstanding letters of credit and a $200 million reduction in availability related to a restriction on swap agreements outstanding associated with an acquisition pending at that date, which no longer applies since the acquisition has closed), which, if borrowed, would be secured debt effectively senior in right of payment to the notes to the extent of the value of the collateral securing that indebtedness.

If we or a subsidiary guarantor are declared bankrupt, become insolvent or are liquidated or reorganized, any secured debt of ours or of that subsidiary guarantor will be entitled to be paid in full from our assets or the assets of the guarantor, as applicable, securing that debt before any payment may be made with respect to the exchange notes or the affected guarantees. Holders of the exchange notes will participate ratably with all holders of our unsecured indebtedness that does not rank junior to the exchange notes, including all of our other general creditors, based upon the respective amounts owed to each holder or creditor, in our remaining assets. In any of the foregoing events, we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient assets to pay amounts due on the exchange notes. As a result, holders of the exchange notes would likely receive less, ratably, than holders of secured indebtedness.

 

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Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

Borrowings under our revolving credit facility bear interest at variable rates and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase and we are unable to effectively hedge our interest rate risk, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even if the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash available for servicing our indebtedness would decrease.

Despite our and our subsidiaries’ current level of indebtedness, we may still be able to incur substantially more debt. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to certain limitations, including under our revolving credit facility and under the indenture for the 2019 notes, the 2020 notes, the 2021 notes and the exchange notes offered hereby. For example, at June 30, 2012, we would have been able to borrow up to an additional approximately $646 million under our revolving credit facility (which includes an approximate $4 million reduction in availability for outstanding letters of credit and a $200 million reduction in availability related to a restriction on swap agreements outstanding associated with an acquisition pending at that date, which no longer applies since the acquisition has closed). See “Description of Existing Indebtedness—Revolving Credit Facility.” If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we and our subsidiaries now face could intensify. Our level of indebtedness could, for instance, prevent us from engaging in transactions that might otherwise be beneficial to us or from making desirable capital expenditures. This could put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to other less leveraged competitors that have more cash flow to devote to their operations. In addition, the incurrence of additional indebtedness could make it more difficult to satisfy our existing financial obligations, including those relating to the exchange notes.

We may not be able to repurchase the exchange notes upon a change of control.

Upon the occurrence of certain change of control events, we would be required to offer to repurchase all or any part of the exchange notes then outstanding for cash at 101% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. The source of funds for any repurchase required as a result of any change of control will be our available cash or cash generated from our operations or other sources, including:

 

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borrowings under our revolving credit facility or other sources;

 

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sales of assets; or

 

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sales of equity.

We cannot assure you that sufficient funds would be available at the time of any change of control to repurchase your exchange notes after first repaying any of our senior debt that may exist at the time. In addition, restrictions under our revolving credit facility or any future credit facilities will not allow such repurchases. Additionally, a “change of control” (as defined in the indenture for the notes) will be an event of default under our revolving credit facility that would permit the lenders to accelerate the debt outstanding under the revolving credit facility. Finally, using available cash to fund the potential consequences of a change of control may impair our ability to obtain additional financing in the future, which could negatively impact our ability to conduct our business operations.

A subsidiary guarantee could be voided if it constitutes a fraudulent transfer under U.S. bankruptcy or similar state law, which would prevent the holders of the exchange notes from relying on that subsidiary to satisfy claims.

Under U.S. bankruptcy law and comparable provisions of state fraudulent transfer laws, our subsidiary guarantees can be voided, or claims under the subsidiary guarantees may be subordinated to all other debts of that subsidiary guarantor if, among other things, the subsidiary guarantor, at the time it incurred the indebtedness

 

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evidenced by its guarantee or, in some states, when payments become due under the guarantee, received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration for the incurrence of the guarantee and:

 

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was insolvent or rendered insolvent by reason of such incurrence;

 

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was engaged in a business or transaction for which the guarantor’s remaining assets constituted unreasonably small capital; or

 

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intended to incur, or believed that it would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay those debts as they mature.

Our subsidiary guarantees may also be voided, without regard to the above factors, if a court finds that the subsidiary guarantor entered into the guarantee with the actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud its creditors.

A court would likely find that a subsidiary guarantor did not receive reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration for its guarantee if the subsidiary guarantor did not substantially benefit directly or indirectly from the issuance of the guarantees. If a court were to void a subsidiary guarantee, you would no longer have a claim against the subsidiary guarantor. Sufficient funds to repay the notes may not be available from other sources, including the remaining subsidiary guarantors, if any. In addition, the court might direct you to repay any amounts that you already received from the subsidiary guarantor.

The measures of insolvency for purposes of fraudulent transfer laws vary depending upon the governing law. Generally, a guarantor would be considered insolvent if:

 

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the sum of its debts, including contingent liabilities, were greater than the fair saleable value of all its assets;

 

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the present fair saleable value of its assets is less than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liability on its existing debts, including contingent liabilities, as they become absolute and mature; or

 

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it could not pay its debts as they become due.

Each subsidiary guarantee contains a provision intended to limit the subsidiary guarantor’s liability to the maximum amount that it could incur without causing the incurrence of obligations under its subsidiary guarantee to be a fraudulent transfer. Such provision may not be effective to protect the subsidiary guarantees from being voided under fraudulent transfer law.

A financial failure by us or our subsidiaries may result in the assets of any or all of those entities becoming subject to the claims of all creditors of those entities.

A financial failure by us or our subsidiaries could affect payment of the notes if a bankruptcy court were to substantively consolidate us and our subsidiaries. If a bankruptcy court substantively consolidated us and our subsidiaries, the assets of each entity would become subject to the claims of creditors of all entities. This would expose holders of exchange notes not only to the usual impairments arising from bankruptcy, but also to potential dilution of the amount ultimately recoverable because of the larger creditor base. Furthermore, forced restructuring of the exchange notes could occur through the “cramdown” provisions of the bankruptcy code. Under these provisions, the exchange notes could be restructured over your objections as to their general terms, primarily interest rate and maturity.

Because LINN Energy is a holding company, it is financially dependent on receiving distributions from its subsidiaries.

LINN Energy is a holding company and its assets consist primarily of investments in its subsidiaries and joint ventures. LINN Energy’s rights and the rights of its creditors, including holders of the notes, to participate

 

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in the distribution of assets of any entity in which LINN Energy owns an equity interest will be subject to prior claims of the entity’s creditors upon the entity’s liquidation or reorganization. However, LINN Energy may itself be a creditor with recognized claims against this entity, but claims of LINN Energy would still be subject to the prior claims of any secured creditor of this entity and of any holder of indebtedness of this entity that is senior to that held by LINN Energy. Accordingly, a holder of debt securities of LINN Energy, including holders of the exchange notes, may be deemed to be effectively subordinated to those claims.

If we were to become subject to entity-level taxation for U.S. federal income tax purposes or in states where we are not currently subject to entity-level taxation, our cash available for payment on the notes could be materially reduced.

In order for us to avoid paying U.S. federal income tax at the entity level, we must qualify for treatment as a partnership, rather than a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In order to qualify for partnership treatment, at least 90% of our annual gross income must be “qualifying income” derived from marketing crude oil and natural gas and other specified activities. While we believe 90% or more of our gross income for each taxable year consists of qualifying income, and we intend to meet this gross income requirement for future taxable years, we may not find it possible, regardless of our efforts, to meet this gross income requirement or we may inadvertently fail to meet this gross income requirement.

In addition, current law may change to cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subjecting us to entity level taxation. For example, members of Congress have recently considered substantive changes to federal income tax laws that would affect publicly traded partnerships, and the law applicable to publicly traded partnerships could also change due to new administrative or judicial interpretations of existing law. We are unable to predict whether any such changes will occur. Moreover, any modification to the federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be applied retroactively.

If we were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would pay U.S. federal income tax on our income at the corporate tax rate, which is currently a maximum of 35%, and would likely pay state income taxes at varying rates in some states where we are not currently subject to state income tax. If we were required to pay tax on our taxable income, our anticipated cash flow could be materially reduced, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to make payments on the notes and on our other debt obligations.

In addition, several states are evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise and other forms of taxation. The imposition of such taxes could reduce the cash available for payment on the notes and on our other debt obligations.

 

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The table below sets forth the Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges for us for each of the periods indicated.

 

		Six Months Ended June 30,				Three Months Ended June 30,				Three Months Ended March 31,				Year Ended December 31,
		2012				2012				2012				2011				2010				2009				2008				2007
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges (1)(2)			2.38				3.50				1.02				2.69				—				—				9.65				—

 

(1)

Earnings included in the calculation of this ratio consist of (i) earnings from continuing operations before tax or equity method earnings or losses, minus (ii) capitalized interest, plus (iii) fixed charges and (iv) distributed income of equity investees. Fixed charges included in the calculation of this ratio consist of (i) interest expense, plus (ii) capitalized interest and (iii) an estimate of the interest component of rent expenses.

(2)

Earnings for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2007 were insufficient to cover fixed charges by approximately $110 million, $300 million and $352 million, respectively, primarily due to non-cash charges of approximately $232 million, $591 million and $383 million, respectively, associated with changes in mark-to-market values related to oil and natural gas derivatives.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

The exchange offer is intended to satisfy our obligations under the registration rights agreement. We will not receive any cash proceeds from the issuance of the exchange notes in the exchange offer. In consideration for issuing the exchange notes as contemplated by this prospectus, we will receive outstanding notes in a like principal amount. The form and terms of the exchange notes are identical in all respects to the form and terms of the outstanding notes, except the exchange notes do not include certain transfer restrictions, registration rights or provisions for additional interest. Outstanding notes surrendered in exchange for the exchange notes will be retired and canceled and will not be reissued. Accordingly, the issuance of the exchange notes will not result in any change in our outstanding indebtedness.

 

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THE EXCHANGE OFFER

Purpose and Effect of the Exchange Offer

We sold outstanding notes in transactions that were exempt from or not subject to registration requirements under the Securities Act. Accordingly, the outstanding notes are subject to transfer restrictions. In general, you may not offer or sell the outstanding notes unless either they are no longer subject to certain restrictions on transfer or the offer or sale is exempt from or not subject to registration under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

In connection with the sale of the outstanding notes, we entered into a registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers of the outstanding notes, pursuant to which we agreed to file and to use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause a registration statement with respect to the exchange of the outstanding notes for the exchanges notes to become effective under the Securities Act. The exchange offer is to be consummated on the earliest practicable date after the registration statement has become effective, but in no event later than 400 days after May 13, 2011. We are making the exchange offer to fulfill our contractual obligations under that agreement. The exchange offer will be open for at least 20 business days. A copy of the registration rights agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Pursuant to the exchange offer, we will issue the exchange notes in exchange for outstanding notes. The terms of the exchange notes are identical in all material respects to those of the outstanding notes, except that the exchange notes (1) will not be subject to certain restrictions on transfer applicable to the outstanding notes and (2) will not have registration rights or provide for any increase in the interest rate related to the obligation to register. See “Description of Exchange Notes” and “Description of Outstanding Notes” for more information on the terms of the respective notes and the differences between them.

We are not making the exchange offer to, and will not accept tenders for exchange from, holders of outstanding notes in any jurisdiction in which an exchange offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdiction. Unless the context requires otherwise, the term “holder” means any person in whose name the outstanding notes are registered on our books or any other person who has obtained a properly completed bond power from the registered holder, or any person whose outstanding notes are held of record by The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, who desires to deliver such outstanding notes by book-entry transfer at DTC.

We make no recommendation to the holders of outstanding notes as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering all or any portion of their outstanding notes pursuant to the exchange offer. In addition, no one has been authorized to make any such recommendation. Holders of outstanding notes must make their own decision whether to tender pursuant to the exchange offer and, if so, the aggregate amount of outstanding notes to tender after reading this prospectus and the letter of transmittal and consulting with their advisers, if any, based on their own financial position and requirements.

Terms of the Exchange

Upon the terms and conditions described in this prospectus and in the accompanying letter of transmittal, which together constitute the exchange offer, we will accept for exchange outstanding notes which are properly tendered at or before the expiration time and not withdrawn as permitted below. As of the date of this prospectus, $750 million aggregate principal amount of outstanding notes are outstanding. This prospectus, together with the letter of transmittal, is first being sent on or about the date on the cover page of the prospectus to all holders of outstanding notes known to us. Outstanding notes tendered in the exchange offer must be in denominations of principal amount of $2,000 and any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

Our acceptance of the tender of outstanding notes by a tendering holder will form a binding agreement between the tendering holder and us upon the terms and subject to the conditions provided in this prospectus and in the accompanying letter of transmittal.

 

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The exchange offer is not conditioned upon any minimum aggregate principal amount of outstanding notes being tendered in the exchange offer.

We intend to conduct the exchange offer in accordance with the provisions of the registration rights agreement, the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission. Outstanding notes that are not tendered for exchange in the exchange offer will remain outstanding and continue to accrue interest. These outstanding notes will be entitled to the rights and benefits such holders have under the indenture relating to the outstanding notes and the registration rights agreement, only to the extent applicable.

We will be deemed to have accepted for exchange properly tendered outstanding notes when we have given written notice of the acceptance to the exchange agent and complied with the applicable provisions of the registration rights agreement. The exchange agent will act as agent for the tendering holders for the purposes of receiving the exchange notes from us.

We will return any outstanding notes that we do not accept for exchange for any reason without expense to their tendering holders promptly after the expiration or termination of the exchange offer.

Expiration, Extension and Amendment

The expiration time of the exchange offer is 12:01 a.m. New York City time on October 23, 2012. However, we may, in our sole discretion, at any time or various times, extend the period of time for which the exchange offer is open and set a later expiration date. The term “expiration time” as used herein means the latest time and date to which we extend the exchange offer. If we decide to extend the exchange offer period, we will then delay acceptance of any outstanding notes by giving written notice of an extension to the holders of outstanding notes as described below. During any extension period, all outstanding notes previously tendered will remain subject to the exchange offer and may be accepted for exchange by us. Any outstanding notes not accepted for exchange will be returned to the tendering holder after the expiration or termination of the exchange offer.

Our obligation to accept outstanding notes for exchange in the exchange offer is subject to the conditions described below under “—Conditions to the Exchange Offer.” We may decide to waive any of the conditions in our discretion. Furthermore, we reserve the right to amend or terminate the exchange offer, and to not accept for exchange any outstanding notes not previously accepted for exchange, if the conditions of the exchange offer specified below under the same headings are not fulfilled. We will give written notice of any extension, amendment, non-acceptance or termination to the holders of the outstanding notes as promptly as practicable. If we amend the exchange offer in a manner that we determine to constitute a material change, we will promptly disclose such amendment by means of a prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement will be distributed to holders of the outstanding notes. If the change is made less than five business days before the expiration of the exchange offer, we will extend the offer so that the holders have at least five business days to tender or withdraw. We will notify you of any extension by means of a press release or other public announcement no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time on the first business day after the previously scheduled expiration time.

Procedures for Tendering

To participate in the exchange offer, you must properly tender your outstanding notes to the exchange agent as described below. We will only issue exchange notes in exchange for outstanding notes that you timely and properly tender. You should follow carefully the instructions on how to tender your outstanding notes. It is your responsibility to properly tender your outstanding notes. We have the right to waive any defects. However, we are not required to waive defects, and neither we nor the exchange agent is required to notify you of any defects in your tender.

 

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Valid Tender

Except as described below, a tendering holder must, prior to the expiration time, transmit to U.S. Bank National Association, the exchange agent, at the address listed under the heading “—Exchange Agent”:

 

•

a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal, including all other documents required by the letter of transmittal; or

 

•

if outstanding notes are tendered in accordance with the book-entry procedures listed below, an agent’s message.

In addition, a tendering holder must deliver a timely confirmation of book-entry transfer of the outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC, the book-entry transfer facility, along with the letter of transmittal or an agent’s message.

The term “agent’s message” means a message, transmitted by DTC to and received by the exchange agent and forming a part of a book-entry confirmation, that states that DTC has received an express acknowledgment that the tendering holder agrees to be bound by the letter of transmittal and that we may enforce the letter of transmittal against this holder.

If the letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder of outstanding notes, the letter of transmittal must be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer or exchange in satisfactory form duly executed by the registered holder with the signature guaranteed by an eligible institution. Such powers of attorney must be signed exactly as the name of any registered holder appears on the outstanding notes.

If the letter of transmittal or powers of attorney are signed by trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, these persons should so indicate when signing. Unless waived by us, proper evidence satisfactory to us of their authority to so act must be submitted.

By tendering outstanding notes pursuant to the exchange offer, each holder will represent to us that, among other things, the exchange notes are being acquired in the ordinary course of business of the person receiving the exchange notes, whether or not that person is the holder, neither the holder nor the other person has any arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in the distribution of the exchange notes and the holder is not an “affiliate” of us or Finance Corp within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act. In the case of a holder that is not a broker-dealer, that holder, by tendering outstanding notes pursuant to the exchange offer, will also represent to us that the holder is not engaged in and does not intend to engage in a distribution of the exchange notes.

The method of delivery of letters of transmittal and all other required documents is at your election and risk. If the delivery is by mail, we recommend that you use registered mail, properly insured, with return receipt requested. In all cases, you should allow sufficient time to assure timely delivery. You should not send letters of transmittal to us.

If you are a beneficial owner whose outstanding notes are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, and wish to tender, you should promptly instruct the registered holder to tender on your behalf. Any registered holder that is a participant in DTC’s book-entry transfer facility system may make book-entry delivery of the outstanding notes by causing DTC to transfer the outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account, including by means of DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program.

 

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Signature Guarantees

Signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed, unless the outstanding notes surrendered for exchange are tendered:

 

•

by a registered holder of the outstanding notes who has not completed the box entitled “Special Issuance Instructions” or “Special Delivery Instructions” on the letter of transmittal, or

 

•

for the account of an “eligible institution.”

If signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal are required to be guaranteed, the guarantees must be by an “eligible institution.” An “eligible institution” is an “eligible guarantor institution” meeting the requirements of the registrar for the notes, which requirements include membership or participation in the Security Transfer Agent Medallion Program, or STAMP, or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the registrar for the notes in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Exchange Act.

Book-Entry Transfer

The exchange agent will make a request to establish an account for the outstanding notes at DTC for purposes of the exchange offer within two business days after the date of this prospectus. Any financial institution that is a participant in DTC’s systems must make book-entry delivery of outstanding notes by causing DTC to transfer those outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC in accordance with DTC’s procedure for transfer. The participant should transmit its acceptance to DTC at or prior to the expiration time. DTC will verify this acceptance, execute a book-entry transfer of the tendered outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC and then send to the exchange agent confirmation of this book-entry transfer. The confirmation of this book-entry transfer will include an agent’s message confirming that DTC has received an express acknowledgment from this participant that this participant has received and agrees to be bound by the letter of transmittal and that we may enforce the letter of transmittal against this participant.

Delivery of exchange notes issued in the exchange offer may be effected through book-entry transfer at DTC. However, the letter of transmittal or facsimile of it or an agent’s message, with any required signature guarantees and any other required documents, must be transmitted to and received by the exchange agent at the address listed under “—Exchange Agent” at or prior to the expiration time.

Delivery of documents to DTC in accordance with DTC’s procedures does not constitute delivery to the exchange agent.

Determination of Validity

We will determine in our sole discretion all questions as to the validity, form and eligibility of outstanding notes tendered for exchange. This discretion extends to the determination of all questions concerning the timing of receipts and acceptance of tenders. These determinations will be final and binding. We reserve the right to reject any particular outstanding note not properly tendered or of which our acceptance might, in our judgment or our counsel’s judgment, be unlawful. We also reserve the right to waive any defects or irregularities or conditions of the exchange offer as to any particular outstanding note either before or after the expiration time, including the right to waive the ineligibility of any tendering holder. Our interpretation of the terms and conditions of the exchange offer as to any particular outstanding note either before or after the expiration time, including the letter of transmittal and the instructions to the letter of transmittal, shall be final and binding on all parties. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders of outstanding notes must be cured within a reasonable period of time.

Neither we, the exchange agent nor any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defect or irregularity in any tender of outstanding notes. Moreover, neither we, the exchange agent nor any other person will incur any liability for failing to give notification of any defect or irregularity.

 

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Acceptance of Outstanding Notes for Exchange; Issuance of Exchange Notes

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the exchange offer, we will accept, promptly after the expiration time, all outstanding notes properly tendered. We will issue the exchange notes promptly after acceptance of the outstanding notes. For purposes of the exchange offer, we will be deemed to have accepted properly tendered outstanding notes for exchange when, as and if we have given written notice to the exchange agent.

In all cases, issuance of exchange notes for outstanding notes will be made only after timely receipt by the exchange agent of:

 

•

a timely book-entry confirmation of the outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at the book-entry transfer facility;

 

•

a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal or an agent’s message; and

 

•

all other required documents.

Unaccepted or non-exchanged outstanding notes will be returned without expense to the tendering holder of the outstanding notes. In the case of outstanding notes tendered by book-entry transfer in accordance with the book-entry procedures described above, the non-exchanged outstanding notes will be credited to an account maintained with DTC as promptly as practicable after the expiration or termination of the exchange offer. For each outstanding note accepted for exchange, the holder of the outstanding note will receive a new note having a principal amount equal to that of the surrendered outstanding note.

Interest Payments on the Exchange Notes

The exchange notes will bear from the date interest was most recently paid. Accordingly, registered holders of exchange notes on the relevant record date for the first interest payment date following the completion of the exchange offer will receive interest accruing from the most recent date through which interest has been paid. Outstanding notes accepted for exchange will cease to accrue interest from and after the date of completion of the exchange offer. Holders of outstanding notes whose outstanding notes are accepted for exchange will not receive any payment for accrued interest on the outstanding notes otherwise payable on any interest payment date the record date for which occurs on or after completion of the exchange offer and will be deemed to have waived their rights to receive the accrued interest on the outstanding notes.

Withdrawal Rights

Tenders of outstanding notes may be withdrawn at any time before the expiration time.

For a withdrawal to be effective, the exchange agent must receive a written notice of withdrawal at the address or, in the case of eligible institutions, at the facsimile number, indicated under “—Exchange Agent” before the expiration time. Any notice of withdrawal must:

 

•

specify the name of the person, referred to as the depositor, having tendered the outstanding notes to be withdrawn;

 

•

identify the outstanding notes to be withdrawn, including the certificate number or numbers and principal amount of the outstanding notes;

 

•

contain a statement that the holder is withdrawing its election to have the outstanding notes exchanged;

 

•

be signed by the holder in the same manner as the original signature on the letter of transmittal by which the outstanding notes were tendered, including any required signature guarantees, or be accompanied by documents of transfer to have the trustee with respect to the outstanding notes register the transfer of the outstanding notes in the name of the person withdrawing the tender; and

 

•

specify the name in which the outstanding notes are registered, if different from that of the depositor.

 

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If certificates for outstanding notes have been delivered or otherwise identified to the exchange agent, then, prior to the release of these certificates the withdrawing holder must also submit the serial numbers of the particular certificates to be withdrawn and signed notice of withdrawal with signatures guaranteed by an eligible institution, unless this holder is an eligible institution. If outstanding notes have been tendered in accordance with the procedure for book-entry transfer described above, any notice of withdrawal must specify the name and number of the account at the book-entry transfer facility to be credited with the withdrawn outstanding notes.

Any outstanding notes properly withdrawn will be deemed not to have been validly tendered for exchange. Exchange notes will not be issued in exchange unless the outstanding notes so withdrawn are validly re-tendered. Properly withdrawn outstanding notes may be re-tendered by following the procedures described under “—Procedures for Tendering” above at any time at or before the expiration time.

We will determine all questions as to the validity, form and eligibility, including time of receipt, of notices of withdrawal.

Conditions to the Exchange Offer

We will not be required to accept for exchange, or exchange any exchange notes for, any outstanding notes if the exchange offer, or the making of any exchange by a holder of outstanding notes, would violate applicable law or Commission policy. Similarly, we may terminate the exchange offer as provided in this prospectus before accepting outstanding notes for exchange in the event of such a potential violation.

We will not be obligated to accept for exchange the outstanding notes of any holder that has not made to us the representations described under “—Procedures for Tendering” and “Plan of Distribution” and such other representations as may be reasonably necessary under applicable Commission rules, regulations or interpretations to allow us to use an appropriate form to register the exchange notes under the Securities Act.

Additionally, we will not accept for exchange any outstanding notes tendered, and will not issue exchange notes in exchange for any such outstanding notes, if at such time any stop order has been threatened or is in effect with respect to the exchange offer registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part or the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.

We expressly reserve the right to amend or terminate the exchange offer, and to reject for exchange any outstanding notes not previously accepted for exchange, upon the occurrence of any of the conditions to the exchange offer specified above. We will promptly give written notice of any extension, amendment, non-acceptance or termination to the holders of the outstanding notes.

These conditions are for our sole benefit, and we may assert them or waive them in whole or in part at any time or at various times prior to the expiration of the exchange offer in our sole discretion. If we fail at any time to exercise any of these rights, this failure will not mean that we have waived our rights. Each such right will be deemed an ongoing right that we may assert at any time or at various times prior to the expiration of the exchange offer.

Resales of Exchange Notes

Based on interpretations by the staff of the SEC, as described in no-action letters issued to third parties, we believe that exchange notes issued in the exchange offer in exchange for outstanding notes may be offered for resale, resold or otherwise transferred by holders of the outstanding notes without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery provisions of the Securities Act, if:

 

•

the exchange notes are acquired in the ordinary course of the holders’ business;

 

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•

the holders have no arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in the distribution of the exchange notes; and

 

•

the holders are not “affiliates” of us or Finance Corp. within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

However, the SEC has not considered the exchange offer described in this prospectus in the context of a no-action letter. We cannot assure you that the staff of the SEC would make a similar determination with respect to the exchange offer as in the other circumstances. Each holder who wishes to exchange outstanding notes for exchange notes will be required to represent that it meets the above three requirements.

Any holder who is an affiliate of ours or who intends to participate in the exchange offer for the purpose of distributing exchange notes or any broker-dealer who purchased outstanding notes directly from us to resell pursuant to Rule 144A or any other available exemption under the Securities Act:

 

•

may not rely on the applicable interpretations of the staff of the SEC mentioned above;

 

•

will not be permitted or entitled to tender the outstanding notes in the exchange offer; and

 

•

must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale transaction.

Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes, where such securities were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market making activities or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus that meets the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of the exchange notes. The letter of transmittal states that by so acknowledging and by delivering a prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act. See “Plan of Distribution.”

In addition, to comply with state securities laws, the exchange notes may not be offered or sold in any state unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in such state or an exemption from registration or qualification, with which there has been compliance, is available. The offer and sale of the exchange notes to “qualified institutional buyers,” as defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, is generally exempt from registration or qualification under the state securities laws. We currently do not intend to register or qualify the sale of exchange notes in any state where an exemption from registration or qualification is required and not available.

Exchange Agent

U.S. Bank National Association has been appointed as the exchange agent for the exchange offer. All executed letters of transmittal and any other required documents should be directed to the exchange agent at the address or facsimile number set forth below. Questions and requests for assistance and requests for additional copies of this prospectus or of the letter of transmittal should be directed to the exchange agent addressed as follows:

U.S. Bank National Association

5555 San Felipe, Suite 1150

Houston, Texas 77056

Attention: Mauri J. Cowen

Facsimile: (713) 235-9213

Delivery of the letter of transmittal to an address other than as set forth above or transmission of the letter of transmittal via a facsimile transmission to a number other than as set forth above will not constitute a valid delivery of the letter of transmittal. Delivery of documents to The Depository Trust Company does not constitute delivery to the exchange agent.

 

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Fees and Expenses

We have agreed to pay the exchange agent reasonable and customary fees for its services and will reimburse it for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with the exchange offer. We will also pay brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in forwarding copies of this prospectus and related documents to the beneficial owners of outstanding notes, and in handling or tendering for their customers. We will not make any payment to brokers, dealers or others soliciting acceptances of the exchange offer.

Holders who tender their outstanding notes for exchange will not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes on the exchange. If, however, exchange notes are to be delivered to, or are to be issued in the name of, any person other than the registered holder of the outstanding notes tendered, or if a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the exchange of outstanding notes in connection with the exchange offer, then the amount of any such transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder or any other persons) will be payable by the tendering holder. If satisfactory evidence of payment of such taxes or exemption therefrom is not submitted with the letter of transmittal, the amount of such transfer taxes will be billed directly to such tendering holder.

Consequences of Failure to Exchange

If you do not exchange your outstanding notes for exchange notes under the exchange offer, the outstanding notes you hold will continue to be subject to the existing restrictions on transfer. In general, you may not offer or sell the outstanding notes except under an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. We do not intend to register outstanding notes under the Securities Act unless the registration rights agreement requires us to do so.

Accounting Treatment

We will record the exchange notes at the same carrying value as the outstanding notes, as reflected in our accounting records on the date of the exchange. Accordingly, we will not recognize any gain or loss for accounting purposes. The expenses of the exchange offer will be amortized over the term of the exchange notes.

Other

Participation in the exchange offer is voluntary, and you should consider carefully whether to accept. You are urged to consult your financial and tax advisors in making your own decision on what action to take.

We may in the future seek to acquire untendered outstanding notes in open market or privately negotiated transactions, through subsequent exchange offers or otherwise. We have no present plans to acquire any outstanding notes that are not tendered in the exchange offer or to file a registration statement to permit resales of any untendered outstanding notes.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF EXCHANGE NOTES

You can find the definitions of certain terms used in this description under the subheading “—Certain Definitions.” In this description, the term “Company,” “us,” “our” or “we” refers only to Linn Energy, LLC and not to any of its subsidiaries, the term “Finance Corp.” refers to Linn Energy Finance Corp. and the term “Issuers” refers to the Company and Finance Corp. The term “notes” refers to the Issuers’ notes being offered hereby.

The Issuers issued the outstanding notes and will issue the exchange notes pursuant to an indenture by and among themselves, the Guarantors and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. The terms of the notes include those stated in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).

The following description is a summary of the material provisions of the indenture and the registration rights agreement. It does not restate those agreements in their entirety. We urge you to read the indenture and the registration rights agreement because they, and not this description, define your rights as Holders of the notes. Certain defined terms used in this description but not defined below under “—Certain Definitions” have the meanings assigned to them in the indenture.

The registered Holder of a note will be treated as the owner of it for all purposes. Only registered Holders will have rights under the indenture.

If the exchange offer is consummated, Holders of outstanding notes who do not exchange their notes for exchange notes will vote together with the Holders of the exchange notes for all relevant purposes under the indenture. In that regard, the indenture requires that certain actions by the Holders under the indenture (including acceleration after an Event of Default) must be taken, and certain rights must be exercised, by specified minimum percentages of the aggregate principal amount of all notes issued under the indenture. In determining whether Holders of the requisite percentage in principal amount have given any notice, consent or waiver or taken any other action permitted under the indenture, any outstanding notes that remain outstanding after the exchange offer will be aggregated with the exchange notes, and the Holders of any outstanding notes and the exchange notes will vote together as a single series for all such purposes. Accordingly, all references in this “Description of Exchange Notes” to specified percentages in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding notes mean, at any time after the exchange offer for the outstanding notes is consummated, such percentage in aggregate principal amount of such notes and the exchange notes then outstanding.

Brief Description of the Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees

The Notes. Like the outstanding notes, the exchange notes:

 

•

will be general unsecured obligations of the Issuers;

 

•

will rank equal in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Debt of either of the Issuers;

 

•

will rank effectively junior in right of payment to any secured Indebtedness of either of the Issuers, including Indebtedness under the Credit Agreement, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such Indebtedness;

 

•

will rank senior in right of payment to any future subordinated Indebtedness of either of the Issuers; and

 

•

will be unconditionally guaranteed by the Guarantors on a senior unsecured basis.

The Subsidiary Guarantees. The notes are currently guaranteed by all of the Company’s existing Subsidiaries (other than Finance Corp.).

 

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Each guarantee of the exchange notes, like each guarantee of the outstanding notes:

 

•

will be a general unsecured obligation of the Guarantor;

 

•

will rank equal in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Debt of that Guarantor;

 

•

will rank effectively junior in right of payment to any secured Indebtedness of that Guarantor, including Indebtedness under the Credit Agreement, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such Indebtedness; and

 

•

will rank senior in right of payment to any future subordinated Indebtedness of that Guarantor.

As of June 30, 2012, the Company (excluding its subsidiaries) had:

 

•

total Senior Debt of approximately $6.1 billion, consisting of the notes, the Existing Senior Notes and amounts outstanding under our revolving credit facility; and

 

•

no Indebtedness subordinated in right of payment to the notes.

As of June 30, 2012, the Guarantors had:

 

•

total Senior Debt of approximately $6.1 billion, including their guarantees of the notes, the Existing Senior Notes and amounts outstanding under our revolving credit facility; and

 

•

no Indebtedness subordinated in right of payment to their guarantees of the notes.

The indenture will permit us and the Guarantors to incur additional Indebtedness, including additional Senior Debt.

Restricted Subsidiaries of the Company (including any newly created or acquired Restricted Subsidiaries of the Company) guarantee the notes only under the circumstances described below under the subheading “—Certain Covenants—Additional Subsidiary Guarantees.” In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization of any non-guarantor Subsidiary, the non-guarantor Subsidiary will pay the holders of its debt and its trade creditors before it will be able to distribute any of its assets to us.

Currently, all of our Subsidiaries are “Restricted Subsidiaries.” However, under the circumstances described below under the subheading “—Certain Covenants—Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries,” we are permitted to designate certain of our Subsidiaries as “Unrestricted Subsidiaries.” Our Unrestricted Subsidiaries will not be subject to many of the restrictive covenants in the indenture.

Our Unrestricted Subsidiaries do not guarantee the notes.

Principal, Maturity and Interest

The Issuers have issued notes with an initial maximum aggregate principal amount of $750 million. The Issuers may issue additional notes under the indenture from time to time after this offering. Any offering of additional notes is subject to the covenant described below under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock.” The notes and any additional notes subsequently issued under the indenture, together with any Exchange Notes, will be treated as a single class for all purposes under the indenture, including, without limitation, waivers, amendments, redemptions and offers to purchase. The Issuers will issue exchange notes in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess of $2,000. The exchange notes will mature on May 15, 2019.

Interest on the notes accrues at the rate of 6.500% per annum and is payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15, commencing on November 15, 2011. Interest on overdue principal and interest will accrue at a rate that is 1.0% higher than the then applicable interest rate on the notes. The Issuers will make each interest payment to the Holders of record on the immediately preceding May 1 and November 1.

 

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Interest on the notes will accrue from the date of original issuance or, if interest has already been paid, from the date it was most recently paid. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

If an interest payment date falls on a day that is not a Business Day, the interest payment to be made on such interest payment date will be made on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if made on such interest payment date, and no additional interest will accrue solely as a result of such delayed payment.

Methods of Receiving Payments on the Notes

If a Holder has given wire transfer instructions to the Issuers, the Issuers will pay all principal, interest and premium, if any, on that Holder’s notes in accordance with those instructions. All other payments on the notes will be made at the office or agency of the paying agent and registrar within the City and State of New York unless the Issuers elect to make interest payments by check mailed to the Holders at their addresses set forth in the register of Holders.

Paying Agent and Registrar for the Notes

The trustee will initially act as paying agent and registrar. The notes may be presented for registration of transfer and exchange at the offices of the registrar. The Issuers may change the paying agent or registrar without prior notice to the Holders, and the Company or any of its Subsidiaries may act as paying agent or registrar.

Transfer and Exchange

A Holder may transfer or exchange notes in accordance with the indenture. The registrar and the trustee may require a Holder to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents in connection with a transfer of notes. No service charge will be imposed by the Issuers, the trustee or the registrar for any registration of transfer or exchange of notes, but Holders will be required to pay all taxes due on transfer. The Issuers are not required to transfer or exchange any note selected for redemption. Also, the Issuers are not required to transfer or exchange any note for a period of 15 days before a selection of notes to be redeemed.

Subsidiary Guarantees

Currently, all of our existing Subsidiaries, excluding Finance Corp, guarantee the notes on a senior unsecured basis. In the future, the Restricted Subsidiaries of the Company will be required to guarantee the notes under the circumstances described under “—Certain Covenants—Additional Subsidiary Guarantees.” These Subsidiary Guarantees are unconditional and joint and several obligations of the Guarantors. The obligations of each Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee is limited as necessary to prevent that Subsidiary Guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law, although this limitation may not be effective to prevent the Subsidiary Guarantees from being voided in bankruptcy. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Exchange Notes—A subsidiary guarantee could be voided if it constitutes a fraudulent transfer under U.S. bankruptcy or similar state law, which would prevent the holders of the notes from relying on that subsidiary to satisfy claims.”

A Guarantor may not sell or otherwise dispose of, in one or more related transactions, all or substantially all of its properties or assets to, or consolidate with or merge with or into (whether or not such Guarantor is the surviving Person), another Person, other than the Company or another Guarantor, unless:

(1) immediately after giving effect to such transaction or series of transactions, no Default or Event of Default exists; and

 

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(2) either:

(a) the Person acquiring the properties or assets in any such sale or other disposition or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than the Company or a Guarantor) unconditionally assumes, pursuant to a supplemental indenture substantially in the form specified in the indenture, all the obligations of that Guarantor under the notes, the indenture and its Subsidiary Guarantee on terms set forth therein; or

(b) such transaction complies with the “Asset Sale” provisions of the indenture.

The Subsidiary Guarantee of a Guarantor will be released:

(1) in connection with any sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of that Guarantor (including by way of merger or consolidation) to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, if the sale or other disposition complies with the “Asset Sale” provisions of the indenture;

(2) in connection with any sale or other disposition of the Capital Stock of that Guarantor to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, if the sale or other disposition complies with the “Asset Sale” provisions of the indenture and the Guarantor ceases to be a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company as a result of such disposition;

(3) if such Guarantor is a Restricted Subsidiary and the Company designates such Guarantor as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with the applicable provisions of the indenture;

(4) upon Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance as described below under the caption “—Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance” or upon satisfaction and discharge of the indenture as described below under the caption “—Satisfaction and Discharge”;

(5) upon the liquidation or dissolution of such Guarantor provided no Default or Event of Default has occurred or is continuing;

(6) at such time as such Guarantor ceases both (x) to guarantee any other Indebtedness of either of the Issuers and any Indebtedness of any other Guarantor (except as a result of payment under any such other guarantee) and (y) to be an obligor with respect to any Indebtedness under any Credit Facility; or

(7) upon such Guarantor consolidating with, merging into or transferring all of its properties or assets to the Company or another Guarantor, and as a result of, or in connection with, such transaction such Guarantor dissolving or otherwise ceasing to exist.

See “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales.”

Optional Redemption

Except as otherwise described below, the notes will not be redeemable at the Issuers’ option prior to May 15, 2015. The Issuers are not, however, prohibited from acquiring the notes by means other than a redemption, whether pursuant to a tender offer, open market purchase or otherwise, so long as the acquisition does not violate the terms of the indenture.

At any time prior to May 15, 2014, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture at a redemption price of 106.500% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date (subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the redemption date), in an amount equal to the net cash proceeds of one or more Equity Offerings by the Company, provided that:

(1) at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption (excluding notes held by the Company and its Subsidiaries); and

 

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(2) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of the closing of such Equity Offering.

On and after May 15, 2015, the Issuers may redeem all or a part of the notes at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the notes to be redeemed to the applicable redemption date (subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the redemption date), if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on May 15 of the years indicated below:

 

Year		Percentage
2015			103.250	%
2016			101.625	%
2017 and thereafter			100.000	%

Prior to May 15, 2015, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or part of the notes at a redemption price equal to the sum of:

(1) the principal amount thereof, plus

(2) the Make Whole Premium at the redemption date, plus

(3) accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date (subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the redemption date).

Selection and Notice

If less than all of the notes are to be redeemed at any time, the trustee will select notes for redemption as follows:

(1) if the notes are listed on any national securities exchange, in compliance with the requirements of the principal national securities exchange on which the notes are listed; or

(2) if the notes are not listed on any national securities exchange, on a pro rata basis (except that any notes represented by a note in global form will be selected by such method as DTC may require).

No notes of $2,000 or less can be redeemed in part. Notices of optional redemption will be mailed by first class mail at least 30 but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each Holder of notes to be redeemed at its registered address, except that optional redemption notices may be mailed more than 60 days prior to a redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the notes or a satisfaction and discharge of the indenture. Notice of any redemption, including, without limitation, upon an Equity Offering, may, at the Company’s discretion, be subject to one or more conditions precedent, including, but not limited to, completion of the related Equity Offering.

If any note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to that note will state the portion of the principal amount of that note that is to be redeemed. A new note in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original note will be issued in the name of the applicable Holder upon cancellation of the original note. Notes called for redemption become due on the date fixed for redemption. On and after the redemption date, interest ceases to accrue on notes or portions of them called for redemption.

The notice of redemption with respect to a redemption described in the fourth paragraph under “—Optional Redemption” need not set forth the Make Whole Premium but only the manner of calculation thereof.

Mandatory Redemption

Except as set forth below under “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders,” neither of the Issuers is required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the notes or to repurchase the notes at the option of the Holders.

 

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Repurchase at the Option of Holders

Change of Control

If a Change of Control occurs, each Holder of notes will have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess of $2,000) of that Holder’s notes pursuant to an offer (“Change of Control Offer”) on the terms set forth in the indenture. In the Change of Control Offer, the Company will offer a payment in cash (the “Change of Control Payment”) equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the notes repurchased, to the date of purchase (the “Change of Control Purchase Date”), subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the Change of Control Purchase Date. Within 30 days following any Change of Control, the Company will mail a notice to each Holder and the trustee describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control and offering to repurchase notes properly tendered prior to the expiration date specified in the notice, which date will be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed, pursuant to the procedures required by the indenture and described in such notice.

The Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the notes as a result of a Change of Control. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Change of Control provisions of the indenture, the Company will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under the Change of Control provisions of the indenture by virtue of such compliance.

Promptly after expiration of the Change of Control Offer, the Company will, to the extent lawful, accept for payment all notes or portions of notes properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer. Promptly thereafter on the Change of Control Purchase Date, the Company will:

(1) deposit with the paying agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in respect of all notes or portions of notes properly tendered; and

(2) deliver or cause to be delivered to the trustee the notes properly accepted together with an officers’ certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of notes or portions of notes being purchased by the Company.

On the Change of Control Purchase Date, the paying agent will mail to each Holder of notes properly tendered the Change of Control Payment for such notes (or, if all the notes are then in global form, make such payment through the facilities of DTC), and the trustee will authenticate and mail (or cause to be transferred by book entry) to each Holder a new note equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the notes surrendered, if any; provided, however, that each new note will be in a principal amount of $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess of $2,000. The Company will publicly announce the results of the Change of Control Offer on or as soon as practicable after the Change of Control Purchase Date.

The Company’s ability to repurchase notes pursuant to a Change of Control Offer may be restricted by the terms of any Credit Facility, and may be prohibited or otherwise limited by the terms of any then existing borrowing arrangements and the Company’s financial resources. The exercise by the Holders of notes of their right to require the Company to repurchase the notes upon a Change of Control Offer could cause a default under these other agreements, even if the Change of Control itself does not, due to the financial effect of such repurchases on the Company or otherwise. The Credit Agreement provides that certain change of control events with respect to the Company would constitute an event of default thereunder, entitling the lenders, among other things, to accelerate the maturity of all Senior Debt outstanding thereunder. Any future credit agreements or other agreements relating to Senior Debt to which the Company or any Guarantor becomes a party may contain similar restrictions and provisions. The indenture provides that, prior to complying with any of the provisions of this “Change of Control” covenant, but in any event no later than the Change of Control Purchase Date, the Company

 

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or any Guarantor must either repay all of its other outstanding Senior Debt or obtain the requisite consents, if any, under all agreements governing such Senior Debt to permit the repurchase of notes required by this covenant. If the Company does not obtain the requisite consents or repay all of its other outstanding Senior Debt, the Company will remain prohibited from purchasing notes under those other agreements. The Company’s failure to purchase tendered notes would constitute an Event of Default under the indenture which could, in turn, constitute a default under other Indebtedness.

The provisions described above that require the Company to make a Change of Control Offer following a Change of Control will be applicable whether or not any other provisions of the indenture are applicable. Except as described above with respect to a Change of Control, the indenture does not contain provisions that permit the Holders of the notes to require that the Company repurchase or redeem the notes in the event of a takeover, recapitalization or similar transaction.

The Company will not be required to make a Change of Control Offer upon a Change of Control if (1) a third party makes the Change of Control Offer in the manner, at the time and otherwise in compliance with the requirements set forth in the indenture applicable to a Change of Control Offer made by the Company and purchases all notes properly tendered and not withdrawn under the Change of Control Offer or (2) notice of redemption of all notes has been given pursuant to the indenture as described above under the caption “—Optional Redemption” unless there is a default in payment of the applicable redemption price.

A Change of Control Offer may be made in advance of a Change of Control, and conditioned upon the occurrence of such Change of Control, if a definitive agreement is in place for such Change of Control at the time of making the Change of Control Offer.

The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of “all or substantially all” of the properties or assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole. Although there is a limited body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise established definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a Holder of notes to require the Company to repurchase its notes as a result of a sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of less than all of the assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to another Person or group may be uncertain.

In the event that Holders of not less than 90% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding notes accept a Change of Control Offer and the Company (or the third party making the offer as provided above) purchases all of the notes held by such Holders, the Company will have the right, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ prior notice, given not more than 30 days following the purchase pursuant to the Change of Control Offer described above, to redeem all of the notes that remain outstanding following such purchase at a purchase price equal to the Change of Control Payment plus, to the extent not included in the Change of Control Payment, accrued and unpaid interest on the notes that remain outstanding, to the date of redemption (subject to the right of Holders on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date).

Asset Sales

The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, consummate an Asset Sale unless:

(1) the Company (or the Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) receives consideration (including by way of relief from, or any Person assuming responsibilities for, any liabilities, contingent or otherwise), determined on the date of contractually agreeing to such Asset Sale, at least equal to the fair market value of the assets or Equity Interests issued or sold or otherwise disposed of; and

(2) at least 75% of the aggregate consideration received by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the Asset Sale (determined on the date of contractually agreeing to such Asset Sale) and all other Asset

 

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Sales since the date of the indenture, on a cumulative basis, is in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents. For purposes of this provision, each of the following will be deemed to be cash:

(a) any liabilities, as shown on the Company’s or such Restricted Subsidiary’s most recent balance sheet, of the Company or any Subsidiary (other than contingent liabilities and liabilities that are by their terms subordinated in right of payment to the notes or any Subsidiary Guarantee) that are assumed by the transferee of any such assets pursuant to a customary novation agreement that releases the Company or such Subsidiary from further liability;

(b) any securities, notes or other obligations received by the Company or any such Restricted Subsidiary from such transferee that are, within 180 days after the Asset Sale, converted by the Company or such Subsidiary into cash, to the extent of the cash received in that conversion; and

(c) accounts receivable of a business retained by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, following the sale of such business, provided that such accounts receivable (i) are not past due more than 90 days and (ii) do not have a payment date greater than 120 days from the date of the invoices creating such accounts receivable.

Within 365 days after the receipt of any Net Proceeds from an Asset Sale, the Company (or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) may apply those Net Proceeds at its option to any combination of the following:

(I) to prepay, repay, redeem, defease or repurchase Senior Debt, including the notes;

(II) to invest in or acquire Additional Assets; or

(III) to make capital expenditures in respect of the Company’s or its Restricted Subsidiaries’ Oil and Gas Business.

The requirement of clause (II) or (III) of the preceding paragraph shall be deemed to be satisfied if a bona fide binding contract committing to make the investment, acquisition or expenditure referred to therein is entered into by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries with a Person other than an Affiliate of the Company within the time period specified in the preceding paragraph and such Net Proceeds are subsequently applied in accordance with such contract within six months following the date such agreement is entered into.

Pending the final application of any Net Proceeds, the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company may temporarily reduce Indebtedness or otherwise invest the Net Proceeds in any manner that is not prohibited by the indenture. Any Net Proceeds from Asset Sales that are not applied or invested as provided in the preceding paragraph will constitute “Excess Proceeds.”

On the 366th day after an Asset Sale (or, at the Company’s option, any earlier date), if the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds then exceeds $40.0 million, the Company will make an offer (the “Asset Sale Offer”) to all Holders of notes, and all holders of other Indebtedness that is pari passu with the notes containing provisions similar to those set forth in the indenture with respect to offers to purchase or redeem, on a pro rata basis, with the proceeds of sales of assets, to purchase the maximum principal amount of notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness that may be purchased out of the Excess Proceeds. The offer price in any Asset Sale Offer will be equal to 100% of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of settlement, subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the date of settlement, and will be payable in cash. If any Excess Proceeds remain after consummation of an Asset Sale Offer, the Company may use those Excess Proceeds for any purpose not otherwise prohibited by the indenture. If the aggregate principal amount of notes tendered into such Asset Sale Offer exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds allocated for purchase of the notes, the trustee will select the notes to be purchased on a pro rata basis. Upon completion of each Asset Sale Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds will be reset at zero.

 

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The Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with each repurchase of notes pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Asset Sale provisions of the indenture, the Company will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under the Asset Sale provisions of the indenture by virtue of such compliance.

The Company’s ability to repurchase notes in an Asset Sale Offer may be restricted by the terms of any Credit Facility, and may be prohibited or otherwise limited by the terms of any then existing borrowing arrangements and the Company’s financial resources. The exercise by the Holders of notes of their right to require the Company to repurchase the notes upon an Asset Sale Offer could cause a default under these other agreements, even if the Asset Sale itself does not, due to the financial effect of such repurchases on the Company or otherwise. In the event an Asset Sale occurs at a time when the Company is prohibited from purchasing notes, the Company could seek the consent of the applicable lenders to the purchase of notes or could attempt to refinance the Indebtedness that contains such prohibitions . If the Company does not obtain a consent or repay the Indebtedness, the Company will remain prohibited from purchasing notes. In that case, the Company’s failure to purchase tendered notes would constitute an Event of Default under the indenture which could, in turn, constitute a default under other Indebtedness.

Certain Covenants

Restricted Payments

The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:

(1) declare or pay any dividend or make any other payment or distribution on account of the Company’s or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries’ Equity Interests (including, without limitation, any payment in connection with any merger or consolidation involving the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries) or to the holders of the Company’s or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries’ Equity Interests in their capacity as such (other than dividends or distributions payable in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company or payable to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company);

(2) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or retire for value (including, without limitation, in connection with any merger or consolidation involving the Company) any Equity Interests of the Company or any direct or indirect parent of the Company (other than in exchange for Capital Stock of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock));

(3) make any principal payment on or with respect to, or purchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Indebtedness that is subordinated in right of payment to the notes or any Subsidiary Guarantee (excluding (a) any intercompany Indebtedness between or among the Company and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, (b) the purchase, redemption, defeasance, repurchase or other acquisition or retirement for value of Indebtedness that is subordinated in right of payment to the notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees purchased, redeemed, defeased or otherwise acquired or retired for value in anticipation of satisfying a sinking fund obligation, principal installment or final maturity, in each case due within one year of the date of purchase, repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value, and (c) any payment of principal at the Stated Maturity thereof); or

(4) make any Restricted Investment (all such payments and other actions set forth in these clauses (1) through (4) being collectively referred to as “Restricted Payments”), unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such Restricted Payment, no Default (except a Reporting Default) or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would occur as a consequence of such Restricted Payment and either:

(I) if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Company’s most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available at the time of such Restricted Payment (the “Trailing Four Quarters”) is not less than 2 25 to 1.0, such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by the Company and its Restricted

 

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Subsidiaries (excluding Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (2), (3), (4), (5), (8), (9), (11) and (12) of the next succeeding paragraph) with respect to the quarter for which such Restricted Payment is made, is less than the sum, without duplication, of:

(a) Available Cash as of the end of the Company’s preceding fiscal quarter, plus

(b) 100% of the aggregate net cash proceeds, and the fair market value of any Capital Stock of Persons engaged primarily in the Oil and Gas Business or any other assets that are used or useful in the Oil and Gas Business, in each case received by the Company after the Measurement Date as a contribution to its common equity capital or from the issue or sale of Equity Interests of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock) or from the issue or sale of convertible or exchangeable Disqualified Stock or convertible or exchangeable debt securities of the Company that have been converted into or exchanged for such Equity Interests (other than Equity Interests (or Disqualified Stock or debt securities) sold to a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company), plus

(c) the amount equal to the net reduction in Restricted Investments made by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in any Person since the Measurement Date resulting from:

(i) repurchases or redemptions of such Restricted Investments by such Person, proceeds realized upon the sale of such Restricted Investment to a purchaser other than the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company, repayments of loans or advances or other transfers of assets (including by way of dividend or distribution) by such Person to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company; plus

(ii) the redesignation of Unrestricted Subsidiaries as Restricted Subsidiaries or the merger or consolidation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary with and into, or the transfer of its assets to, or liquidation into, the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (valued in each case as provided in the definition of “Investment”) not to exceed, in the case of any Unrestricted Subsidiary, the amount of Restricted Investments previously made by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in such Unrestricted Subsidiary; plus

(iii) any amount which previously qualified as a Restricted Payment on account of any guarantee entered into by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date, to the extent that such guarantee has not been called upon and the obligation arising under such guarantee no longer exists or has been reduced; plus

(iv) the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary making any Investment in a Person that, as a result of or in connection with such Investment, becomes a Restricted Subsidiary or is merged or consolidated with the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, to the extent of the Company’s or any Restricted Subsidiary’s Restricted Investment in such Person prior to the time it became a Restricted Subsidiary or the time of such merger or consolidation, in each case to the extent such amounts have not been included in Available Cash for any period commencing on or after the Measurement Date (items (b) and (c) being referred to as “Incremental Funds”), minus

(d) the aggregate amount of Incremental Funds previously expended pursuant to this clause (I) and clause (II) below; or

(II) if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Trailing Four Quarters is less than 2.25 to 1.0, such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries (excluding Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (2), (3), (4), (5), (8), (9), (11) and (12) of the next succeeding paragraph) with respect to the quarter for which such Restricted Payment is made (such Restricted Payments for purposes of this clause (II) meaning only distributions on units of the Company), is less than the sum, without duplication, of:

(a) $500.0 million less the aggregate amount of all prior Restricted Payments made by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to this clause (H)(a) since the date of the indenture, plus

 

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(b) Incremental Funds to the extent not previously expended pursuant to this clause (II) or clause (I) above.

The preceding provisions will not prohibit:

(1) the payment of any dividend or distribution within 60 days after the date of its declaration, if at the date of declaration the payment would have complied with the provisions of the indenture;

(2) the redemption, repurchase, retirement, defeasance or other acquisition of any subordinated Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary or of any Equity Interests of the Company in exchange for, or out of the net cash proceeds of the substantially concurrent (a) contribution (other than from a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company) to the equity capital of the Company or (b) sale (other than to a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company) of Equity Interests of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock), with a sale being deemed substantially concurrent if such redemption, repurchase, retirement, defeasance or acquisition occurs not more than 120 days after such sale; provided, however, that the amount of any such net cash proceeds that are utilized for any such redemption, repurchase, retirement, defeasance or other acquisition will be excluded or deducted from the calculation of Available Cash and Incremental Funds;

(3) the defeasance, redemption, repurchase, retirement or other acquisition of subordinated Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary with the net cash proceeds from a substantially concurrent incurrence of, or in exchange for, Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness, with an incurrence of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness being deemed substantially concurrent if such defeasance, redemption, repurchase, retirement or acquisition occurs not more than 120 days after such incurrence;

(4) the payment of any dividend or distribution by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company to the holders of such Restricted Subsidiary’s Equity Interests on a pro rata basis or on a basis more favorable to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary;

(5) so long as no Default (other than a Reporting Default) or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would be caused thereby, the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Equity Interests of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company pursuant to any director or employee equity subscription agreement or equity option agreement or other employee benefit plan or to satisfy obligations under any Equity Interests appreciation rights or option plan or similar arrangement; provided, however, that the aggregate price paid for all such repurchased, redeemed, acquired or retired Equity Interests may not exceed $3.0 million in any calendar year (with any portion of such $3.0 million amount that is unused in any calendar year to be carried forward to successive calendar years and added to such amount) plus, to the extent not previously applied or included, (a) the cash proceeds received by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from sales of Equity Interests of the Company to employees or directors of the Company or its Affiliates that occur after the date of the indenture (to the extent the cash proceeds from the sale of such Equity Interests have not otherwise been applied to the payment of Restricted Payments by virtue of clauses (I)(b) or (II)(b) of the first paragraph of this covenant) and (b) the cash proceeds of key man life insurance policies received by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries after the date of the indenture;

(6) any purchase, redemption, defeasance, retirement or other acquisition of Indebtedness that is subordinated in right of payment to the notes or a Subsidiary Guarantee at a purchase price not greater than (i) 101% of the principal amount of such subordinated Indebtedness in the event of a Change of Control or (ii) 100% of the principal amount of such subordinated Indebtedness in the event of an Asset Sale, in each case plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, in connection with any change of control offer or asset sale offer required by the terms of such Indebtedness, but only if:

(a) in the case of a Change of Control, the Company has first complied with and fully satisfied its obligations under the provisions described under “Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control;” or

 

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(b) in the case of an Asset Sale, the Company has complied with and fully satisfied its obligations in accordance with the covenant under the heading, “Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales;”

(7) the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition for value of Equity Interests of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company representing fractional shares of such Equity Interests in connection with a merger or consolidation involving the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary or any other transaction permitted by the indenture;

(8) repurchases of Equity Interests deemed to occur upon the exercise or conversion of stock options, warrants or other convertible securities if such Equity Interests represent a portion of the exercise or conversion price thereof;

(9) the defeasance, repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Equity Interests of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company held by any current or former officers, directors or employees of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with the exercise or vesting of any equity compensation (including, without limitation, stock options, restricted stock and phantom stock) in order to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to such exercise or vesting;

(10) any payments in connection with a consolidation, merger or transfer of assets in connection with a transaction that is not prohibited by the indenture not to exceed $10.0 million in the aggregate after the date of the indenture;

(11) Equity Repurchases on or after the date of the indenture that, when combined with any Equity Repurchases made pursuant to this clause (11) on or after the Measurement Date and prior to the date of the indenture, are in an aggregate amount not in excess of $100.0 million; or

(12) so long as no Default (other than a Reporting Default) or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would be caused thereby, other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any one time outstanding the greater of (i) $50.0 million and (ii) 1.0% of the Company’s Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined as of the date of such Restricted Payment (after giving effect to any dividends, interest payments, return of capital and subsequent reduction in the amount of any Investments made pursuant to this clause as a result of the repayment or other disposition thereof, in an amount not to exceed the amount of such Investments previously made pursuant to in this clause); provided, however, that if any Investment pursuant to this clause (12) is made in any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company at the date of the making of such Investment and such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company after such date, such Investment shall thereafter be deemed to have been made pursuant to clause (1) of the definition of “Permitted Investments” and shall cease to have been made pursuant to this clause (12) for so long as such Person continues to be a Restricted Subsidiary.

The amount of all Restricted Payments (other than cash) will be the fair market value on the date of the Restricted Payment of the asset(s) or securities proposed to be transferred or issued by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, pursuant to the Restricted Payment, except that the amount of a non-cash Restricted Payment referred to in clause (1) will be the Fair Market Value on the date of declaration. The fair market value of any assets or securities that are required to be valued by this covenant will be determined, in the case of amounts in excess of $25.0 million but no greater than $50.0 million, by an officer of the Company and, in the case of amounts over $50.0 million, by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be evidenced by a Board Resolution. For purposes of determining compliance with this “Restricted Payments” covenant, (x) in the event that a Restricted Payment meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of Restricted Payments described in the preceding clauses (1)-(12), the Company will be permitted to divide or classify (or later divide, classify or reclassify in whole or in part in its sole discretion) such Restricted Payment in any manner that complies with this covenant; and (y) in the event a Restricted Payment is made pursuant to clause (1) or (H) of the second preceding paragraph, the Company will be permitted to classify whether all or any portion thereof is being (and in the absence of such classification shall be deemed to have classified the minimum amount possible as having been) made with Incremental Funds.

 

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Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock

The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable, contingently or otherwise, with respect to (collectively, “incur”) any Indebtedness, the Company will not issue any Disqualified Stock, and the Company will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to issue any preferred securities; provided, however, that the Company and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries may incur Indebtedness or the Company may issue Disqualified Stock, if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Company’s most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such additional Indebtedness is incurred or such Disqualified Stock is issued, as the case may be, would have been at least 2.25 to 1.0, determined on a pro forma basis (including a pro forma application of the net proceeds therefrom), as if the additional Indebtedness had been incurred or Disqualified Stock had been issued, as the case may be, at the beginning of such four-quarter period.

The first paragraph of this covenant will not prohibit the incurrence of any of the following items of Indebtedness or the issuance of any Disqualified Stock described in clause (5), (12) or (15) or any preferred securities described in clause (11) below (collectively, “Permitted Debt”):

(1) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of additional Indebtedness (including letters of credit) under one or more Credit Facilities, provided that, after giving effect to any such incurrence, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness incurred under this clause (1) (with letters of credit being deemed to have a principal amount equal to the maximum potential liability of the Company and its Subsidiaries thereunder) and then outstanding does not exceed the greater of (a) $2.0 billion and (b) an amount equal to 35.0% of the Company’s Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined as of the date of such incurrence;

(2) the incurrence by the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries of the Existing Indebtedness;

(3) the incurrence by the Company and the Guarantors of Indebtedness represented by (a) the notes and the related Subsidiary Guarantees to be issued on the date of the indenture and (b) the Exchange Notes and the related Subsidiary Guarantees issued pursuant to any registration rights agreement;

(4) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness represented by Capital Lease Obligations, mortgage financings or purchase money obligations, in each case incurred for the purpose of financing all or any part of the purchase price or cost of construction or improvement of property, plant or equipment used in the business of the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary and related financing costs, and Attributable Debt in respect of sale and leaseback transactions, including all Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred to extend, refinance, renew, replace, defease, refund, discharge or otherwise retire for value any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (4), provided that after giving effect to any such incurrence, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (4) and then outstanding does not exceed the greater of (a) $50.0 million and (b) 1.0% of the Company’s Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined as of the date of such incurrence;

(5) the incurrence or issuance by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to extend, refinance, renew, replace, defease, discharge, refund or otherwise retire for value, in whole or in part, Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than intercompany Indebtedness) or Disqualified Stock of the Company, in each case that was permitted by the indenture to be incurred under the indenture (including Indebtedness previously incurred pursuant to this clause (5));

(6) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of intercompany Indebtedness between or among any of the Company and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided, however, that:

(a) if the Company is the obligor on such Indebtedness and a Guarantor is not the obligee, such Indebtedness must be expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all Obligations with respect to the notes, or if a Guarantor is the obligor on such Indebtedness and neither the Company nor

 

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another Guarantor is the obligee, such Indebtedness must be expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all Obligations with respect to the Subsidiary Guarantee of such Guarantor; and

(b) (i) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests that results in any such Indebtedness being held by a Person other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company and (ii) any sale or other transfer of any such Indebtedness to a Person that is neither the Company nor a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company will be deemed, in each case, to constitute an incurrence (as of the date of such issuance, sale or transfer) of such Indebtedness by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, that was not permitted by this clause (6);

(7) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of obligations under Hedging Contracts;

(8) the guarantee by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that was permitted to be incurred by another provision of this covenant;

(9) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness relating to net gas balancing positions arising in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice;

(10) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness in respect of bid, performance, surety and similar bonds issued for the account of the Company and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business, including guarantees and obligations of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to letters of credit supporting such obligations (in each case other than an obligation for money borrowed);

(11) the issuance by any of the Company’s Restricted Subsidiaries to the Company or to any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of any preferred securities; provided, however, that:

(a) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests that results in any such preferred securities being held by a Person other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company; and

(b) any sale or other transfer of any such preferred securities to a Person that is not either the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company shall be deemed, in each case, to constitute an issuance (as of the date of such issuance, sale or transfer) of such preferred securities by such Restricted Subsidiary that was not permitted by this clause (11);

(12) Permitted Acquisition Indebtedness;

(13) the incurrence by the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial institution of a check, draft or similar instrument inadvertently drawn against insufficient funds in the ordinary course of business;

(14) the incurrence by the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness consisting of the financing of insurance premiums in customary amounts consistent with the operations and business of the Company and the Restricted Subsidiaries;

(15) accounts payable or other obligations of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to trade creditors created or assumed by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business in connection with the obtaining of goods or services;

(16) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising from agreements of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price, earn outs, or similar obligations, in each case, incurred or assumed in connection with the disposition or acquisition of any business, assets or Capital Stock of a Subsidiary in a transaction permitted by the indenture, other than guarantees of Indebtedness incurred or assumed by any Person acquiring all or any portion of such business, assets or Subsidiary for the purpose of financing such acquisition; and

 

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(17) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of additional Indebtedness or the issuance by the Company of additional Disqualified Stock, provided that, after giving effect to any such incurrence or issuance, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness and Disqualified Stock incurred or issued under this clause (17) and then outstanding does not exceed the greater of (a) $100.0 million and (b) 2.0% of the Company’s Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined as of the date of such incurrence or issuance.

For purposes of determining compliance with this “Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock” covenant, in the event that an item of Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of Permitted Debt described in clauses (1) through (17) above, or is entitled to be incurred or issued pursuant to the first paragraph of this covenant, the Company will be permitted to divide and classify (or later classify, reclassify or re-divide in whole or in part in its sole discretion) such item of Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock in any manner that complies with this covenant. Any Indebtedness under Credit Facilities on the date of the indenture shall be considered incurred under the first paragraph of this covenant. For purposes of determining any particular amount of Indebtedness under this covenant, (i) guarantees of, or obligations in respect of letters of credit relating to, Indebtedness otherwise included in the determination of such amount shall not also be included and (ii) if obligations in respect of letters of credit are incurred pursuant to a Credit Facility and are being treated as incurred pursuant to clause (1) of the definition of “Permitted Debt” and the letters of credit relate to other Indebtedness, then such other Indebtedness shall not be included.

The accrual of interest, the accretion or amortization of original issue discount, the payment of interest on any Indebtedness in the form of additional Indebtedness with the same terms, and the payment of dividends on Disqualified Stock or preferred securities in the form of additional shares of the same class of Disqualified Stock or preferred securities will not be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness or an issuance of Disqualified Stock or preferred securities for purposes of this covenant, provided, in each such case, that the amount thereof is included in Fixed Charges of the Company as accrued.

Liens

The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, create, incur, assume or otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become effective any Lien of any kind (other than Permitted Liens) upon any of its property or assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired), securing Indebtedness, unless the notes or any Subsidiary Guarantee of such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, is secured on an equal and ratable basis with (or, in the case of obligations subordinated in right of payment to the notes or such Subsidiary Guarantee, as the case may be, on a basis senior (to at least the same extent as the notes are senior in right of payment) to) the obligations so secured until such time as such obligations are no longer secured by a Lien.

Any Lien on any property or assets of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries created for the benefit of the Holders of the notes pursuant to the preceding paragraph shall provide by its terms that such Lien shall be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged at such time as there are no other Liens of any kind (other than Permitted Liens) on such property or assets securing Indebtedness.

Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Subsidiaries

The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company to:

(1) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Capital Stock to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or pay any Indebtedness or other obligations owed to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(2) make loans or advances to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or

(3) sell, lease or transfer any of its properties or assets to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

 

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However, the preceding restrictions will not apply to encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:

(1) agreements (including in respect of any Credit Facilities) as in effect on the date of the indenture and any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of those agreements (or the agreements referred to in this clause (1)), or the Indebtedness to which those agreements (or the agreements referred to in this clause (1)) relate, provided that the amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are no more restrictive, taken as a whole, with respect to such dividend, distribution and other payment restrictions than those contained in those agreements on the date of the indenture, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company in its reasonable and good faith judgment;

(2) the indenture, the notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees;

(3) applicable law, rule, regulation, order, approval, license, permit or similar restriction;

(4) any instrument governing Indebtedness or Capital Stock of a Person acquired by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries as in effect at the time of such acquisition (except to the extent such Indebtedness or Capital Stock was incurred in connection with or in contemplation of such acquisition), which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person, or the property or assets of the Person, so acquired; provided that, in the case of Indebtedness, such Indebtedness was otherwise permitted by the terms of the indenture to be incurred;

(5) instruments governing other Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries permitted to be incurred pursuant to an agreement entered into subsequent to the date of the indenture in accordance with the covenant described under the caption “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock”; provided that the provisions relating to such encumbrance or restriction contained in such instruments are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than the provisions contained in the Credit Agreement and in the indenture as in effect on the date of the indenture, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company in its reasonable and good faith judgment;

(6) customary non-assignment provisions in Hydrocarbon purchase and sale or exchange agreements or similar operational agreements or in licenses or leases, in each case entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(7) Capital Lease Obligations, mortgage financings or purchase money obligations, in each case for property acquired in the ordinary course of business that impose restrictions on that property purchased or leased of the nature described in clause (3) of the preceding paragraph;

(8) any agreement for the sale or other disposition of a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that restricts distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary pending its sale or other disposition;

(9) Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness; provided that the restrictions contained in the agreements governing such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in the agreements governing the Indebtedness being refinanced, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company in its reasonable and good faith judgment;

(10) Liens securing Indebtedness otherwise permitted to be incurred under the provisions of the covenant described above under the caption “—Liens” that limit the right of the debtor to dispose of the assets subject to such Liens;

(11) provisions limiting the disposition or distribution of assets or property in joint venture agreements, asset sale agreements, stock sale agreements and other similar agreements entered into (a) in the ordinary course of business or (b) with the approval of the Company’s Board of Directors, which limitations are applicable only to the assets or property that are the subject of such agreements;

(12) any agreement or instrument relating to any property or assets acquired after the date of the indenture, so long as such encumbrance or restriction relates only to the property or assets so acquired and is not and was not created in anticipation of such acquisition;

 

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(13) restrictions on cash, Cash Equivalents or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers or lessors under contracts or leases entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(14) customary encumbrances and restrictions contained in agreements of the types described in the definition of “Permitted Business Investments”;

(15) Hedging Contracts permitted from time to time under the indenture;

(16) the issuance of preferred securities by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company or the payment of dividends thereon in accordance with the terms thereof; provided that issuance of such preferred securities is permitted pursuant to the covenant described under “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock” and the terms of such preferred securities do not expressly restrict the ability of a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company to pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Equity Interests (other than requirements to pay dividends or liquidation preferences on such preferred securities prior to paying any dividends or making any other distributions on such other Equity Interests); and

(17) any Permitted Investment.

Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets

Neither of the Issuers may, directly or indirectly: (x) consolidate or merge with or into another Person (whether or not such Issuer is the survivor); or (y) sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to another Person; unless:

(1) either: (a) such Issuer is the survivor; or (b) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than such Issuer) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition has been made is a Person organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia; provided, however, that Finance Corp. may not consolidate or merge with or into any Person other than a corporation satisfying such requirement so long as the Company is not a corporation;

(2) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than such Issuer) or the Person to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition has been made assumes all the obligations of such Issuer under the notes, the indenture and the registration rights agreement pursuant to agreements reasonably satisfactory to the trustee;

(3) immediately after such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists;

(4) in the case of a transaction involving the Company and not Finance Corp., either

(a) the Company or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than the Company), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition has been made will, on the date of such transaction immediately after giving pro forma effect thereto and any related financing transactions as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in the first paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock;” or

(b) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and any related financing transactions on a pro forma basis as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Company or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than the Company), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition has been made, will be equal to or greater than the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Company immediately prior to such transaction; or

(c) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and any related financing transactions on a pro forma basis, the Consolidated Net Worth of the Company or the Person formed by or surviving any

 

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such consolidation or merger (if other than the Company), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition has been made, will be greater than the Consolidated Net Worth of the Company immediately prior to such transaction; and

(5) such Issuer has delivered to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger or disposition and such supplemental indenture (if any) comply with the indenture.

Notwithstanding the restrictions described in the foregoing clauses (3) and (4), any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company (other than an Issuer) may consolidate with, merge into or dispose of all or part of its properties and assets to the Company, and the Company will not be required to comply with the preceding clause (5) in connection with any such consolidation, merger or disposition.

Notwithstanding the second preceding paragraph, the Company is permitted to reorganize as any other form of entity in accordance with the following procedures provided that:

(1) the reorganization involves the conversion (by merger, sale, contribution or exchange of assets or otherwise) of the Company into a form of entity other than a limited liability company formed under Delaware law;

(2) the entity so formed by or resulting from such reorganization is an entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

(3) the entity so formed by or resulting from such reorganization assumes all the obligations of the Company under the notes, the indenture and the registration rights agreement pursuant to agreements reasonably satisfactory to the trustee;

(4) immediately after such reorganization no Default or Event of Default exists; and

(5) such reorganization is not materially adverse to the Holders or Beneficial Owners of the notes (for purposes of this clause (5) a reorganization will not be considered materially adverse to the Holders or Beneficial Owners of the notes solely because the successor or survivor of such reorganization (a) is subject to federal or state income taxation as an entity or (b) is considered to be an “includable corporation” of an affiliated group of corporations with the meaning of Section 1504(b)(i) of the Code or any similar state or local law).

For purposes of the foregoing, the transfer (by lease, assignment, sale or otherwise, in a single transaction or series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of one or more Restricted Subsidiaries of the Company, the Capital Stock of which constitutes all or substantially all of the properties and assets of the Company, shall be deemed to be the transfer of all or substantially all of the properties and assets of the Company.

Upon any consolidation or merger or any sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of an Issuer in accordance with the foregoing in which such Issuer is not the surviving entity, the surviving entity formed by such consolidation or into or with which such Issuer is merged or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, such Issuer under the indenture with the same effect as if such surviving entity had been named as such Issuer in the indenture, and thereafter (except in the case of a lease of all or substantially all of such Issuer’s assets), such Issuer will be relieved of all obligations and covenants under the indenture and the notes.

Although there is a limited body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise established definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, in certain circumstances there may be a degree of uncertainty as to whether a particular transaction would involve “all or substantially all” of the properties or assets of a Person.

 

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Transactions with Affiliates

The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, make any payment to, or sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets to, or purchase any property or assets from, or enter into or make or amend any transaction, contract, agreement, understanding, loan, advance or guarantee with, or for the benefit of, any Affiliate of the Company (each, an “Affiliate Transaction”), unless:

(1) the Affiliate Transaction is on terms that are no less favorable to the Company or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated Person or, if in the good faith judgment of the Company’s Board of Directors, no comparable transaction is available with which to compare such Affiliate Transaction, such Affiliate Transaction is otherwise fair to the Company or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary from a financial point of view; and

(2) the Company delivers to the trustee:

(a) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $25.0 million but no greater than $50.0 million, an officers’ certificate certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with this covenant; and

(b) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $50.0 million, a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Company set forth in an officers’ certificate certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with this covenant and that such Affiliate Transaction has been approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the Board of Directors of the Company.

The following items will not be deemed to be Affiliate Transactions and, therefore, will not be subject to the provisions of the prior paragraph:

(1) any employment agreement or arrangement, equity award, equity option or equity appreciation agreement or plan, employee benefit plan, officer or director indemnification agreement, severance agreement or other compensation plan or arrangement entered into by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business, and payments, awards, grants or issuances of securities pursuant thereto;

(2) transactions between or among any of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries (or any entity that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction);

(3) transactions with a Person (other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Company) that is an Affiliate of the Company solely because the Company owns, directly or indirectly, an Equity Interest in, or otherwise controls, such Person;

(4) customary compensation, indemnification and other benefits made available to officers, directors or employees of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Company, including reimbursement or advancement of out-of-pocket expenses and provisions of officers’ and directors’ liability insurance;

(5) sales of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) to, or receipt of capital contributions from, Affiliates of the Company;

(6) any Permitted Investments or Restricted Payments that are permitted by the provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Restricted Payments” (and any transaction that would constitute a Restricted Payment but for the exclusions from the definition thereof);

(7) transactions between the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and any Person that would not otherwise constitute an Affiliate Transaction except for the fact that one director of such other Person is also a director of the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable; provided that such director abstains from voting as a director of the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, on any matter involving such other Person;

 

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(8) the existence of, and the performance of obligations of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries under the terms of, any written agreement to which the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries is a party on the date of the indenture and which is described in this prospectus, as these agreements may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time; provided, however, that any amendment, modification or supplement entered into after the date of the indenture will be permitted to the extent that its terms are not materially more disadvantageous, taken as a whole, to the Holders of the notes than the terms of the agreements in effect on the date of the indenture;

(9) any transaction in which the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, delivers to the trustee a letter from an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm of national standing stating that such transaction is fair to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary from a financial point of view or that such transaction meets the requirements of clause (1) of the preceding paragraph;

(10) (a) guarantees by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of performance of obligations of the Company’s Unrestricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business, except for guarantees of Indebtedness in respect of borrowed money, and (b) pledges by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company of Equity Interests in Unrestricted Subsidiaries for the benefit of lenders or other creditors of the Company’s Unrestricted Subsidiaries;

(11) any Affiliate Transaction with a Person in its capacity as a holder of Indebtedness or Capital Stock of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company if such Person is treated no more favorably than the other holders of Indebtedness or Capital Stock of the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary;

(12) transactions with Unrestricted Subsidiaries, customers, clients, suppliers or purchasers or sellers of goods or services, or lessors or lessees of property, in each case in the ordinary course of business and otherwise in compliance with the terms of the indenture which are, in the aggregate (taking into account all the costs and benefits associated with such transactions), not materially less favorable to the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries than those that would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated person, in the good faith determination of the Company’s Board of Directors or any executive officer of the Company involved in or otherwise familiar with such transaction, or are on terms at least as favorable as might reasonably have been obtained at such time from an unaffiliated party;

(13) transactions entered into by a Person prior to the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary or is merged or consolidated into the Company or a Subsidiary (provided such transaction is not entered into in contemplation of such event); and

(14) dividends and distributions to the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries by any Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint Venture.

Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries

Currently, all of the Subsidiaries of the Company are Restricted Subsidiaries. The Board of Directors of the Company may designate any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary if that designation would not cause a Default. If a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company is designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, the aggregate fair market value of all outstanding Investments owned by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the Subsidiary properly designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary will be deemed to be an Investment made as of the time of the designation and will reduce the amount available for Restricted Payments under the first paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Restricted Payments” or represent Permitted Investments, as determined by the Company. That designation will only be permitted if the Investment would be permitted at that time and if the Subsidiary so designated otherwise meets the definition of an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

The Board of Directors of the Company may at any time designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Company to be a Restricted Subsidiary, provided that such designation will be deemed to be an incurrence of

 

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Indebtedness by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company of any outstanding Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary and such designation will only be permitted if (1) such Indebtedness is permitted under the covenant described above under the caption “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock,” calculated on a pro forma basis as if such designation had occurred at the beginning of the four-quarter reference period, and (2) no Default or Event of Default would be in existence following such designation.

Additional Subsidiary Guarantees

If, after the date of the indenture, any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that is not already a Guarantor guarantees any other Indebtedness of either of the Issuers or any Indebtedness of any Guarantor in excess of the De Minimis Guaranteed Amount, or any Domestic Subsidiary, if not then a Guarantor, incurs any Indebtedness under any of the Credit Facilities, then in either case that Subsidiary will become a Guarantor by executing a supplemental indenture and delivering it to the trustee within 30 Business Days of the date on which it guaranteed or incurred such Indebtedness, as the case may be; provided, however, that the preceding shall not apply to Subsidiaries of the Company that have properly been designated as Unrestricted Subsidiaries in accordance with the indenture for so long as they continue to constitute Unrestricted Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding the preceding, any Subsidiary Guarantee of a Restricted Subsidiary that was incurred pursuant to this paragraph shall provide by its terms that it shall be automatically and unconditionally released at such time as such Guarantor ceases both (x) to guarantee any other Indebtedness of either of the Issuers and any Indebtedness of any other Guarantor (except as a result of payment under any such other guarantee) and (y) if such Guarantor is a Domestic Subsidiary, to be an obligor with respect to any Indebtedness under any Credit Facility.

Each Subsidiary Guarantee shall also be released in accordance with the provisions of the indenture described under “Subsidiary Guarantees.”

Limitations on Finance Corp. Activities

Finance Corp. may not incur Indebtedness unless (1) the Company is a co-issuer or guarantor of such Indebtedness or (2) the net proceeds of such Indebtedness are loaned to the Company, used to acquire outstanding debt securities issued by the Company or used to repay Indebtedness of the Company as permitted under the covenant described above under the caption “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock.” Finance Corp. may not engage in any business not related directly or indirectly to obtaining money or arranging financing for the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Reports

Whether or not required by the Commission, so long as any notes are outstanding, the Company will file with the Commission for public availability within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and regulations (unless the Commission will not accept such a filing, in which case the Company will furnish to the trustee and, upon its prior request, to any Holder of notes, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and regulations):

(1) all quarterly and annual financial information with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries that would be required to be contained in a filing with the Commission on Forms 10-Q and 10-K if the Company were required to file such Forms, including a “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and, with respect to the annual information only, a report on the annual financial statements by the Company’s certified independent accountants; and

(2) all current reports that would be required to be filed with the Commission on Form 8-K if the Company were required to file such reports.

The availability of the foregoing information or reports on the SEC’s web site will be deemed to satisfy the foregoing delivery requirements.

 

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If the Company has designated any of its Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries, then, to the extent material, the quarterly and annual financial information required by the preceding paragraph will include a reasonably detailed presentation, either on the face of the financial statements or in the footnotes thereto, and in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries separate from the financial condition and results of operations of the Unrestricted Subsidiaries of the Company.

In addition, for so long as any notes remain outstanding, if at any time the Company and the Guarantors are not required to file the reports required by the preceding paragraphs with the Commission, they will furnish to the Holders of the notes and to securities analysts and prospective investors in the notes, upon their request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A (4) under the Securities Act. The Company will be deemed to have provided such information to the Holders, securities analysts and prospective Holders if it has filed reports containing such information with the Commission via the EDGAR filing system and such reports are publicly available.

Covenant Termination

If at any time (a) the rating assigned to the notes by both Ratings Agencies is an Investment Grade Rating, (b) no Default has occurred and is continuing under the indenture and (c) the Issuers have delivered to the trustee an officers’ certificate certifying to the foregoing provisions of this sentence, the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries will no longer be subject to the provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales” and the following provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants”:

 

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“—Restricted Payments,”

 

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“—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock,”

 

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“—Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Subsidiaries,” “—Transactions with Affiliates”

 

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“—Limitations on Finance Corp. Activities;” and

However, the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries will remain subject to the provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control”, and the following provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Covenants”:

 

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“—Liens”;

 

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“—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” (other than clause (4) of such covenant); “—Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries”;

 

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“—Additional Subsidiary Guarantees”;

 

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“—Reports”; and

 

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the covenant respecting payments for consent described below in the penultimate paragraph under the caption “—Amendment, Supplement and Waiver.”

Events of Default and Remedies

Each of the following is an Event of Default:

(1) default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest on the notes;

(2) default in payment when due (at maturity, upon redemption or otherwise) of the principal of, or premium, if any, on, the notes;

 

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(3) failure by the Company to comply with the provisions described under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” or to consummate a purchase of notes when required pursuant to the provisions described under the captions “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales” and “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control;”

(4) failure by the Company for 180 days after notice from the trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the notes then outstanding to comply with the provisions described under “—Certain Covenants—Reports;”

(5) failure by the Company for 60 days after notice from the trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the notes then outstanding to comply with any of the other agreements in the indenture (including the provisions described under the captions “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales” and “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control” to the extent not described in clause (3) above);

(6) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any Indebtedness for money borrowed by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (or the payment of which is guaranteed by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries), whether such Indebtedness or guarantee now exists, or is created after the date of the indenture, if that default:

(a) is caused by a failure to pay principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on such Indebtedness prior to the expiration of the grace period provided in such Indebtedness (a “Payment Default”); or

(b) results in the acceleration of such Indebtedness prior to its Stated Maturity,

and, in each case, the principal amount of any such Indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such Indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $50.0 million or more; provided, however, that if any such default is cured or waived or any such acceleration rescinded, or such Indebtedness is repaid, within a period of 30 days from the expiration of the applicable grace period or the occurrence of such acceleration, as the case may be, such Event of Default and any consequential acceleration of the notes shall be automatically rescinded, so long as such rescission does not conflict with any judgment or decree;

(7) failure by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to pay final judgments aggregating in excess of $50.0 million (to the extent not covered by insurance by a reputable and creditworthy insurer as to which the insurer has not disclaimed coverage), which judgments are not paid, discharged or stayed for a period of 60 consecutive days;

(8) (a) any Subsidiary Guarantee shall be held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or shall cease for any reason to be in full force and effect or (b) any Guarantor, or any Person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, shall deny or disaffirm its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee, except, in each case, by reason of the release of such Subsidiary Guarantee in accordance with the indenture; and

(9) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization described in the indenture with respect to Finance Corp., the Company or any of the Company’s Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of its Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken as a whole, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary of the Company.

In the case of an Event of Default arising from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization described in the indenture with respect to Finance Corp., the Company, any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of its Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken as a whole, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary of the Company, all outstanding notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding notes may declare all the notes to be due and payable immediately.

 

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Holders of the notes may not enforce the indenture or the notes except as provided in the indenture. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding notes may direct the trustee in its exercise of any trust or power. The trustee may withhold notice of any continuing Default or Event of Default from Holders of the notes if it determines that withholding notice is in their interest, except a Default or Event of Default relating to the payment of principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, the notes.

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the notes then outstanding by notice to the trustee may on behalf of the Holders of all of the notes rescind an acceleration and its consequences if the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree and if all existing Events of Default (except with respect to nonpayment of principal, interest or premium, if any, that have become due solely because of the acceleration) have been cured or waived.

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the notes then outstanding by notice to the trustee may on behalf of the Holders of all of the notes waive (including, without limitation, in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, notes) any existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences under the indenture except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, the notes.

The Issuers are required to deliver to the trustee annually a statement regarding compliance with the indenture. Upon any officer of the Company or Finance Corp. becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, the Issuers are required to deliver to the trustee a statement specifying such Default or Event of Default.

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Unitholders

No director, officer, partner, employee, incorporator, manager or unitholder or other owner of Capital Stock of the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or any Guarantor under the notes, the indenture or the Subsidiary Guarantees, or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation Each Holder of notes by accepting a note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the notes. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.

Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance

The Issuers may, at their option and at any time, elect to have all of their obligations discharged with respect to the outstanding notes and all obligations of the Guarantors discharged with respect to their Subsidiary Guarantees (“Legal Defeasance”), except for:

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

(2) the Issuers’ obligations with respect to the notes concerning issuing temporary notes, registration of notes, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen notes and 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 the Issuers’ obligations in connection therewith; and

(4) the Legal Defeasance provisions of the indenture.

In addition, the Issuers may, at their option and at any time, elect to have their obligations released with respect to the covenants that are described under the caption “Repurchase at the Option of Holders” and “Certain Covenants” (other than the covenant described in the first paragraph under “Certain Covenants—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets,” except to the extent described below) and the limitations described in clause (4) of the first paragraph under the caption “Certain Covenants—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets”

 

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(“Covenant Defeasance”), and thereafter any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to the notes. In the event Covenant Defeasance occurs, certain events (not including non-payment, bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization events) described under “—Events of Default and Remedies” will no longer constitute an Event of Default with respect to the notes. If the Issuers exercise either their Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance option, each Guarantor will be released and relieved of any obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee and any security for the notes (other than the trust) will be released.

In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance:

(1) the Issuers must irrevocably deposit with the trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders of the notes, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination of cash in U.S. dollars and non-callable Government Securities, in amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized investment banking firm, appraisal firm or firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on the outstanding notes on the date of fixed maturity or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be, and the Issuers must specify whether the notes are being defeased to the date of fixed maturity or to a particular redemption date;

(2) in the case of Legal Defeasance, the Issuers must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the trustee confirming that:

(a) the Issuers have received a ruling from, or a ruling has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service; or

(b) since the date of the indenture, 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 notes 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 times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

(3) in the case of Covenant Defeasance, the Issuers must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the trustee confirming that the Holders of the outstanding notes 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 has occurred and is continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the incurrence of Indebtedness or other borrowing of funds or the grant of Liens securing such Indebtedness or other borrowing, all or a portion of the proceeds of which will be applied to such deposit);

(5) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any material agreement or instrument (other than the indenture) to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound;

(6) the Issuers must deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Issuers with the intent of preferring the Holders of notes over the other creditors of the Issuers with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of the Issuers or others; and

(7) the Issuers must deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance have been complied with.

Amendment, Supplement and Waiver

Except as provided in the next two succeeding paragraphs, the indenture, the notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate

 

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principal amount of the then outstanding notes (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, notes), and any existing Default or Event of Default or compliance with any provision of the indenture, the notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding notes (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, notes).

Without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment, supplement or waiver may not (with respect to any notes held by a non-consenting Holder):

(1) reduce the percentage of principal amount of notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

(2) reduce the principal of or change the fixed maturity of any note or alter the provisions with respect to the redemption or repurchase of the notes (other than provisions relating to the covenants described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders”);

(3) reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest, including default interest, on any note;

(4) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on the notes (except a rescission of acceleration of the notes by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the notes and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

(5) make any note payable in currency other than that stated in the notes;

(6) make any change in the provisions of the indenture relating to waivers of past Defaults or the rights of Holders of notes to receive payments of principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on the notes (other than as permitted in clause (7) below);

(7) waive a redemption or repurchase payment with respect to any note (other than a payment required by one of the covenants described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders”);

(8) release any Guarantor from any of its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee or the indenture, except in accordance with the terms of the indenture; or

(9) make any change in the preceding amendment, supplement and waiver provisions.

Notwithstanding the preceding, without the consent of any Holder of notes, the Issuers, the Guarantors and the trustee may amend or supplement the indenture or the notes:

(1) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

(2) to provide for uncertificated notes in addition to or in place of certificated notes;

(3) to provide for the assumption of an Issuer’s obligations to Holders of notes in the case of a merger or consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of such Issuer’s properties or assets;

(4) to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the indenture of any such Holder, provided that any change to conform the indenture to this prospectus will not be deemed to adversely affect such legal rights;

(5) to secure the notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees pursuant to the requirements of the covenant described above under the subheading “—Certain Covenants—Liens;”

(6) to provide for the issuance of additional notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in the indenture;

(7) to add any additional Guarantor or to evidence the release of any Guarantor from its Subsidiary Guarantee, in each case as provided in the indenture;

 

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(8) to comply with requirements of the Commission in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;

(9) to evidence or provide for the acceptance of appointment under the indenture of a successor trustee; or

(10) to conform the text of the indenture, the Subsidiary Guarantees or the notes to any provision of this “Description of Exchange Notes.”

Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall, directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid any consideration, whether by way of interest, fee or otherwise, to any Beneficial Owner or Holder of any notes for or as an inducement to any consent to any waiver, supplement or amendment of any terms or provisions of the indenture or the notes, unless such consideration is offered to be paid or agreed to be paid to all Beneficial Owners and Holders of the notes which so consent in the time frame set forth in solicitation documents relating to such consent.

The consent of the Holders is not necessary under the indenture to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment, supplement or waiver. It is sufficient if such consent approves the substance of the proposed amendment, supplement or waiver. After an amendment, supplement or waiver under the indenture becomes effective, the Company is required to mail to the Holders a notice briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. However, the failure to give such notice, or any defect in the notice, will not impair or affect the validity of the amendment, supplement or waiver.

Satisfaction and Discharge

The indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect as to all notes issued thereunder (except as to surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of the notes and as otherwise specified in the indenture), when:

(1) either:

(a) all notes that have been authenticated, except lost, stolen or destroyed notes that have been replaced or paid and notes for whose payment money has been deposited in trust and thereafter repaid to the Issuers, have been delivered to the trustee for cancellation; or

(b) all notes that have not been delivered to the trustee for cancellation have become due and payable or will become due and payable within one year by reason of the mailing of a notice of redemption or otherwise and the Issuers or any Guarantor has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee as trust funds in trust solely for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination of cash in U.S. dollars and non-callable Government Securities, in amounts as will be sufficient without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the notes not delivered to the trustee for cancellation for principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest to the date of fixed maturity or redemption;

(2) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of the deposit or will occur as a result of the deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the incurrence of Indebtedness or other borrowing of funds or the grant of Liens securing such Indebtedness or other borrowing, all or a portion of the proceeds of which will be applied to such deposit) and the deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any material agreement or instrument (other than the indenture) to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound;

(3) the Issuers or any Guarantor has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable by it under the indenture; and

(4) the Issuers have delivered irrevocable instructions to the trustee to apply the deposited money toward the payment of the notes at fixed maturity or the redemption date, as the case may be.

 

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In addition, the Issuers must deliver an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel to the trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.

Concerning the Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association, the trustee under the indenture, is also a lender under the Credit Agreement.

If the trustee becomes a creditor of an Issuer or any Guarantor, the indenture limits its right 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 (as defined in the Trust Indenture Act) after a Default has occurred and is continuing, it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the Commission for permission to continue or resign.

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding notes will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the trustee, subject to certain exceptions. The indenture provides that in case an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will be required, in the exercise of its power, to use the degree of care of a prudent man in the conduct of his own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any Holder of notes, unless such Holder has offered to the trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

Governing Law

The indenture, the notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

Additional Information

Anyone who receives this prospectus may obtain a copy of the indenture and registration rights agreement without charge by writing to Linn Energy, LLC, 600 Travis, Suite 5100, Houston, Texas 77002, Attention: Investor Relations.

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

The exchange notes will be issued initially only in the form of one or more global notes (collectively, the “Global Notes”). The Global Notes will be deposited upon issuance with the trustee as custodian for The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), in New York, New York, and registered in the name of DTC’s nominee, Cede & Co., in each case for credit to an account of a direct or indirect participant in DTC as described below. Beneficial interests in the Global Notes may be held through the Euroclear System (“Euroclear”) and Clearstream Banking, S.A. (“Clearstream”) (as indirect participants in DTC).

The Global Notes may be transferred, in whole but not in part, only to another nominee of DTC or to a successor of DTC or its nominee. Beneficial interests in the Global Notes may not be exchanged for notes in registered, certificated form (“Certificated Notes”) except in the limited circumstances described below. See “—Exchange of Global Notes for Certificated Notes.”

In addition, transfers of beneficial interests in the Global Notes will be subject to the applicable rules and procedures of DTC and its direct or indirect participants (including, if applicable, those of Euroclear and Clearstream), which may change from time to time.

 

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Depository Procedures

The following description of the operations and procedures of DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream are provided solely as a matter of convenience. These operations and procedures are solely within the control of the respective settlement systems and are subject to changes by them. We take no responsibility for these operations and procedures and urge investors to contact the system or their participants directly to discuss these matters.

DTC has advised us that DTC is a limited-purpose trust company created to hold securities for its participating organizations (collectively, the “Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of transactions in those securities between Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of its Participants. The Participants include securities brokers and dealers (including the initial purchasers), banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. Access to DTC’s system is also available to other entities such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Participant, either directly or indirectly (collectively, the “Indirect Participants”). Persons who are not Participants may beneficially own securities held by or on behalf of DTC only through the Participants or the Indirect Participants. The ownership interests in, and transfers of ownership interests in, each security held by or on behalf of DTC are recorded on the records of the Participants and Indirect Participants.

DTC has also advised us that, pursuant to procedures established by it:

(1) upon deposit of the Global Notes, DTC will credit the accounts of Participants designated by the initial purchasers with portions of the principal amount of the Global Notes; and

(2) ownership of these interests in the Global Notes will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership of these interests will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to the Participants) or by the Participants and the Indirect Participants (with respect to other owners of beneficial interests in the Global Notes).

Investors in the Global Notes who are Participants may hold their interests therein directly through DTC. Investors in the Global Notes who are not Participants may hold their interests therein indirectly through organizations (including Euroclear and Clearstream) which are Participants. Euroclear and Clearstream may hold interests in the Global Notes on behalf of their participants through customers’ securities accounts in their respective names on the books of their respective depositories, which are Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of Euroclear, and Citibank, N.A., as operator of Clearstream. All interests in a Global Note, including those held through Euroclear or Clearstream, may be subject to the procedures and requirements of DTC. Those interests held through Euroclear or Clearstream may also be subject to the procedures and requirements of such systems.

The laws of some states require that certain Persons take physical delivery in definitive form of securities that they own. Consequently, the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a Global Note to such Persons will be limited to that extent. Because DTC can act only on behalf of Participants, which in turn act on behalf of Indirect Participants, the ability of a Person having beneficial interests in a Global Note to pledge such interests to Persons that do not participate in the DTC system, or otherwise take actions in respect of such interests, may be affected by the lack of a physical certificate evidencing such interests.

Except as described below, owners of an interest in the Global Notes will not have notes registered in their names, will not receive physical delivery of Certificated Notes and will not be considered the registered owners or “Holders” thereof under the indenture for any purpose.

Payments in respect of the principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on a Global Note registered in the name of DTC or its nominee will be payable to DTC in its capacity as the registered Holder under the indenture. Under the terms of the indenture, the Issuers, the Guarantors and the trustee will treat the Persons in whose names the notes, including the Global Notes, are registered as the owners of the notes for the purpose of

 

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receiving payments and for all other purposes. Consequently, neither the Issuers, the Guarantors, the trustee nor any agent of an Issuer or the trustee has or will have any responsibility or liability for:

(1) any aspect of DTC’s records or any Participant’s or Indirect Participant’s records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the Global Notes or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any of DTC’s records or any Participant’s or Indirect Participant’s records relating to the beneficial ownership interests in the Global Notes; or

(2) any other matter relating to the actions and practices of DTC or any of its Participants or Indirect Participants.

DTC has advised us that its current practice, at the due date of any payment in respect of securities such as the notes, is to credit the accounts of the relevant Participants with the payment on the payment date unless DTC has reason to believe it will not receive payment on such payment date. Each relevant Participant is credited with an amount proportionate to its beneficial ownership of an interest in the principal amount of the notes as shown on the records of DTC. Payments by the Participants and the Indirect Participants to the beneficial owners of notes will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices and will be the responsibility of the Participants or the Indirect Participants and will not be the responsibility of DTC, the trustee or the Issuers. Neither the Issuers, the Guarantors nor the trustee will be liable for any delay by DTC or any of its Participants in identifying the beneficial owners of the notes, and the Issuers and the trustee may conclusively rely on and will be protected in relying on instructions from DTC or its nominee for all purposes.

Subject to the transfer restrictions set forth under “Notice to Investors,” transfers between Participants will be effected in accordance with DTC’s procedures, and will be settled in same-day funds, and transfers between participants in Euroclear and Clearstream will be effected in accordance with their respective rules and operating procedures.

Subject to compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the notes described herein, crossmarket transfers between the Participants in DTC, on the one hand, and Euroclear or Clearstream participants, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with DTC’s rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by its depository; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (Brussels time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its depository to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the relevant Global Note in DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day funds settlement applicable to DTC. Euroclear participants and Clearstream participants may not deliver instructions directly to the depositories for Euroclear or Clearstream.

DTC has advised us that it will take any action permitted to be taken by a Holder of notes only at the direction of one or more Participants to whose account DTC has credited the interests in the Global Notes and only in respect of such portion of the aggregate principal amount of the notes as to which such Participant or Participants has or have given such direction. However, if there is an Event of Default under the notes, DTC reserves the right to exchange the Global Notes for Certificated Notes, and to distribute such notes to its Participants.

Although DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream have agreed to the foregoing procedures to facilitate transfers of interests in the Rule 144A Global Notes and the Regulation S Global Notes among participants in DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream, they are under no obligation to perform or to continue to perform such procedures, and may discontinue such procedures at any time. None of the Issuers, the Guarantors, the trustee or any of their respective agents will have any responsibility for the performance by DTC, Euroclear or Clearstream or their respective participants or indirect participants of their respective obligations under the rules and procedures governing their operations.

 

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Exchange of Global Notes for Certificated Notes

A Global Note is exchangeable for Certificated Notes in minimum denominations of $2,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000 in excess of $2,000, if:

(1) DTC (a) notifies the Issuers that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for the Global Notes or (b) has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and, in either case, the Issuers fail to appoint a successor depositary within 90 days;

(2) the Issuers, at their option, but subject to DTC’s requirements, notify the trustee in writing that they elect to cause the issuance of the Certificated Notes; or

(3) there has occurred and is continuing a Default or Event of Default and DTC notifies the trustee of its decision to exchange such Global Notes for Certificated Notes.

In all cases, Certificated Notes delivered in exchange for any Global Note or beneficial interests in Global Notes will be registered in the names, and issued in any approved denominations, requested by or on behalf of the depositary (in accordance with its customary procedures) and will bear the applicable restrictive legend referred to in “Notice to Investors,” unless that legend is not required by applicable law.

Exchange of Certificated Notes for Global Notes

Certificated Notes may not be exchanged for beneficial interests in any Global Note, except in the limited circumstances provided in the indenture.

Same Day Settlement and Payment

The Issuers will make payments in respect of the notes represented by the Global Notes (including principal, premium, if any, and interest) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Global Note Holder. The Issuers will make all payments of principal, interest and premium, if any, with respect to Certificated Notes by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Holders of the Certificated Notes or, if no such account is specified, by mailing a check to each such Holder’s registered address.

The notes represented by the Global Notes are eligible to trade in DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System, and any permitted secondary market trading activity in such notes will, therefore, be required by DTC to be settled in immediately available funds. The Issuers expect that secondary trading in any Certificated Notes will also be settled in immediately available funds.

Because of time zone differences, the securities account of a Euroclear or Clearstream participant purchasing an interest in a Global Note from a Participant will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream participant, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear and Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. DTC has advised us that cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a Global Note by or through a Euroclear or Clearstream participant to a Participant will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC’s settlement date.

Certain Definitions

Set forth below are certain defined terms used in the indenture. Reference is made to the indenture for a full disclosure of all such terms, as well as any other capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided.

 

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“Additional Assets” means:

(1) any assets used or useful in the Oil and Gas Business, other than Indebtedness or Capital Stock;

(2) the Capital Stock of a Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of the acquisition of such Capital Stock by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or

(3) Capital Stock constituting a minority interest in any Person that at such time is a Restricted Subsidiary;

provided, however, that any such Restricted Subsidiary described in clause (2) or (3) is primarily engaged in the Oil and Gas Business.

“Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” of a specified Person means (without duplication), as of the date of determination:

(1) the sum of:

(a) discounted future net revenue from proved crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines before any state or federal or other income taxes, as estimated by such Person in a reserve report prepared as of the end of the fiscal year of such Person for which audited financial statements are available, as increased by, as of the date of determination, the estimated discounted future net revenue from:

(i) estimated proved crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries attributable to acquisitions consummated since the date of such reserve report, which reserves were not reflected in such reserve report, and

(ii) estimated crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries attributable to extensions, discoveries and other additions and upward revisions of estimates of proved crude oil and natural gas reserves (including previously estimated development costs incurred during the period and the accretion of discount since the prior period end) due to exploration, development or exploitation, production or other activities which would, in accordance with standard industry practice, cause such revisions, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii) calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices for the fiscal quarter ending prior to the date of determination),

and decreased by, as of the date of determination, the estimated discounted future net revenue attributable to:

(A) estimated proved crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries reflected in such reserve report produced or disposed of since the date of such reserve report, and

(B) reductions in the estimated crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries reflected in such reserve report since the date of such reserve report due to changes in geological conditions or other factors which would, in accordance with standard industry practice, cause such revisions, in the case of clauses (A) and (B) calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices for the fiscal quarter ending prior to the date of determination); provided, however, that, in the case of each of the determinations made pursuant to clauses (i), (ii), (A) and (B) above, such increases and decreases shall be estimated by the Company’s petroleum engineers;

(b) the capitalized costs that are attributable to crude oil and natural gas properties of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries to which no proved crude oil and natural gas reserves are attributable, based on such Person’s books and records as of a date no earlier than the date of such Person’s latest available annual or quarterly financial statements;

(c) the Net Working Capital of such Person as of a date no earlier than the date of such Person’s latest available annual or quarterly financial statements; and

 

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(d) the greater of:

(i) the net book value of other tangible assets of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of a date no earlier than the date of such Person’s latest available annual or quarterly financial statements, and

(ii) the appraised value, as estimated by independent appraisers, of other tangible assets of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of a date no earlier than the date of such Person’s latest available annual or quarterly financial statements (provided that such Person shall not be required to obtain such an appraisal of such assets if no such appraisal has been performed);

minus

(2) the sum of:

(a) Minority Interests;

(b) to the extent not otherwise taken into account in determining Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets, any net natural gas balancing liabilities of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries reflected in such Person’s latest audited financial statements;

(c) to the extent included in clause (1)(a) above, the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in such Person’s year end reserve report), attributable to reserves subject to participation interests, overriding royalty interests or other interests of third parties, pursuant to participation, partnership, vendor financing or other agreements then in effect, or which otherwise are required to be delivered to third parties;

(d) to the extent included in clause (1)(a) above, the discounted future net revenue calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in such Person’s year end reserve report), attributable to reserves that are required to be delivered to third parties to fully satisfy the obligations of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to Volumetric Production Payments on the schedules specified with respect thereto; and

(e) the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines, attributable to reserves subject to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments that, based on the estimates of production and price assumptions included in determining the discounted future net revenue specified in clause (1)(a) above, would be necessary to satisfy fully the obligations of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments on the schedules specified with respect thereto.

If the Company changes its method of accounting from the full cost method to the successful efforts method or a similar method of accounting, “Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” of the Company will continue to be calculated as if the Company were still using the full cost method of accounting.

“Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For purposes of this definition, “control,” as used with respect to any Person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise. For purposes of this definition, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with” have correlative meanings.

“Asset Sale” means:

(1) the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of any properties or assets (including by way of a Production Payment or a sale and leaseback transaction or mergers, consolidations or otherwise); provided, however, that the disposition of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company and its

 

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Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole will not be an “Asset Sale,” but will be governed by the provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control” and/or the provisions described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” and not by the provisions of the Asset Sale covenant; and

(2) the issuance of Equity Interests in any of the Company’s Restricted Subsidiaries or the sale of Equity Interests in any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than directors’ qualifying shares or shares required by applicable law to be held by a Person other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary).

Notwithstanding the preceding, the following items will not be deemed to be Asset Sales:

(1) any single transaction or series of related transactions that involves properties or assets having a fair market value of less than $20.0 million;

(2) a disposition of assets between or among any of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(3) an issuance or sale of Equity Interests by a Restricted Subsidiary to the Company or to another Restricted Subsidiary;

(4) any disposition, abandonment, relinquishment or expiration of equipment, inventory, products, accounts receivable or other properties or assets in the ordinary course of business;

(5) the disposition of cash or Cash Equivalents, Hedging Contracts or other financial instruments in the ordinary course of business;

(6) a Restricted Payment that is permitted by the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments” or a Permitted Investment (or a disposition that would constitute a Restricted Payment but for the exclusion from the definition thereof);

(7) the farm-out, lease or sublease of developed or undeveloped crude oil or natural gas properties owned or held by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business or in exchange for crude oil and natural gas properties owned or held by another Person;

(8) (i) any trade or exchange by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Hydrocarbon properties or other properties or assets for Hydrocarbon properties or other properties or assets owned or held by one or more other Persons, and (ii) any transfer or sale of assets, or lease, assignment or sublease of any real or personal property, (A) in exchange for services (including in connection with any outsourcing arrangements), and/or (B) in exchange for such transferee, lessee or assignee (or an Affiliate thereof) agreeing to pay all or a portion of the costs and expenses related to the exploration, development, completion and/or production (and related activities) of properties of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, and/or (C) in exchange for properties or assets satisfying the requirements of clause (i) above ((A), (B) and (C) being referred to herein as a “carry”); provided that the fair market value of the properties or assets traded, exchanged, transferred, sold, leased, assigned or subleased by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary (together with any cash and Cash Equivalents) is reasonably equivalent or of less market value to the fair market value of the properties, assets, services or carry (together with any cash and Cash Equivalents) expected to be received by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as determined in good faith by the Company, and provided further that any cash received must be applied in accordance with the provisions described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales”;

(9) the creation or perfection of a Lien (but not, except to the extent contemplated in clause (10) below, the sale or other disposition of the properties or assets subject to such Lien);

(10) the creation or perfection of a Permitted Lien and the exercise by any Person in whose favor a Permitted Lien is granted of any of its rights in respect of that Permitted Lien;

 

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(11) a surrender or waiver of contract rights or the settlement, release or surrender of contract, tort or other claims of any kind;

(12) the grant in the ordinary course of business of any non-exclusive license or sublicense of patents, trademarks, registrations therefor and other similar intellectual property, including without limitation licenses of seismic data;

(13) the disposition of oil and natural gas properties in connection with tax credit transactions complying with Section 45K of the Code or any successor or analogous provisions of the Code; and

(14) the sale or other disposition (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) of oil and gas properties, provided at the time of such sale or other disposition such properties do not have associated with them any proved reserves, and provided further that the sale or other disposition is for not less than the fair market value of such oil and gas properties, as determined in good faith by the Company;

(15) any sale or other disposition of Equity Interests in, or other ownership interests in or assets or property, including Indebtedness, or other securities of, an Unrestricted Subsidiary;

(16) any disposition of Equity Interests of a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to an agreement or other obligation with or to a Person (other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary) from whom such Restricted Subsidiary was acquired or from whom such Restricted Subsidiary acquired its business and assets (having been newly formed in connection with such acquisition), made as part of such acquisition and in each case comprising all or a portion of the consideration in respect of such sale or acquisition; and

(17) the sale and leaseback of any asset within 180 days of the acquisition thereof.

“Attributable Debt” in respect of a sale and leaseback transaction means, at the time of determination, the present value of the obligation of the lessee for net rental payments during the remaining term of the lease included in such sale and leaseback transaction including any period for which such lease has been extended or may, at the option of the lessor, be extended. Such present value shall be calculated using a discount rate equal to the rate of interest implicit in such transaction, determined in accordance with GAAP. As used in the preceding sentence, the “net rental payments” under any lease for any period shall mean the sum of rental and other payments required to be paid with respect to such period by the lessee thereunder, excluding any amounts required to be paid by such lessee on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges. In the case of any lease that is terminable by the lessee upon payment of penalty, such net rental payment shall also include the amount of such penalty, but no rent shall be considered as required to be paid under such lease subsequent to the first date upon which it may be so terminated.

“Available Cash” has the meaning assigned to such term in the LLC Agreement, as in effect on the date of the indenture.

“Beneficial Owner” has the meaning assigned to such term in Rule 13A-3 and Rule 13A-5 under the Exchange Act, except that in calculating the beneficial ownership of any particular “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), such “person” will be deemed to have beneficial ownership of all securities that such “person” has the right to acquire by conversion or exercise of other securities, whether such right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only upon the occurrence of a subsequent condition. The terms “Beneficially Owns” and “Beneficially Owned” have correlative meanings.

“Board of Directors” means

(1) with respect to Finance Corp., the board of directors of the corporation;

 

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(2) with respect to the Company, the board of directors of the Company or any authorized committee thereof; and with respect to any other Person, the board or committee of such Person serving a similar function.

“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the applicable Person to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors of such Person and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification, and delivered to the trustee.

“Business Day” means each day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which banking institutions in Houston, Texas or in New York, New York or another place of payment are authorized or required by law to close.

“Capital Lease Obligation” means, at the time any determination is to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital lease that would at that time be required to be capitalized on a balance sheet in accordance with GAAP, and the Stated Maturity thereof shall be the date of the last payment of rent or any other amount due under such lease prior to the first date upon which such lease may be prepaid by the lessee without payment of a penalty.

“Capital Stock” means:

(1) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock;

(2) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock;

(3) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, partnership interests (whether general or limited) or membership interests; and

(4) any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, the issuing Person, but excluding from all of the foregoing any debt securities convertible into Capital Stock, regardless of whether such debt securities include any right of participation with Capital Stock.

“Cash Equivalents” means:

(1) United States dollars;

(2) securities issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government or any agency or instrumentality of the United States government (provided that the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged in support of those securities) having maturities of not more than one year from the date of acquisition;

(3) marketable general obligations issued by any state of the United States of America or any political subdivision of any such state or any public instrumentality thereof maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof and, at the time of acquisition thereof, having a credit rating of “A” or better from either S&P or Moody’s;

(4) certificates of deposit, demand deposits and eurodollar time deposits with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition, bankers’ acceptances with maturities not exceeding one year and overnight bank deposits, in each case, with any domestic commercial bank having capital and surplus in excess of $500.0 million;

(5) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than seven days for underlying securities of the types described in clauses (2), (3) and (4) above entered into with any financial institution meeting the qualifications specified in clause (4) above;

 

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(6) commercial paper having one of the two highest rating obtainable from Moody’s or S&P and, in each case, maturing within one year after the date of acquisition; and

(7) money market funds at least 95% of the assets of which constitute Cash Equivalents of the kinds described in clauses (1) through (6) of this definition

“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following:

(1) the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets (including Capital Stock of the Restricted Subsidiaries) of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole, to any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), which occurrence is followed by a Ratings Decline within 90 days of the consummation of such transaction;

(2) the adoption by the unitholders of the Company of a plan relating to the liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or

(3) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of the Company, measured by voting power rather than number of shares, units or the like, which occurrence is followed by a Ratings Decline within 90 days of the consummation of such transaction.

Notwithstanding the preceding, a conversion of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from a limited liability company, corporation, limited partnership or other form of entity to a limited liability company, corporation, limited partnership or other form of entity or an exchange of all of the outstanding Equity Interests in one form of entity for Equity Interests in another form of entity shall not constitute a Change of Control, so long as following such conversion or exchange the “persons” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) who Beneficially Owned the Capital Stock of the Company immediately prior to such transactions continue to Beneficially Own in the aggregate more than 50% of the Voting Stock of such entity, or continue to Beneficially Own sufficient Equity Interests in such entity to elect a majority of its directors, managers, trustees or other persons serving in a similar capacity for such entity, and, in either case no “person” Beneficially Owns more than 50% of the Voting Stock of such entity.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and any successor statute.

“Commission” or “SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Consolidated Cash Flow” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the Consolidated Net Income of such Person for such period plus, without duplication:

(1) an amount equal to any net loss realized by such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with an Asset Sale, to the extent such losses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(2) provision for taxes based on income or profits of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such provision for taxes was deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(3) the Fixed Charges of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such Fixed Charges were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

 

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(4) depreciation, depletion, amortization (including amortization of intangibles but excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses that were paid in a prior period), impairment and other non-cash expenses (excluding any such non-cash expense to the extent that it represents an accrual of or reserve for cash expenses in any future period or amortization of a prepaid cash expense that was paid in a prior period) of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period to the extent that such depreciation, depletion, amortization, impairment and other non-cash expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(5) unrealized non-cash losses resulting from foreign currency balance sheet adjustments required by GAAP to the extent such losses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(6) all extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring items of gain or loss, or revenue or expense; minus

(7) non-cash items increasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, other than items that were accrued in the ordinary course of business; and minus

(8) to the extent increasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, the sum of (a) the amount of deferred revenues that are amortized during such period and are attributable to reserves that are subject to Volumetric Production Payments and (b) amounts recorded in accordance with GAAP as repayments of principal and interest pursuant to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments;

in each case, on a consolidated basis and determined in accordance with GAAP.

“Consolidated Net Income” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the aggregate of the Net Income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis, determined in accordance with GAAP, provided that:

(1) the Net Income (but not loss) of any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary or that is accounted for by the equity method of accounting will be included, but only to the extent of the amount of dividends or distributions paid in cash to the specified Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Person;

(2) the Net Income of any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company will be excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of that Net Income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders, partners or members;

(3) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles will be excluded;

(4) any gain (loss) realized upon the sale or other disposition of any property, plant or equipment of such Person or its consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries (including pursuant to any sale or leaseback transaction) which is not sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business and any gain (loss) realized upon the sale or other disposition of any Capital Stock of any Person will be excluded;

(5) any asset impairment writedowns on oil and gas properties under GAAP or SEC guidelines will be excluded;

(6) unrealized losses and gains under Hedging Contracts included in the determination of Consolidated Net Income, including, without limitation, those resulting from the application of FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging,” will be excluded;

(7) to the extent deducted in the calculation of Net Income, any non-cash or nonrecurring charges relating to any premium or penalty paid, write off of deferred financing costs or other financial recapitalization charges in connection with redeeming or retiring any Indebtedness prior to its Stated Maturity will be excluded;

 

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(8) items classified as extraordinary or nonrecurring gains and losses (less all fees and expenses related thereto) and the related tax effects, in each case according to GAAP, will be excluded; and

(9) income resulting from transfers of assets (other than cash) between such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and an Unrestricted Subsidiary of such Person, on the other hand, will be excluded.

“Consolidated Net Worth” means, with respect to any specified Person as of any date, the sum of:

(1) the consolidated equity of the common stockholders of, or the consolidated capital of the unitholders of, such Person and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such date; plus

(2) the respective amounts reported on such Person’s balance sheet as of such date with respect to any series of preferred stock (other than Disqualified Stock) that by its terms is not entitled to the payment of dividends unless such dividends may be declared and paid only out of net earnings in respect of the year of such declaration and payment, but only to the extent of any cash received by such Person upon issuance of such preferred stock.

“Credit Agreement” means that certain Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 28, 2009, among the Company, BNP Paribas, as Administrative Agent, and the other lenders party thereto, including any related notes, guarantees, collateral documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith, in each case as amended, restated, modified, renewed, refunded, replaced or refinanced from time to time

“Credit Facilities” means one or more debt facilities (including, without limitation, the Credit Agreement), commercial paper facilities or Debt Issuances, in each case with banks or other institutional lenders or institutional investors providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, receivables financing (including through the sale of receivables to such lenders or to special purpose entities formed to borrow from such lenders against such receivables), letters of credit or other borrowings or Debt Issuances, in each case, as amended, restated, modified, renewed, refunded, replaced or refinanced (including refinancing with any capital markets transaction) in whole or in part from time to time.

“Debt Issuance” means, with respect to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, one or more issuances after the date of the indenture of Indebtedness evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other similar securities or instruments.

“Default” means any event that is, or with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an Event of Default.

“De Minimis Guaranteed Amount” means a principal amount of Indebtedness that does not exceed $5.0 million.

“Disqualified Stock” means any Capital Stock that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible, or for which it is exchangeable, in each case at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock), or upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or redeemable at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is 91 days after the final stated maturity date of the notes. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any Capital Stock that would constitute Disqualified Stock solely because the holders of the Capital Stock have the right to require the Company to repurchase or redeem such Capital Stock upon the occurrence of a change of control or an asset sale will not constitute Disqualified Stock if (x) the terms of such Capital Stock provide that the Company may not repurchase or redeem any such Capital Stock pursuant to such provisions unless such repurchase or redemption complies with the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments” or (y) the terms of such Capital Stock provide that the Company may not repurchase or

 

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redeem any such Capital Stock pursuant to such provisions prior to the Company’s purchase of the notes as is required to be purchased pursuant to the provisions of the indenture. The amount (or principal amount) of Disqualified Stock deemed to be outstanding at any time for purposes of the indenture will be the maximum amount that the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries may become obligated to pay upon the maturity of, or pursuant to any mandatory redemption provisions of, such Disqualified Stock, exclusive of accrued dividends.

“Dollar-Denominated Production Payments” means production payment obligations recorded as liabilities in accordance with GAAP, together with all undertakings and obligations in connection therewith.

“Domestic Subsidiary” means any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that was formed under the laws of the United States or any state of the United States or the District of Columbia.

“Equity Interests” means Capital Stock and all warrants, options or other rights to acquire Capital Stock (but excluding any debt security that is convertible into, or exchangeable for, Capital Stock).

“Equity Offering” means any public or private sale of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) made for cash on a primary basis by the Company after the date of the indenture.

“Equity Repurchase” means the repurchase or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Equity Interests of the Company pursuant to any stock repurchase plan of the Company approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and effected in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise in accordance with applicable law.

“Exchange Notes” means the notes issued in an Exchange Offer pursuant to the indenture.

“Exchange Offer” has the meaning set forth for such term in the applicable registration rights agreement.

“Existing Indebtedness” means the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than Indebtedness under the Credit Agreement and intercompany Indebtedness, but including the Existing Senior Notes) in existence on the date of the indenture, until such amounts are repaid.

“Existing Senior Notes” means the 9.875% senior notes due 2018 issued by the Issuers on June 27, 2008, the 11.75% senior notes due 2017 issued by the Issuers on May 18, 2009, the 8.625% senior notes due 2020 issued by the Issuers on April 6, 2010, the 7.75% senior notes due 2021 issued by the Issuers on September 8, 2010 and the 6.25% senior notes due 2019 issued by the Issuers on March 2, 2012.

“Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio” means with respect to any specified Person for any four-quarter reference period, the ratio of the Consolidated Cash Flow of such Person for such period to the Fixed Charges of such Person for such period. In the event that the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries incurs, assumes, guarantees, repays, repurchases, redeems, defeases or otherwise discharges any Indebtedness (other than ordinary working capital borrowings) or issues, repurchases or redeems preferred stock subsequent to the commencement of the applicable four-quarter reference period and on or prior to the date on which the event for which the calculation of the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is made (the “Calculation Date”), then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio will be calculated giving pro forma effect to such incurrence, assumption, guarantee, repayment, repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other discharge of Indebtedness, or such issuance, repurchase or redemption of preferred stock, and the use of the proceeds therefrom, as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter reference period.

In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio:

(1) acquisitions that have been made by the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, including through mergers, consolidations or otherwise (including acquisitions of assets used or useful in the Oil and Gas Business), or any Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries acquired by the specified Person or any of its

 

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Restricted Subsidiaries, and including in each case any related financing transactions and increases in ownership of Restricted Subsidiaries, during the applicable four-quarter reference period or subsequent to such reference period and on or prior to the Calculation Date, will be given pro forma effect as if they had occurred on the first day of the four-quarter reference period, and the Consolidated Cash Flow for such reference period will be calculated giving pro forma effect to any expense and cost reductions or synergies that have occurred or are reasonably expected to occur, in the reasonable judgment of the chief financial or accounting officer of the Company (regardless of whether those cost savings or operating improvements could then be reflected in pro forma financial statements in accordance with Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act or any other regulation or policy of the Commission related thereto);

(2) the Consolidated Cash Flow attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses (and ownership interests therein) disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will be excluded;

(3) the Fixed Charges attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses (and ownership interests therein) disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will be excluded, but only to the extent that the obligations giving rise to such Fixed Charges will not be obligations of the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries following the Calculation Date;

(4) any Person that is a Restricted Subsidiary of the specified Person on the Calculation Date will be deemed to have been a Restricted Subsidiary of the specified Person at all times during such four-quarter period;

(5) any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of the specified Person on the Calculation Date will be deemed not to have been a Restricted Subsidiary of the specified Person at any time during such four-quarter period; and

(6) if any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest, the interest expense on such Indebtedness will be calculated as if the rate in effect on the Calculation Date had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any obligations arising under any Hedging Contract applicable to such Indebtedness if such Hedging Contract has a remaining term as at the Calculation Date in excess of 12 months).

“Fixed Charges” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the sum, without duplication, of:

(1) the consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued (excluding any interest attributable to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments but including, without limitation, amortization of debt issuance costs and original issue discount, non-cash interest payments, the interest component of any deferred payment obligations, the interest component of all payments associated with Capital Lease Obligations, imputed interest with respect to Attributable Debt, commissions, discounts and other fees and charges incurred in respect of letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance financings), and net of the effect of all payments made or received pursuant to interest rate Hedging Contracts; plus

(2) the consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries that was capitalized during such period; plus

(3) any interest expense on Indebtedness of another Person that is guaranteed by such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries or secured by a Lien on assets of such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries, whether or not such guarantee or Lien is called upon (other than a Lien of the type described in clause (9) of the definition of “Permitted Liens”); plus

(4) all dividends on any series of preferred securities of such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, whether paid or accrued and whether or not in cash, other than dividends on Equity Interests payable solely in Equity Interests of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock) or to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company,

in each case, on a consolidated basis and in accordance with GAAP.

 

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“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, which are in effect on the date of the indenture.

The term “guarantee” means a guarantee other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business, direct or indirect, in any manner including, without limitation, by way of a pledge of assets or through letters of credit or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof, of all or any part of any Indebtedness or entered into for purposes of assuring in any other manner the obligee of such Indebtedness of the payment thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part). When used as a verb, “guarantee” has a correlative meaning.

“Guarantors” means each of:

(1) the Restricted Subsidiaries of the Company, other than Finance Corp., executing the indenture as initial Guarantors; and

(2) any other Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that becomes a Guarantor in accordance with the provisions of the indenture; and their respective successors and assigns, in each case, until the Subsidiary Guarantee of such Person is released in accordance with the provisions of the indenture.

“Hedging Contracts” means, with respect to any specified Person:

(1) interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements and interest rate collar agreements entered into with one of more financial institutions and designed to protect the Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries entering into the agreement against fluctuations in interest rates, or to otherwise reduce the cost of borrowing of such Person or any of such Restricted Subsidiaries, with respect to Indebtedness incurred;

(2) foreign exchange contracts and currency protection agreements entered into with one of more financial institutions and designed to protect the Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries entering into the agreement against fluctuations in currency exchanges rates;

(3) any commodity futures contract, commodity swap, commodity option, commodity forward sale or other similar agreement or arrangement designed to protect against fluctuations in the price of Hydrocarbons used, produced, processed or sold by that Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries at the time; and

(4) other agreements or arrangements designed to protect such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries against fluctuations in interest rates, commodity prices or currency exchange rates, and in each case are entered into only in the normal course of business and not for speculative purposes.

“Holder” means a Person in whose name a Note is registered.

“Hydrocarbons” means crude oil, natural gas, casinghead gas, drip gasoline, natural gasoline, condensate, distillate, liquid hydrocarbons, gaseous hydrocarbons and all constituents, elements or compounds thereof and products refined or processed therefrom.

“Indebtedness” means, with respect to any specified Person, any indebtedness of such Person, whether or not contingent:

(1) in respect of borrowed money;

(2) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments or letters of credit (or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof);

 

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(3) in respect of bankers’ acceptances;

(4) representing Capital Lease Obligations or Attributable Debt in respect of sale and leaseback transactions;

(5) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property, except any such balance that constitutes an accrued expense or trade payable or that is payable solely in Capital Stock; or

(6) representing any obligations under Hedging Contracts,

if and to the extent any of the preceding items (other than letters of credit and obligations under Hedging Contracts) would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet of the specified Person prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the term “Indebtedness” includes all Indebtedness of other Persons secured by a Lien on any asset of the specified Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by the specified Person (provided that the amount of such Indebtedness will be the lesser of (a) the fair market value of such asset at such date of determination and (b) the amount of such Indebtedness of such other Person), and, to the extent not otherwise included, the guarantee by the specified Person of any Indebtedness of any other Person (including, with respect to any Production Payment, any warranties or guarantees of production or payment by such Person with respect to such Production Payment, but excluding other contractual obligations of such Person with respect to such Production Payment).

Furthermore, notwithstanding the foregoing, the following shall not constitute or be deemed “Indebtedness”:

(i) any indebtedness which has been defeased in accordance with GAAP or defeased pursuant to the deposit of cash or Cash Equivalents (in an amount sufficient to satisfy all such indebtedness obligations at maturity or redemption, as applicable, and all payments of interest and premium, if any) in a trust or account created or pledged for the sole benefit of the holders of such indebtedness, and subject to no other Liens, and the other applicable terms of the instrument governing such indebtedness;

(ii) any obligation of a Person in respect of a farm-in agreement or similar arrangement whereby such Person agrees to pay all or a share of the drilling, completion or other expenses of an exploratory or development well (which agreement may be subject to a maximum payment obligation, after which expenses are shared in accordance with the working or participation interest therein or in accordance with the agreement of the parties) or perform the drilling, completion or other operation on such well in exchange for an ownership interest in an oil or gas property;

(iii) any obligations arising from agreements of a Person providing for indemnification, guarantees, adjustment of purchase price, holdbacks, contingent payment obligations based on a final financial statement or performance of acquired or disposed of assets or similar obligations (other than guarantees of Indebtedness), in each case, incurred or assumed by such Person in connection with the acquisition or disposition of assets (including through mergers, consolidations or otherwise);

(iv) subject to the parenthetical at the end of the preceding sentence, any Dollar-Denominated Production Payments or Volumetric Production Payments;

(v) any Disqualified Stock; and

(vi) Indebtedness secured by any Lien of the type described in clause (9) of the definition of “Permitted Liens.”

The amount (or principal amount) of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date will be:

(1) the accreted value of the Indebtedness, in the case of any Indebtedness issued with original issue discount;

(2) in the case of obligations under any Hedging Contracts, the termination value of the agreement or arrangement giving rise to such obligations that would be payable by such Person at such date; and

 

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(3) the principal amount of the Indebtedness, together with any interest on the Indebtedness that is more than 30 days past due, in the case of any other Indebtedness.

The amount of Indebtedness of any Person at any date will be the outstanding balance at such date of all unconditional obligations as described above and the maximum liability, upon the occurrence of the contingency giving rise to the obligation, of any contingent obligations at such date.

“Investment Grade Rating” means a rating equal to or higher than Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P.

“Investments” means, with respect to any Person, all direct or indirect investments by such Person in other Persons (including Affiliates) in the forms of loans, advances or extensions of credit (including guarantees or similar arrangements, but excluding (1) commission, travel and similar advances to officers and employees made in the ordinary course of business and (2) advances to customers in the ordinary course of business that are recorded as accounts receivable on the balance sheet of the lender), or capital contributions or purchases or other acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness, Equity Interests or other securities (excluding any interest in a crude oil or natural gas leasehold to the extent constituting a security under applicable law), together with all items that are or would be classified as investments on a balance sheet of such Person prepared in accordance with GAAP. If the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company sells or otherwise disposes of any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect Restricted Subsidiary of the Company such that, after giving effect to any such sale or disposition, such Person is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, the Company will be deemed to have made an Investment on the date of any such sale or disposition in an amount equal to the fair market value of the Equity Interests of such Restricted Subsidiary not sold or disposed of in an amount determined as provided in the final paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments.” The acquisition by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company of a Person that holds an Investment in a third Person will be deemed to be an Investment made by the Company or such Subsidiary in such third Person in an amount equal to the fair market value of the Investment held by the acquired Person in such third Person on the date of any such acquisition in an amount determined as provided in the final paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments.” Except as otherwise provided in the indenture, the amount of an Investment will be determined at the time the Investment is made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value or write-ups, write-downs or write-offs with respect to such Investment.

“Joint Venture” means any Person that is not a direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Company in which the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries makes any Investment.

“Lien” means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset, whether or not filed, recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law, including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, other than a precautionary financing statement respecting a lease not intended as a security agreement.

“LLC Agreement” means the Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Linn Energy, LLC, dated as of September 3, 2010, as in effect on the date of the indenture and as such may be further amended, modified or supplemented from time to time.

“Make Whole Premium” means, with respect to a note at any time, the excess, if any, of (a) the present value at such time of (i) the redemption price of such note at May 15, 2015 (such redemption price being set forth in the table appearing under the caption “—Optional Redemption”), plus (ii) any required interest payments due on such note through May 15, 2015 (except for currently accrued and unpaid interest), computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate at such time plus 50 basis points, discounted to the redemption date on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months), over (b) the principal amount of such note.

 

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“Measurement Date” means June 27, 2008.

“Minority Interest” means the percentage interest represented by any Capital Stock of a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that are not owned by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company.

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or any successor to the rating agency business thereof.

“Net Income” means, with respect to any specified Person, the net income (loss) of such Person, determined in accordance with GAAP and before any reduction in respect of preferred stock dividends, excluding, however:

(1) any gain (but not loss), together with any related provision for taxes on such gain (but not loss), realized in connection with: (a) any Asset Sale; or (b) the disposition of any securities by such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or the extinguishment of any Indebtedness of such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; and

(2) any extraordinary gain (but not loss), together with any related provision for taxes on such extraordinary gain (but not loss).

“Net Proceeds” means the aggregate cash proceeds received by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any Asset Sale (including, without limitation, any cash received upon the sale or other disposition of any non-cash consideration received in any Asset Sale), net of:

(1) the direct costs relating to such Asset Sale, including, without limitation, legal, accounting and investment banking fees, title and recording tax expenses and sales commissions, and any relocation expenses incurred as a result of the Asset Sale,

(2) taxes paid or payable or required to be accrued as a liability under GAAP as a result of the Asset Sale, in each case, after taking into account any available tax credits or deductions and any tax sharing arrangements,

(3) amounts required to be applied to the repayment of Indebtedness secured by a Lien on the properties or assets that were the subject of such Asset Sale, or which must by its terms, or in order to obtain a necessary consent to such Asset Sale or by applicable law, be repaid out of the proceeds from such Asset Sale,

(4) all distributions and other payments required to be made to minority interest holders in Restricted Subsidiaries or Joint Ventures as a result of such Asset Sale, and

(5) any amounts to be set aside in any reserve established in accordance with GAAP or any amount placed in escrow, in either case for adjustment in respect of the sale price of such properties or assets or for liabilities associated with such Asset Sale and retained by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries until such time as such reserve is reversed or such escrow arrangement is terminated, in which case Net Proceeds shall include only the amount of the reserve so reversed or the amount returned to the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries from such escrow arrangement, as the case may be.

“Net Working Capital” means (a) all current assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries except current assets from commodity price risk management activities arising in the ordinary course of business, less (b) all current liabilities of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, except current liabilities included in Indebtedness and any current liabilities from commodity price risk management activities arising in the ordinary course of business and current liabilities associated with asset retirement obligations related to oil and gas properties, in each case as set forth in the consolidated financial statements of the Company prepared in accordance with GAAP (excluding any adjustments made pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”).

 

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“Non-Recourse Debt” means Indebtedness:

(1) as to which neither the Company nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (a) provides credit support of any kind (including any undertaking, agreement or instrument that would constitute Indebtedness), (b) is directly or indirectly liable as a guarantor or otherwise, or (c) is the lender (except in the case of items (a) and (b), a Lien of the type described in clause (9) of the definition of “Permitted Liens”);

(2) no default with respect to which (including any rights that the holders of the Indebtedness may have to take enforcement action against an Unrestricted Subsidiary) would permit upon notice, lapse of time or both any holder of any other Indebtedness (other than the notes) of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to declare a default on such other Indebtedness or cause the payment of the Indebtedness to be accelerated or payable prior to its Stated Maturity; and

(3) the explicit terms of which provide there is no recourse against any of the assets of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries, except as contemplated by clause (9) of the definition of “Permitted Liens.”

For purposes of determining compliance with the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock” above, in the event that any Non-Recourse Debt of any of the Company’s Unrestricted Subsidiaries ceases to be Non-Recourse Debt of such Unrestricted Subsidiary, such event will be deemed to constitute an incurrence of Indebtedness by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company.

“Obligations” means any principal, premium, if any, interest (including interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in bankruptcy or for reorganization, whether or not a claim for post-filing interest is allowed in such proceeding), penalties, fees, charges, expenses, indemnifications, reimbursement obligations, damages, guarantees, and other liabilities or amounts payable under the documentation governing any Indebtedness or in respect thereto.

“Oil and Gas Business” means

(1) the acquisition, exploration, development, production, operation and disposition of interests in oil, gas and other Hydrocarbon properties;

(2) the gathering, marketing, treating, processing (but not refining), storage, distribution, selling and transporting of any production from such interests or properties;

(3) any business relating to exploration for or development, production, treatment, processing (but not refining), storage, transportation or marketing of, oil, gas and other minerals and products produced in association therewith;

(4) any other business that generates gross income that constitutes “qualifying income” under Section 7704(d) of the Code; and

(5) any activity that is ancillary, complementary or incidental to or necessary or appropriate for the activities described in clauses (1) through (4) of this definition

“Permitted Acquisition Indebtedness” means Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent such Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock was Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of any other Person existing at the time (a) such Person became a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company or (b) such Person was merged or consolidated with or into the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or (c) assets of such Person were acquired by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and such Indebtedness was assumed in connection therewith (excluding any such Indebtedness that is repaid

 

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contemporaneously with such event), provided that on the date such Person became a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company or the date such Person was merged or consolidated with or into the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or on the date of such asset acquisition, as applicable, either:

(1) immediately after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, would be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in the first paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock,”

(2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Company would be equal to or greater than the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Company immediately prior to such transaction, or

(3) immediately after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis, the Consolidated Net Worth of the Company would be greater than the Consolidated Net Worth of the Company immediately prior to such transaction.

“Permitted Business Investments” means Investments made in the ordinary course of, and of a nature that is or shall have become customary in, the Oil and Gas Business, including investments or expenditures for actively exploring for, acquiring, developing, producing, processing, gathering, marketing or transporting Hydrocarbons through agreements, transactions, interests or arrangements that permit one to share risk or costs, comply with regulatory requirements regarding local ownership or satisfy other objectives customarily achieved through the conduct of the Oil and Gas Business jointly with third parties, including without limitation:

(1) direct or indirect ownership of crude oil, natural gas, other restricted Hydrocarbon properties or any interest therein, gathering, transportation, processing, storage or related systems, or ancillary real property interests and interests therein; and

(2) the entry into operating agreements, joint ventures, processing agreements, working interests, royalty interests, mineral leases, farm-in agreements, farm-out agreements, development agreements, production sharing agreements, area of mutual interest agreements, contracts for the sale, transportation or exchange of crude oil and natural gas and related Hydrocarbons and minerals, unitization agreements, pooling arrangements, joint bidding agreements, service contracts, partnership agreements (whether general or limited), or other similar or customary agreements, transactions, properties, interests or arrangements, and Investments and expenditures in connection therewith or pursuant thereto, in each case made or entered into in the ordinary course of the Oil and Gas Business, excluding, however, Investments in corporations and publicly traded limited partnerships.

“Permitted Investments” means

(1) any Investment in the Company or in a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company;

(2) any Investment in cash and Cash Equivalents;

(3) any Investment by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in a Person, if as a result of such Investment:

(a) such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company; or

(b) such Person is merged, consolidated or amalgamated with or into, or transfers or conveys substantially all of its properties or assets to, or is liquidated into, the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company;

 

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(4) any Investment made as a result of the receipt of non-cash consideration from:

(a) an Asset Sale that was made pursuant to and in compliance with the covenant described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales”; or

(b) any other disposition of assets deemed not to be Asset Sales under the definition of “Asset Sale”

(5) any Investment in any Person (a) in exchange for the issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company, or (b) with the net cash proceeds from a substantially concurrent (i) contribution (other than from a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company) to the equity capital of the Company or (ii) issuance of, Equity Interests of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock), with an issuance being deemed substantially concurrent with such Investment if occurring not more than 120 days after such issuance; provided that the amount of any such net cash proceeds will be excluded or deducted from the calculation of Available Cash and Incremental Funds;

(6) any Investments received in compromise or resolution of, or upon satisfaction of judgments with respect to, (a) obligations of trade creditors or customers that were incurred in the ordinary course of business, including pursuant to any plan of reorganization or similar arrangement upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of any trade creditor or customer, or (b) litigation, arbitration or other disputes (including pursuant to any bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings) with Persons who are not Affiliates;

(7) Hedging Contracts;

(8) Guarantees of Indebtedness permitted under the covenant contained under the caption “Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock”;

(9) guarantees by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of operating leases (other than Capital Lease Obligations) or of other obligations that do not constitute Indebtedness, in each case entered into by any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in the ordinary course of business;

(10) Permitted Business Investments;

(11) Investments that are in existence on the date of the indenture;

(12) Investments in any Person to the extent such Investments consist of prepaid expenses, negotiable instruments held for collection and lease, utility and workers’ compensation, performance and other similar deposits made in the ordinary course of business by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(13) guarantees of performance or other obligations (other than Indebtedness) arising in the ordinary course in the Oil and Gas Business, including obligations under oil and natural gas exploration, development, joint operating and related agreements and licenses or concessions related to the Oil and Gas Business;

(14) loans or advances to officers, directors or employees made in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices of the Company or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary and otherwise in compliance with the covenant “—Certain Covenants—Transactions with Affiliates;”

(15) Investments of a Restricted Subsidiary acquired after the date of the indenture or of any entity merged into or consolidated with the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary in accordance with the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” to the extent that such Investments were not made in contemplation of or in connection with such acquisition, merger or consolidation and were in existence on the date of such acquisition, merger or consolidation;

(16) Investments received as a result of a foreclosure by, or other transfer of title to, the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to any secured Investment in default;

 

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(17) Liens of the type described in clause (9) of the definition of “Permitted Liens;” and

(18) other Investments in any Person having an aggregate fair market value (measured on the date each such Investment was made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value), when taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (18) that are at the time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of $100.0 million and 2.0% of the Company’s Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined at the time of such Investment (after giving effect to any dividends, interest payments, return of capital and subsequent reduction in the amount of any Investment made pursuant to this clause as a result of the repayment or other disposition thereof, in an amount not to exceed the amount of such Investments previously made pursuant to this clause); provided, however, that if any Investment pursuant to this clause (18) is made in any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company at the date of the making of such Investment and such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company after such date, such Investment shall thereafter be deemed to have been made pursuant to clause (1) above and shall cease to have been made pursuant to this clause (18) for so long as such Person continues to be a Restricted Subsidiary;

provided, however, that with respect to any Investment, the Company may, in its sole discretion, allocate all or any portion of any Investment and later re-allocate all or any portion of any Investment to one or more of the above clauses (1) through (18) so that the entire Investment would be a Permitted Investment.

“Permitted Liens” means

(1) Liens securing any Indebtedness under any of the Credit Facilities;

(2) Liens in favor of the Company or the Guarantors;

(3) Liens on property (including Capital Stock) of a Person existing at the time such Person is merged with or into or consolidated with the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, provided that such Liens were in existence prior to the contemplation of such merger or consolidation and do not extend to any assets other than those of the Person merged into or consolidated with the Company or the Restricted Subsidiary;

(4) Liens on property existing at the time of acquisition of the property by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, provided that such Liens were in existence prior to the contemplation of such acquisition;

(5) any interest or title of a lessor to the property subject to a Capital Lease Obligation;

(6) Liens on any asset or property acquired, constructed or improved by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that (a) such Liens are in favor of the seller of such asset or property, in favor of the Person or Persons developing, constructing, repairing or improving such asset or property, or in favor of the Person or Persons that provided the funding for the acquisition, development, construction, repair or improvement cost, as the case may be, of such asset or property, (b) such Liens are created within 360 days after the acquisition, development, construction, repair or improvement, (c) the aggregate principal amount of the Indebtedness secured by such Liens is otherwise permitted to be incurred under the indenture and does not exceed the greater of (i) the cost of the asset or property so acquired, constructed or improved plus related financing costs and (ii) the fair market value (as determined by the executive officer involved in or otherwise familiar with such acquisition, construction or improvement of such asset or property if such fair market value is greater than $25.0 million but less than $50.0 million, or, if such fair market value is $50.0 million or more, the Board of Directors of the Company) of the asset or property so acquired, constructed or improved, measured at the date of such acquisition, or the date of completion of such construction or improvement, and (d) such Liens are limited to the asset or property so acquired, constructed or improved (including the proceeds thereof, accessions thereto, upgrades thereof and improvements thereto);

 

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(7) Liens existing on the date of the indenture other than Liens securing the Credit Facilities;

(8) Liens to secure the performance of tenders, bids, statutory obligations, surety or appeal bonds, government contracts, performance bonds or other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(9) Liens on and pledges of the Equity Interests of any Unrestricted Subsidiary or any Joint Venture owned by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company to the extent securing Non-Recourse Debt or other Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint Venture;

(10) Liens in respect of Production Payments and Reserve Sales;

(11) Liens on pipelines or pipeline facilities that arise by operation of law;

(12) Liens arising under operating agreements, joint venture agreements, partnership agreements, oil and gas leases, farm-out agreements, farm-in agreements, division orders, contracts for the sale, transportation or exchange of crude oil and natural gas and related Hydrocarbons and minerals, unitization and pooling declarations and agreements, area of mutual interest agreements and other agreements arising in the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries that are customary in the Oil and Gas Business;

(13) Liens reserved in oil and gas mineral leases for bonus or rental payments and for compliance with the terms of such leases;

(14) Liens upon specific items of inventory, receivables or other goods or proceeds of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries securing such Person’s obligations in respect of bankers’ acceptances or receivables securitizations issued or created for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such inventory, receivables or other goods or proceeds and permitted by the covenant “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock”;

(15) Liens securing Obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees, as the case may be, and Liens securing other obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the indenture;

(16) Liens to secure payment and performance of Hedging Contracts of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(17) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or claims that are not yet delinquent by more than sixty (60) days or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings promptly instituted and diligently concluded; provided that any reserve or other appropriate provision as is required in conformity with GAAP has been made therefor;

(18) landlords’, carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or like Liens arising by contract or statute in the ordinary course of business and with respect to amounts which are not yet delinquent by more than sixty (60) days or are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings;

(19) pledges or deposits made in the ordinary course of business (A) in connection with leases, tenders, bids, statutory obligations, surety or appeal bonds, government contracts, performance bonds and similar obligations, or (B) in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security or similar legislation;

 

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(20) any attachment or judgment Lien that does not constitute an Event of Default;

(21) survey exceptions, easements or reservations of, or rights of others for, licenses, rights-of-way, sewers, electric lines, telegraph and telephone lines and other similar purposes, or zoning or other restrictions as to the use of real property that were not incurred in connection with Indebtedness and that do not in the aggregate materially adversely affect the value of said properties or materially impair their use in the operation of the business of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(22) Liens arising solely by virtue of any statutory or common law provisions relating to banker’s Liens, rights of set-off or similar rights and remedies as to deposit accounts or other funds maintained or deposited with a depositary institution; provided that (A) such deposit account is not a dedicated cash collateral account and is not subject to restrictions against access by the Company in excess of those set forth by regulations promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board and (B) such deposit account is not intended by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to provide collateral to the depositary institution;

(23) Liens arising from Uniform Commercial Code financing statement filings regarding operating leases entered into by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

(24) leases or subleases granted to others that do not materially interfere with the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;

(25) Liens arising under the indenture in favor of the trustee for its own benefit and similar Liens in favor of other trustees, agents and representatives arising under instruments governing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under the indenture, provided, however, that such Liens are solely for the benefit of the trustees, agents or representatives in their capacities as such and not for the benefit of the holders of such Indebtedness;

(26) Liens arising from the deposit of funds or securities in trust for the purpose of decreasing or defeasing Indebtedness so long as such deposit of funds or securities and such decreasing or defeasing of Indebtedness are permitted under the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Restricted Payments”;

(27) Liens (other than Liens securing Indebtedness) on, or related to, assets to secure all or part of the costs incurred in the ordinary course of the Oil and Gas Business for the exploration, drilling, development, production, processing, transportation, marketing, storage or operation thereof;

(28) Liens arising from royalties, overriding royalties, revenue interests, net revenue interests, net profit interests, reversionary interests, production payments, preferential rights of purchase, working interests and other similar interests, all as ordinarily exist with respect to properties and assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries or otherwise as are customary in the Oil and Gas Business;

(29) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, provided that, after giving effect to any such incurrence, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness then outstanding and secured by any Liens incurred pursuant to this clause (29) does not exceed the amount set forth in clause (17) of the second paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock”; and

(30) Liens to secure any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under the indenture and incurred to refinance Indebtedness that was previously so secured, provided that any such Lien is limited to all or part of the same property or assets (plus improvements, accessions, proceeds or dividends or distributions in respect thereof) that secured (or, under the written arrangements under which the original Lien arose, could secure) the Indebtedness being refinanced or is in respect of property or assets that is the security for a Permitted Lien hereunder.

 

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“Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness” means any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or any Disqualified Stock of the Company incurred or issued in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to extend, refinance, renew, replace, defease, discharge, refund or otherwise retire for value, in whole or in part, any other Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than intercompany Indebtedness) or any Disqualified Stock of the Company, provided that:

(1) the principal amount, or in the case of Disqualified Stock, the amount thereof as determined in accordance with the definition of Disqualified Stock, of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount of the Indebtedness or amount of the Disqualified Stock being exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or retired (plus all accrued and unpaid interest on the Indebtedness or accrued and unpaid dividends on the Disqualified Stock, as the case may be, and the amount of all fees, expenses and premiums incurred in connection therewith);

(2) such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness has a final maturity date or redemption date, as applicable, later than the final maturity date or redemption date, as applicable, of, and has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of, the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock being exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or retired;

(3) if the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock being exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or retired is contractually subordinated or otherwise junior in right of payment to the notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees, such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is contractually subordinated or otherwise junior in right of payment to the notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees on terms at least as favorable to the Holders of notes as those contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock being exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or retired; and

(4) such Indebtedness is not incurred (other than by way of a guarantee) by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company (other than Finance Corp.) if the Company is the issuer or other primary obligor on the Indebtedness being exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or retired.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Indebtedness incurred under Credit Facilities shall be subject to the refinancing provision of the definition of Credit Facilities and not pursuant to the requirements set forth in this definition of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness.

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, limited liability company or government or other entity.

“Production Payments” means, collectively, Dollar-Denominated Production Payments and Volumetric Production Payments.

“Production Payments and Reserve Sales” means the grant or transfer by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company to any Person of a royalty, overriding royalty, net profits interest, production payment (whether volumetric or dollar denominated), partnership or other interest in oil and gas properties, reserves or the right to receive all or a portion of the production or the proceeds from the sale of production attributable to such properties, including any such grants or transfers pursuant to incentive compensation programs on terms that are reasonably customary in the oil and gas business for geologists, geophysicists and other providers of technical services to the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company.

“Rating Category” means

(1) with respect to S&P, any of the following categories: AAA, AA, A, BBB, BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D (or equivalent successor categories); and

(2) with respect to Moody’s, any of the following categories: Aaa, Aa, A, Baa, Ba, B, Caa, Ca, C and D (or equivalent successor categories).

 

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“Rating Decline” means a decrease in the rating of the notes by either Moody’s or S&P by one or more gradations (including gradations within Rating Categories as well as between Rating Categories). In determining whether the rating of the notes has decreased by one or more gradations, gradations within Rating Categories, namely + or - for S&P, and 1, 2, and 3 for Moody’s, will be taken into account; for example, in the case of S&P, a rating decline either from BB+ to BB or BB- to B+ will constitute a decrease of one gradation.

“Reporting Default” means a Default described in clause (4) under “—Events of Default and Remedies.”

“Restricted Investment” means an Investment other than a Permitted Investment.

“Restricted Subsidiary” of a Person means any Subsidiary of the referent Person that is not an Unrestricted Subsidiary. Notwithstanding anything in the indenture to the contrary, Finance Corp. shall be a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company.

“S&P” refers to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., or any successor to the rating agency business thereof.

“Senior Debt” means:

(1) all Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries outstanding under Credit Facilities and all obligations under Hedging Contracts with respect thereto;

(2) any other Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries permitted to be incurred under the terms of the indenture, unless the instrument under which such Indebtedness is incurred expressly provides that it is subordinated in right of payment to the notes or any Subsidiary Guarantee; and

(3) all Obligations with respect to the items listed in the preceding clauses (1) and (2). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding sentence, Senior Debt will not include:

(a) any intercompany Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to the Company or any of its Affiliates; or

(b) any Indebtedness that is incurred in violation of the indenture.

For the avoidance of doubt, “Senior Debt” will not include any trade payables or taxes owed or owing by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

“Significant Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Article 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Regulation is in effect on the date of the indenture.

“Stated Maturity” means, with respect to any installment of interest or principal on any series of Indebtedness, the date on which the payment of interest or principal was scheduled to be paid in the original documentation governing such Indebtedness, and will not include any contingent obligations to repay, redeem or repurchase any such interest or principal prior to the date originally scheduled for the payment thereof.

“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any specified Person:

(1) any corporation, association or other business entity (other than a partnership or limited liability company) of which more than 50% of the total voting power of Voting Stock is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination thereof); and

(2) any partnership (whether general or limited) or limited liability company (a) the sole general partner or member of which is such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person, or (b) if there is more than a single general

 

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partner or member, either (x) the only managing general partners or managing members of which are such Person or one or more Subsidiaries of such Person (or any combination thereof) or (y) such Person owns or controls, directly or indirectly, a majority of the outstanding general partner interests, member interests or other Voting Stock of such partnership or limited liability company, respectively.

“Subsidiary Guarantee” means the joint and several guarantee pursuant to the indenture by a Guarantor of the Issuers’ Obligations under the indenture and on the notes.

“Treasury Rate” means, as of any redemption date, the yield to maturity as of such redemption date of United States Treasury securities with a constant maturity (as compiled and published in the most recent Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15(519) which has become publicly available at least two Business Days prior to the redemption date (or, if such Statistical Release is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar market data)) most nearly equal to the period from the redemption date to May 15, 2015; provided, however, that if such period is not equal to the constant maturity of a United States Treasury security for which a weekly average yield is given, the Company shall obtain the Treasury Rate by linear interpolation (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth of a year) from the weekly average yields of United States Treasury securities for which such yields are given, except that if the period from the redemption date to May 15, 2015 is less than one year, the weekly average yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year shall be used. The Company will (a) calculate the Treasury Rate on the second Business Day preceding the applicable redemption date and (b) prior to such redemption date file with the trustee an officers’ certificate setting forth the Make Whole Premium and the Treasury Rate and showing the calculation of each in reasonable detail.

“Unrestricted Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary of the Company (other than Finance Corp.) that is designated by the Board of Directors of the Company as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to a Board Resolution, but only to the extent that such Subsidiary:

(1) has no Indebtedness other than Non-Recourse Debt owing to any Person other than the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(2) is not party to any agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding with the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company unless the terms of any such agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding are no less favorable to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons who are not Affiliates of the Company (excluding any agreement or transaction of the type described in clauses (6), (10) and (12) of the covenant described above under the caption “Transactions with Affiliates”);

(3) is a Person with respect to which neither the Company nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries has any direct or indirect obligation (a) to subscribe for additional Equity Interests or (b) to maintain or preserve such Person’s financial condition or to cause such Person to achieve any specified levels of operating results; and

(4) has not guaranteed or otherwise directly or indirectly provided credit support for any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

(5) Any designation of a Subsidiary of the Company as an Unrestricted Subsidiary will be evidenced to the trustee by filing with the trustee a Board Resolution giving effect to such designation and an officers’ certificate certifying that such designation complied with the preceding conditions and was permitted by the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments.” If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary would fail to meet the preceding requirements as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it will thereafter cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of the indenture and any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary will be deemed to be incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company as of such date and, if such Indebtedness is not permitted to be incurred as of such date under the covenant described under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock,” the Company will be in default of such covenant.

 

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“Volumetric Production Payments” means production payment obligations recorded as deferred revenue in accordance with GAAP, together with all related undertakings and obligations.

“Voting Stock” of any Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such Person that is at the time entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of the Board of Directors of such Person.

“Weighted Average Life to Maturity” means, when applied to any Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing:

(1) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity or redemption, in respect of the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock, by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by

(2) the then outstanding aggregate principal amount of such Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock.

 

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CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the exchange of outstanding notes for exchange notes and the ownership and disposition of the exchange notes by a beneficial owner who purchased the outstanding notes on original issuance at the first price, which we refer to as the “issue price,” at which a substantial portion of the notes were sold for cash to persons other than bond houses, brokers, or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers. This discussion does not address any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, or under any U.S. federal laws other than those pertaining to the income tax. As used in this summary, the term “notes” means the outstanding notes and the exchange notes. This summary is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury Regulations, revenue rulings, administrative interpretations and judicial decisions now in effect, all of which are subject to change possibly with retroactive effect. Except as specifically set forth herein, this summary deals only with outstanding notes held as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code. This summary does not purport to address all federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to holders in light of their particular circumstances or to holders subject to special tax rules, such as banks, insurance companies or other financial institutions, dealers in securities or foreign currencies, tax-exempt investors, or persons holding the outstanding notes as part of a hedging transaction, straddle, conversion transaction, or other integrated transaction.

We have not sought any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or an opinion of counsel with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary. As such, there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with such statements and conclusions.

All persons that exchange outstanding notes for exchange notes in the exchange offer are urged to consult their own tax advisors with regard to the application of the U.S. federal income tax laws to their particular situations as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.

If a partnership or other entity taxable as a partnership holds the notes, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding the notes, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the exchange offer.

Exchange of Notes

The exchange of the outstanding notes for the exchange notes in the exchange offer should not be treated as an “exchange” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, because the exchange notes should not be considered to differ materially in kind or extent from the outstanding notes. Accordingly, the exchange of outstanding notes for exchange notes should not be a taxable event to a holder for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Moreover, the exchange notes should have the same tax attributes as the outstanding notes exchanged therefor.

Consequences to U.S. Holders

As used herein, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of the notes who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (i) an individual citizen or resident of the United States; (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; (iii) an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust (1) whose administration is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (2) that has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

 

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Payments of Interest

A U.S. Holder will be required to include stated interest in his, her, or its income as ordinary income in accordance with such U.S. Holder’s method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The U.S. Holders of notes have the right to require us to repurchase all or any part of such holder’s notes upon a change of control. Under the contingent payment debt rules, certain possible payments are not treated as contingencies (for example, in cases which the possible payments are remote, incidental, or fit certain other exceptions). We intend to take the position that a repurchase at the option of a U.S. Holder if a change of control occurs is a remote contingency. Based in part on this position, we do not intend to treat the repurchase option as affecting the computation of the yield-to-maturity of the notes. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, our determination that a contingency is remote is binding on all holders of the notes (other than holders that properly disclose to the IRS that they are taking a different position) but is not binding on the IRS. The IRS may take a contrary position, which, if sustained, could affect the timing and character of a holder’s income with respect to the notes in a materially adverse way.

Under applicable Treasury regulations, an unconditional option to redeem a debt instrument will be assumed to be exercised if such exercise will lower the yield-to-maturity of the debt instrument. We do not intend to treat any of our redemption rights as affecting the computation of the yield-to-maturity of the notes. The IRS may take a different position regarding the payment or potential payment of amounts in excess of stated interest or principal, in which case the timing, amount and character of income with respect to a note may be different, and a U.S. Holder could be required to treat as ordinary interest income any gain recognized on the disposition of a note. Prospective holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the potential effect, if any, of these matters on their particular situation.

Market Discount and Amortizable Bond Premium

If you purchased your original notes at a price other than their issue price, the market discount or amortizable bond premium rules may apply to your exchange notes. You should consult your tax advisor regarding this possibility.

Sale, Exchange, Redemption or Other Taxable Disposition of the Notes

A U.S. Holder generally will recognize gain or loss upon the sale, exchange (other than for exchange notes, pursuant to this exchange offer), redemption, retirement, or other taxable disposition of a note to the extent of the difference between:

 

•

the sum of the cash and the fair market value of any property received on such disposition (except to the extent attributable to accrued and unpaid interest on the note, which generally will be taxed as ordinary income to the extent not previously recognized as ordinary income), and

 

•

such U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the note.

A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in a note generally will equal the cost of the note. A U.S. Holder’s gain or loss recognized on the disposition of a note generally will be capital gain or loss, assuming the holder held the note as a capital asset, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if, at the time of such disposition, such U.S. Holder has held the note for more than one year. In the case of a non-corporate U.S. Holder, long-term capital gains are currently subject to preferential rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Information returns will be filed with the IRS with respect to interest paid to non-exempt U.S. Holders. Non-exempt U.S. Holders may be subject to backup withholding tax with respect to interest paid on the notes or

 

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with respect to proceeds received from a disposition of the notes. A U.S. Holder will be subject to backup withholding if not otherwise exempt and the U.S. Holder:

 

•

fails to furnish such U.S. Holder’s taxpayer identification number, or “TIN”, which for an individual, is ordinarily his or her social security number;

 

•

furnishes an incorrect TIN;

 

•

is notified by the IRS of a failure to properly report payments of interest; or

 

•

fails to certify, under penalties of perjury, that such U.S. Holder has furnished a correct TIN and that the IRS has not notified the U.S. Holder that he or she is subject to backup withholding.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax; any withheld amounts generally may be credited against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and that U.S. Holder may be entitled to a refund provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders

The following applies only if you are a Non-U.S. Holder. For purposes of this discussion, and except as otherwise modified for U.S. federal estate tax purposes, a “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of the notes that is an individual, a corporation, a trust or an estate and that is not a U.S. Holder.

Payments of Interest

U.S. federal withholding tax will not apply to payments by us or our paying agent (in its capacity as such) of interest (as determined above) on the notes under the “portfolio interest” exception of the Code provided that:

(i) the Non-U.S. Holder, as beneficial owner,

(a) does not actually or constructively own 10% or more of our capital or profits interests;

(b) is not a “controlled foreign corporation” that is related to us actually or constructively through equity ownership; and

(c) is not a “bank” receiving the interest pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in its ordinary course of business;

(ii) the interest payments are not effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a U.S. trade or business (and, if an income tax treaty applies to such Non-U.S. Holder, such interest payments are not attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by such Non-U.S. Holder in the United States); and

(iii) the Non-U.S. Holder, as beneficial owner, satisfies the applicable certification requirement.

The certification requirement is generally satisfied if the beneficial owner of a note certifies on IRS Form W-8BEN (or a suitable substitute or successor form), under penalties of perjury, that he, she or it is not a U.S. person and provides his, her or its name and address, and

 

•

such beneficial owner timely files the IRS Form W-8BEN with the withholding agent; or

 

•

in the case of notes held on behalf of a beneficial owner by a securities clearing organization, bank or other financial institution that holds customers’ securities in the ordinary course of its trade or business, the financial institution files with the withholding agent a statement that it has received the Form W-8BEN (or a suitable substitute or successor form) from the Non-U.S. Holder or from another financial institution acting on behalf of that Non-U.S. Holder, timely furnishes the withholding agent with a copy thereof and otherwise complies with the applicable certification requirements.

 

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The gross amount of any payment of interest on a Non-U.S. Holder’s note that does not qualify for the portfolio interest exception will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 30% unless (i) such Non-U.S. Holder provides a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form) claiming an exemption from or reduction in withholding of U.S. federal income tax under an applicable income tax treaty, or (ii) such interest is effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business (and, if an income tax treaty applies and such interest is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base) of such Non-U.S. Holder and such Non-U.S. Holder provides a properly completed IRS Form W-8ECI (or successor form) (see “Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders—Income or Gain Effectively Connected with a United States Trade or Business.”).

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of the Notes

Any gain realized by a Non-U.S. Holder on the sale, exchange, or other disposition of the notes generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax (and generally no tax will be withheld) unless:

 

•

the gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States and, if a tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base (see “Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders—Income or Gain Effectively Connected with a United States Trade or Business”), or

 

•

the Non-U.S. Holder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 or more days in the taxable year of the disposition and certain other conditions are met.

Income or Gain Effectively Connected with a United States Trade or Business

Interest on a note or gain from the sale, exchange or other disposition of the note that is effectively connected with a trade or business conducted within the United States of a Non-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at regular graduated rates in the same manner as to a U.S. Holder (see “Consequences to U.S. Holders” above). Non-U.S. Holders eligible for the benefits of an income tax treaty between the United States and such Non-U.S. Holder’s country of residence will be subject to U.S. federal net income tax in the manner specified by the treaty and generally will only be subject to such tax if such income or gain is attributable to a permanent establishment (or a fixed base in the case of an individual) maintained in the United States by such Non-U.S. Holder (and such Non-U.S. Holder claims the benefit of the treaty). Non-U.S. Holders receiving interest on the notes subject to tax on the net income basis described above are required to report the interest on a U.S. tax return for the year and generally will not be subject to withholding provided that Non-U.S. Holder complies with applicable IRS certification requirements (i.e., by delivering a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI).

In the case of a foreign corporation that is engaged in a U.S. trade or business, effectively connected income also may be subject to the branch profits tax. The branch profits tax generally is imposed on the deemed repatriation (the “dividend equivalent amount”) from the United States of effectively connected earnings and profits at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be prescribed by an applicable tax treaty). For purposes of the branch profits tax, interest on a note and gain recognized on the disposition of a note will be included in effectively connected earnings and profits if the interest or gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

The payment of interest on a note, and amounts withheld from such payments, if any, generally will be required to be reported by us to the IRS and the interest recipient.

The gross proceeds from the disposition of notes may be subject to information reporting. Payments of the proceeds of a sale of notes to or through a U.S. broker are subject to information reporting unless the Non-U.S.

 

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Holder disposing the note provides an IRS Form W-8BEN certifying under penalties of perjury that such Non-U.S. Holder is not a United States person or otherwise establishes an exemption. Sales proceeds paid to Non-U.S. Holders outside the United States on dispositions through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker generally are not subject to U.S. backup withholding and information reporting requirements. However, U.S. information reporting will apply to a payment of sales proceeds, even if that payment is made outside the United States, if notes are sold through a non-U.S. broker that is a “U.S. Related Person.” A “U.S. Related Person” is (i) a U.S. person (within the meaning of the Code); (ii) a foreign person that derives 50% or more of its gross income for certain period from activities that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States; (iii) a controlled foreign corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes; or (iv) a foreign partnership more than 50% of the capital or profits of which is owned by one or more U.S. persons which engages in a U.S. trade or business. Payment of the proceeds on a disposition of a note by a Non-U.S. Holder made to or through a U.S. broker or U.S. Related Person generally will not be subject to backup withholding, but will be subject to information reporting, unless (i) such Non-U.S. Holder certifies its non-U.S. status on IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form) signed under penalty of perjury, or (ii) such U.S. broker or U.S. Related Person has documentary evidence in its records as to the non-U.S. status of such Non-U.S. Holder and has neither actual knowledge nor reason to know that such Non-U.S. Holder is a U.S. person. Any information reported to the IRS under the requirements described above may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which a Non-U.S. Holder is resident under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty or other agreement.

Non-U.S. Holders may be subject to backup withholding similar to U.S. Holders with respect to interest paid on the notes or with respect to proceeds received from a disposition of the notes (see “Consequences to U.S. Holders—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding”) unless the Non-U.S. Holders properly certify under penalties of perjury their foreign status and certain other conditions are met or such Non-U.S. Holders otherwise establish an exemption.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax but, rather, is a method of tax collection. Any withheld amounts generally may be credited against a Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and that Non-U.S. Holder may be entitled to a refund provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

Non-U.S. Holders of notes should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding in their particular situations, the availability of an exemption therefrom, and the procedure for obtaining such an exemption from backup withholding, if available.

U.S. Federal Estate Tax

Notes beneficially owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident of the United States (as specifically defined for United States federal estate tax purposes) at the time of such individual’s death will generally not be included in the decedent’s gross estate for United States federal estate tax purposes if any payment of interest on the notes to the holder would be eligible for the exemption from the 30% United States federal withholding tax described in the first paragraph of “Payments of Interest” above (without regard to the certification requirement).

Unearned Income Medicare Contribution Tax

Certain holders who are individuals, estates or trusts will be required to pay a 3.8% unearned income Medicare contribution tax on, among other things, interest on and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of notes for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, on their ownership and disposition of the notes.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account in connection with the exchange offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker-dealer in connection with resales of exchange notes received in exchange for outstanding notes where such notes were acquired as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities. We have agreed that, beginning on the date of consummation of the exchange offer and ending on the close of business one year after the consummation of the exchange offer, we will make this prospectus, as amended or supplemented, available to any broker-dealer for use in connection with any such resale. In addition, all dealers effecting transactions in the exchange notes may be required to deliver a prospectus during the time periods prescribed by applicable securities laws.

We will not receive any proceeds from the issuance of exchange notes in the exchange offer or from any sale of exchange notes by broker-dealers. Exchange notes received by broker-dealers for their own accounts pursuant to the exchange offer may be sold from time to time in one or more transactions in the over-the-counter market, in negotiated transactions, through the writing of options on the exchange notes or a combination of such methods of resale, at market prices prevailing at the time of resale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. Any such resale may be made directly to purchasers or to or through brokers or dealers who may receive compensation in the form of commissions or concessions from any such broker-dealer and/or the purchasers of any such exchange notes. Any broker-dealer that resells exchange notes that were received by it for its own account pursuant to the exchange offer and any broker or dealer that participates in a distribution of such exchange notes may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any profit on any such resale of exchange notes and any commissions or concessions received by any such persons may be deemed to be underwriting compensation under the Securities Act. The letter of transmittal states that by acknowledging that it will deliver and by delivering a prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act.

For a period of one year after the consummation of the exchange offer, we will promptly send a reasonable number of additional copies of the prospectus and any amendment or supplement to this prospectus to any broker-dealer that requests such documents in the letter of transmittal. We have agreed to pay all expenses incident to the exchange offer (including the expenses of one counsel for the holder of the notes) other than commissions or concessions of any brokers or dealers and will indemnify the holders of the exchange notes, including any broker-dealers, against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

Baker Botts L.L.P. has issued an opinion about the legality of the exchange notes.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Linn Energy, LLC as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2011, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011 have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The statement of revenues and direct operating expenses of the assets acquired by Linn Energy, LLC from BP America Production Company (Hugoton Acquisition) for the year ended December 31, 2011, and the statements of revenues and direct operating expenses of the assets acquired by Linn Energy, LLC from BP America Production Company (Green River Acquisition) for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, with respect to Linn Energy, LLC, to the extent indicated in their reports thereon incorporated by reference. Such financial statements have been incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

Certain estimates of our proved oil and gas reserves incorporated by reference herein were based in part upon an engineering report prepared by DeGolyer and MacNaughton, independent petroleum engineers. These estimates are included herein in reliance on the authority of such firm as an expert in such matters.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 under the Securities Act with respect to the exchange notes offered hereby. This prospectus, which is a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement, as amended, or the exhibits and schedules filed therewith. For further information with respect to us and the exchange notes offered hereby, please see the registration statement, as amended, and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus regarding the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement are not necessarily complete, and each such statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the full text of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. A copy of the registration statement, as amended, and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement may be inspected without charge at the public reference room maintained by the SEC, located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, and copies of all or any part of the registration statement may be obtained from such offices upon the payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the public reference room. The SEC also maintains an internet web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the web site is www.sec.gov.

We file annual, quarterly, and other reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act of 1934. You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room referred to above. General information about us, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments and exhibits to those reports, are available free of charge through our web site at www.linnenergy.com as soon as reasonably practicable after we file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. Information on our web site is not incorporated into this prospectus or our other securities filings and is not a part of this prospectus.

 

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$750,000,000 in Aggregate Principal Amount of

6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

September 24, 2012

Until December 23, 2012, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

 

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LINN ENERGY, LLC

LINN ENERGY FINANCE CORP.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

for Offer to Exchange

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)

for

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have not been registered under the Securities Act

Pursuant to the Prospectus, dated September 24, 2012

 

If you wish to accept the Exchange Offer, this Letter of Transmittal must be completed, signed and delivered to the Exchange Agent:

By Mail

U.S. Bank National Association

Attn: Specialized Finance

60 Livingston Avenue

Mail Station – EP-MN-WS2N

St. Paul, MN 55107-2292

By Hand or Courier

U.S. Bank National Association

Attn: Specialized Finance

111 Fillmore Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55107-1402

By Facsimile Transmission (eligible institutions only)

651-495-8158

Attention: Specialized Finance

Confirm via email:

escrowexchangepayments@usbank.com

Delivery of this instrument to an address other than as set forth above or transmission via facsimile to a number other than the one listed above will not constitute a valid delivery. The instructions accompanying this Letter of Transmittal should be read carefully before the Letter of Transmittal is completed. Receipt of incomplete, inaccurate or defective letters of transmittal will not constitute valid delivery. Although we may waive defects and irregularities with respect to your tender of Original Notes (defined below), we are not required to do so and may not do so.

 

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The undersigned is a holder of Original Notes (defined below) issued by Linn Energy, LLC and Linn Energy Finance Corp. (the “Issuers”) under that certain indenture dated May 13, 2011 (as such indenture has been, or may be, supplemented, amended and modified, the “Indenture”), among the Issuers, the Subsidiary Guarantors named therein and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, in a private transaction that was not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

The undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt of the prospectus dated September 24, 2012 (the “Prospectus”), of the Issuers and this letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”). These two documents together constitute the offer by the Issuers to exchange their 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Exchange Notes”), the issuance of which has been registered under the Securities Act, for a like principal amount of their issued and outstanding unregistered 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Original Notes”). The offer to exchange the Exchange Notes for the Original Notes is referred to as the “Exchange Offer.”

Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the respective meanings given to such terms in the Prospectus.

The Issuers reserve the right, at any time or from time to time, to extend the period of time during which the Exchange Offer for the Original Notes is open, at their discretion, in which event the term “Expiration Date” shall mean the latest date to which the Exchange Offer is extended. The Issuers shall give notice of any extension by press release or other public announcement no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled Expiration Date.

This Letter of Transmittal is to be used by a holder of Original Notes to allow for delivery of Original Notes to be made by book-entry transfer to the account maintained by U.S. Bank National Association (the “Exchange Agent”) at The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Prospectus under the caption “The Exchange Offer — Procedures for Tendering,” in the case where an “agent’s message” is not delivered or being transmitted through ATOP (defined below) as described in the Prospectus under the caption “The Exchange Offer — Procedures for Tendering.”

Tenders by book-entry transfer may also be made by delivering an agent’s message in lieu of this Letter of Transmittal pursuant to DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program (“ATOP”). The undersigned should allow sufficient time for completion of the ATOP procedure with DTC if used for tendering their Original Notes on or prior to the Expiration Date.

Delivery of documents to DTC does not constitute delivery to the Exchange Agent.

The term “holder” with respect to the Exchange Offer for Original Notes means any person in whose name the Original Notes are registered on the books of the registrar for the Original Notes, any person who holds such Original Notes and has obtained a properly completed bond power from the registered holder or any participant in the DTC system whose name appears on a security position listing as the holder of such Original Notes and who desires to deliver such Original Notes by book-entry transfer at DTC. The undersigned has completed, executed and delivered this Letter of Transmittal to indicate the action the undersigned desires to take with respect to the Exchange Offer. Holders who wish to tender their Original Notes must complete this Letter of Transmittal in its entirety (unless such Original Notes are to be tendered by book-entry transfer and an agent’s message is delivered in lieu hereof pursuant to DTC’s ATOP).

Please read the entire Letter of Transmittal and the Prospectus carefully before checking any box below. The instructions included with this Letter of Transmittal must be followed. Questions and requests for assistance or for additional copies of the Prospectus and this Letter of Transmittal may be directed to the Exchange Agent at the address and telephone number set forth on the cover page of this Letter of Transmittal.

 

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List below the Original Notes tendered under this Letter of Transmittal. If the space below is inadequate, list the registered numbers and principal amounts on a separate signed schedule and affix the list to this Letter of Transmittal.

 

DESCRIPTION OF ORIGINAL NOTES TENDERED
Name(s) and Address(es) of the DTC Participant(s) or Registered Holder(s) Exactly as Name(s) Appear(s) on Certificates Representing Original Notes (Please Fill In, If Blank)		Old Note(s) Tendered
		Registered Certificate Number(s)*		Aggregate Principal Amount Represented by Note(s)		Principal Amount Tendered**
		Total

 

*	Need not be completed by book-entry holders.

**	Unless otherwise indicated, any tendering holder of Original Notes will be deemed to have tendered the entire aggregate principal amount represented by such Original Notes. All tenders must be in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

 

¨	CHECK HERE IF TENDERED ORIGINAL NOTES ARE ENCLOSED HEREWITH.

 

¨	CHECK HERE AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING IF TENDERED ORIGINAL NOTES ARE BEING DELIVERED BY BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER MADE TO THE ACCOUNT MAINTAINED BY THE EXCHANGE AGENT WITH DTC (FOR USE BY ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS ONLY):

 

 

¨	CHECK HERE AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING IF YOU ARE A BROKER-DEALER AND WISH TO RECEIVE 10 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE PROSPECTUS AND 10 COPIES OF ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO:

 

 

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SIGNATURES MUST BE PROVIDED BELOW PLEASE READ THE ACCOMPANYING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Subject to the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer, the undersigned hereby tenders to the Issuers for exchange the principal amount of Original Notes indicated above. Subject to, and effective upon, the acceptance for exchange of the principal amount of Original Notes tendered in accordance with this Letter of Transmittal, the undersigned hereby exchanges, assigns and transfers to, or upon the order of, the Issuers all right, title and interest in and to such Original Notes tendered for exchange hereby.

The undersigned hereby irrevocably constitutes and appoints the Exchange Agent the true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact for the undersigned (with full knowledge that said Exchange Agent also acts as the agent for the Issuers in connection with the Exchange Offer) with respect to the tendered Original Notes with full power of substitution to:

 

•

deliver such Original Notes, or transfer ownership of such Original Notes on the account books maintained by DTC, to the Issuers, as applicable, and deliver all accompanying evidences of transfer and authenticity; and

 

•

present such Original Notes for transfer on the books of the Issuers and receive all benefits and otherwise exercise all rights of beneficial ownership of such Original Notes, all in accordance with the terms of the Exchange Offer.

The power of attorney granted in this paragraph shall be deemed to be irrevocable and coupled with an interest.

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to tender, exchange, assign and transfer the Original Notes tendered hereby and to acquire the Exchange Notes issuable upon the exchange of such tendered Original Notes, and that the Issuers will acquire good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of all liens, security interests, restrictions, charges and encumbrances and not subject to any adverse claim, right or interest of any party other than the undersigned, when the same are accepted for exchange by the Issuers.

The undersigned acknowledges that the Exchange Offer is being made in reliance upon interpretations set forth in no-action letters issued to third parties by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including Exxon Capital Holdings Corporation (available May 13, 1988), Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated (available June 5, 1991), Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. (available June 5, 1991), Shearman & Sterling (available July 2, 1993) and similar no-action letters (the “Prior No-Action Letters”), that the Exchange Notes issued in exchange for the Original Notes pursuant to the Exchange Offer may be offered for resale, resold and otherwise transferred by holders thereof (other than any holder that is a broker-dealer who purchased Original Notes directly from the Issuers for resale and any holder that is an “affiliate” of either Issuer within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act), without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery provisions of the Securities Act (except for prospectus delivery obligations applicable to certain broker-dealers), provided that such Exchange Notes are acquired in the ordinary course of such holders’ business and such holders are not engaged in, and do not intend to engage in, and have no arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in, a distribution of such Exchange Notes. The SEC has not, however, considered this Exchange Offer in the context of a no-action letter, and there can be no assurance that the staff of the SEC would make a similar determination with respect to the Exchange Offer as it has in other circumstances.

The undersigned hereby further represents to the Issuers that (i) any Exchange Notes received will be acquired in the ordinary course of business of the undersigned; (ii) the undersigned does not have an arrangement or understanding with any person or entity to participate in the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes; (iii) the undersigned is not engaged in and does not intend to engage in

 

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the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes; (iv) if the undersigned is a broker-dealer that will receive Exchange Notes for its own account in exchange for Original Notes, the undersigned acquired those Original Notes as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and it will deliver the Prospectus, as required by law, in connection with any resale of the Exchange Notes; provided, however, that by acknowledging that it will deliver, and by delivering, the Prospectus, the undersigned will not be deemed to admit that it is an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act; (v) the undersigned is not an “affiliate,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, of either Issuer; and (vi) the undersigned is not acting on behalf of any person or entity who could not truthfully make the statements set forth in clauses (i) through (v) above.

The undersigned acknowledges that if the undersigned is an affiliate of either of the Issuers or is tendering Original Notes in the Exchange Offer with the intention of participating in any manner in a distribution of the Exchange Notes:

 

•

the undersigned cannot rely on the position of the staff of the SEC set forth in the Prior No-Action Letters and, in the absence of an exemption therefrom, must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with a secondary resale transaction of the Exchange Notes, in which case the registration statement must contain the selling security holder information required by Item 507 or Item 508, as applicable, of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act; and

 

•

failure to comply with such requirements in such instance could result in the undersigned incurring liability for which the undersigned will not be indemnified by the Issuers.

The undersigned will, upon request, execute and deliver any additional documents deemed by the Exchange Agent or the Issuers to be necessary or desirable to complete the exchange, assignment and transfer of the Original Notes tendered hereby, including the transfer of such Original Notes on the account books maintained by DTC.

For purposes of the Exchange Offer, the Issuers shall be deemed to have accepted for exchange validly tendered Original Notes when, as and if the Issuers give oral or written notice thereof to the Exchange Agent and comply with the applicable provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement among the Issuers, the Subsidiary Guarantors named therein and the representatives of the Initial Purchasers named therein, dated May 13, 2011. Any tendered Original Notes that are not accepted for exchange pursuant to the Exchange Offer for any reason will be returned, without expense, to the undersigned as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date.

All authority conferred or agreed to be conferred by this Letter of Transmittal shall survive the death, incapacity or dissolution of the undersigned, and every obligation of the undersigned under this Letter of Transmittal shall be binding upon the undersigned’s successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators, trustees in bankruptcy and legal representatives. This tender may be withdrawn only in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Prospectus under the caption “The Exchange Offer — Withdrawal Rights.”

The undersigned acknowledges that the acceptance by the Issuers of properly tendered Original Notes pursuant to the procedures described under the caption “The Exchange Offer — Procedures for Tendering” in the Prospectus and in the instructions hereto will constitute a binding agreement between the undersigned, on one hand, and the Issuers, on the other, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Exchange Offer.

The Exchange Offer is subject to certain conditions set forth in the Prospectus under the caption “The Exchange Offer — Conditions to the Exchange Offer.” The undersigned recognizes that as a result of these conditions (which may be waived, in whole or in part, by the Issuers in their sole discretion), the Issuers may not be required to exchange any of the Original Notes tendered hereby.

 

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Unless otherwise indicated under “Special Issuance Instructions,” please issue the Exchange Notes issued in exchange for the Original Notes accepted for exchange, and return any Original Notes not tendered or not exchanged, in the name(s) of the undersigned or, in the case of a book-entry delivery of Original Notes, please credit the account indicated above maintained at DTC. Similarly, unless otherwise indicated under “Special Delivery Instructions,” please mail or deliver the Exchange Notes issued in exchange for the Original Notes accepted for exchange and any Original Notes not tendered or not exchanged (and accompanying documents, as appropriate) to the undersigned at the address shown below the undersigned’s signature(s). In the event that both “Special Issuance Instructions” and “Special Delivery Instructions” are completed, please issue the Exchange Notes issued in exchange for the Original Notes accepted for exchange in the name(s) of, and return any Original Notes not tendered or not exchanged to, the person(s) or account(s) so indicated. The undersigned recognizes that the Issuers have no obligation pursuant to the “Special Issuance Instructions” and “Special Delivery Instructions” to transfer any Original Notes from the name of the registered holder(s) thereof if the Issuers do not accept for exchange any of the Original Notes so tendered for exchange.

 

SPECIAL ISSUANCE INSTRUCTIONS (SEE INSTRUCTIONS 4 AND 5)

SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS (SEE INSTRUCTIONS 4 AND 5)

To be completed ONLY if (i) Original Notes in a principal amount not tendered, or Exchange Notes issued in exchange for Original Notes accepted for exchange, are to be issued in the name of someone other than the undersigned, or (ii) Original Notes tendered by book-entry transfer that are not exchanged are to be returned by credit to an account maintained at DTC other than the DTC Account Number set forth above. Issue Exchange Notes and/or Original Notes to:

To be completed ONLY if Original Notes in a principal amount not tendered, or Exchange Notes issued in exchange for Original Notes accepted for exchange, are to be mailed or delivered to someone other than the undersigned, or to the undersigned at an address other than that shown below the undersigned’s signature. Mail or deliver Exchange Notes and/or Original Notes to:

Name:

Name:

Address:

Address:

(Include ZIP Code)

(Include ZIP Code)

(Taxpayer Identification or Social Security Number)

(Taxpayer Identification or Social Security Number)

(See Instruction 7 below.)

(See Instruction 7 below.)

(Please Type or Print)

(Please Type or Print)

 

¨	Credit unexchanged Original Notes delivered by book-entry transfer to the DTC account number set forth below:

DTC Account Number:                                                                                                                                                

 

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		IMPORTANT PLEASE SIGN HERE (complete accompanying Substitute Form W-9 below)
		By completing, executing and delivering this Letter of Transmittal, the undersigned hereby tenders the principal amount of the Original Notes listed above in the table labeled “Description of Original Notes Tendered” under the column heading “Principal Amount Tendered” or, if nothing is indicated in such column, with respect to the entire aggregate principal amount represented by the Original Notes described in such table.
		X
		X
		(Signature(s) of Registered Holder(s) of Original Notes)

		Dated                                                             (The above lines must be signed by the registered holder(s) of Original Notes as your/their name(s) appear(s) on the Original Notes or on a security position listing, or by person(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) by a properly completed bond power from the registered holder(s), a copy of which must be transmitted with this Letter of Transmittal. If Original Notes to which this Letter of Transmittal relate are held of record by two or more joint holders, then all such holders must sign this Letter of Transmittal. If signature is by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, then such person must (i) set forth his or her full title below and (ii) unless waived by the Issuers, submit evidence satisfactory to the Issuers of such person’s authority so to act. See Instruction 4 regarding the completion of this Letter of Transmittal.)
		Name(s):
		(Please Type or Print)

		Capacity (Full Title):

		Address:

(Include ZIP Code)

		Area Code and Telephone Number:

		Taxpayer Identification Number:

 

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MEDALLION SIGNATURE GUARANTEE (if required by Instruction 4)
Certain signatures must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution (as defined in the instructions below). Please read Instruction 4 of this Letter of Transmittal to determine whether a signature guarantee is required for the tender of your Original Notes.
Signature(s) Guaranteed by an
Eligible Institution:
(Authorized Signature)

(Title)

(Name of Firm)

(Address, Include ZIP Code)

(Area Code and Telephone Number)

Dated:

 

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INSTRUCTIONS TO LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FORMING PART OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE EXCHANGE OFFER

1. Delivery of this Letter of Transmittal and Original Notes or Agent’s Message and Book-Entry Confirmations. Any confirmation of a book-entry transfer to the Exchange Agent’s account at DTC of Original Notes tendered by book-entry transfer (a “Book-Entry Confirmation”), as well as a properly completed and duly executed copy of this Letter of Transmittal or facsimile hereof (or an agent’s message in lieu hereof pursuant to DTC’s ATOP), and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Exchange Agent at its address set forth herein prior to 12:01 a.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The method of delivery of the tendered Original Notes and Letters of Transmittal, any required signature guarantees and all other required documents, including delivery through DTC and any acceptance or Agent’s Message transmitted through ATOP, is at the election and risk of the persons tendering Original Notes and delivering Letters of Transmittal. If you use ATOP, you must allow sufficient time for completion of the ATOP procedures during normal business hours of DTC on or prior to the Expiration Date. Tender and delivery will be deemed made only when actually received by the Exchange Agent. If delivery is by mail, it is suggested that the holder use properly insured, registered mail, postage prepaid, with return receipt requested, and that the mailing be made sufficiently in advance of the Expiration Date to permit delivery to the Exchange Agent prior to such date. NO LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL OR ORIGINAL NOTES SHOULD BE SENT TO THE ISSUERS.

2. Tender by Holder. Only a registered holder of Original Notes may tender such Original Notes in the Exchange Offer. Any beneficial holder of Original Notes who is not the registered holder and who wishes to tender should arrange with the registered holder to execute and deliver this Letter of Transmittal on his behalf or must, prior to completing and executing this Letter of Transmittal and delivering his Original Notes, either make appropriate arrangements to register ownership of the Original Notes in such holder’s name or obtain a properly completed bond power from the registered holder.

3. Partial Tenders. Tenders of Original Notes will be accepted only in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. If less than the entire principal amount of any Original Notes is tendered, the tendering holder should fill in the principal amount tendered in the fourth column of the box entitled “Description of Original Notes Tendered” above. The entire principal amount of Original Notes delivered to the Exchange Agent will be deemed to have been tendered unless otherwise indicated. If the entire principal amount of all Original Notes is not tendered, then Original Notes for the principal amount of Original Notes not tendered and Exchange Notes issued in exchange for any Original Notes accepted will be returned to the holder as promptly as practicable after the expiration or termination of the Exchange Offer.

4. Signatures on this Letter of Transmittal; Bond Powers and Endorsements; Medallion Guarantee of Signatures. If this Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile hereof) is signed by the record holder(s) of the Original Notes tendered hereby, the signature(s) must correspond exactly with the name(s) as written on the face of the Original Notes without alteration, enlargement or any change whatsoever. If this Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile hereof) is signed by a participant in DTC, the signature must correspond with the name as it appears on the security position listing as the holder of the Original Notes. If any tendered Original Notes are owned of record by two or more joint owners, all of such owners must sign this Letter of Transmittal.

If this Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile hereof) is signed by the registered holder(s) of Original Notes listed and tendered hereby and the Exchange Notes issued in exchange therefor are to be issued (or any untendered principal amount of Original Notes is to be reissued) to the registered holder(s), then said holder(s) need not and should not endorse any tendered Original Notes, nor provide a separate bond power. In any other case, such holder(s) must either properly endorse the Original Notes tendered or transmit a properly completed separate bond power with this Letter of Transmittal, with the signatures on the endorsement or bond power guaranteed by a firm that is a member of a registered national securities exchange or of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, a commercial bank or trust company having an office or correspondent in the United States or an “eligible guarantor institution” within the meaning of Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities

 

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Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in each case that is a participant in the Securities Transfer Agents’ Medallion Program, the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Program or the Stock Exchanges’ Medallion Program approved by the Securities Transfer Association Inc. (each, an “Eligible Institution”).

If this Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile hereof) or any Original Notes or bond powers are signed by one or more trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such persons should so indicate when signing, and, unless waived by the Issuers, evidence satisfactory to the Issuers of their authority to act must be submitted with this Letter of Transmittal.

No signature guarantee is required if:

 

•

this Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile hereof) is signed by the registered holder(s) of the Original Notes tendered herein (or by a participant in DTC whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner of the tendered Original Notes) and the Exchange Notes are to be issued directly to such registered holder(s) (or, if signed by a participant in DTC, deposited to such participant’s account at DTC) and neither the box entitled “Special Issuance Instructions” nor the box entitled “Special Delivery Instructions” has been completed; or

 

•

such Original Notes are tendered for the account of an Eligible Institution.

In all other cases, all signatures on this Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile hereof) must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

5. Special Issuance and Delivery Instructions. Tendering holders should indicate, in the applicable box or boxes, the name and address to which Exchange Notes or substitute Original Notes for principal amounts not tendered or not accepted for exchange are to be issued or sent, if different from the name and address of the person signing this Letter of Transmittal. In the case of issuance in a different name, the taxpayer identification number (see Instruction 7 below) of the person named must also be indicated. Holders tendering Original Notes by book-entry transfer may request that Original Notes not exchanged be credited to such account maintained at DTC as such holder may designate hereon. If no such instructions are given, such Original Notes not exchanged will be returned to the name and address (or account number) of the person signing this Letter of Transmittal.

6. Transfer Taxes. The Issuers will pay or cause to be paid all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the exchange of Original Notes pursuant to the Exchange Offer. If, however, a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the exchange of Original Notes pursuant to the Exchange Offer, then the amount of any such transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder or any other persons) will be payable by the tendering holder. If satisfactory evidence of payment of such taxes or exemption therefrom is not submitted with this Letter of Transmittal, the amount of such transfer taxes will be billed directly to such tendering holder, and the Exchange Agent will retain possession of an amount of Exchange Notes with a face amount at least equal to the amount of such transfer taxes due by such tendering holder pending receipt by the Exchange Agent of the amount of such taxes.

7. Taxpayer Identification Number. U.S. federal income tax laws generally require that a tendering holder that is a U.S. person (including a resident alien) provide the Issuers (as payors) with such holder’s correct Taxpayer Identification Number (“TIN”) on IRS Form W9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification or its substitute (the “IRS Form W-9”), enclosed, which in the case of a holder who is an individual, is his or her social security number. If the tendering holder is a nonresident alien or a foreign entity, other requirements (as described below) will apply. If the Issuers are not provided with the tendering holder’s correct TIN or an adequate basis for an exemption from backup withholding, such holder may be subject to certain penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). In addition, failure to provide the Issuers with the correct TIN or an adequate basis for an exemption from backup withholding may result in backup withholding on payments made to the holder or other payee. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, the holder may be able to obtain a refund from the IRS.

 

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Certain holders of Original Notes (including, among others, corporations and certain foreign individuals) are not subject to these backup withholding requirements. See the Instructions on the enclosed Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9 (the “W-9 Guidelines”) for additional instructions.

To prevent backup withholding, each tendering holder that is a U.S. person (including a resident alien) that does not otherwise establish an exemption must provide such holder’s correct TIN by completing the substitute Form W-9 enclosed, certifying, under penalties of perjury, that such holder is a U.S. person (including a resident alien), that the TIN provided is correct (or that such holder is awaiting a TIN) and that (i) such holder is exempt from backup withholding, or (ii) such holder has not been notified by the IRS that such holder is subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (iii) the IRS has notified such holder that such holder is no longer subject to backup withholding. If the Exchange Notes will be registered in more than one name or will not in the name of the actual holder, such holder should consult the “Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9” included with this Letter of Transmittal for information on which TIN to report. If such holder does not have a TIN, such holder should consult the W-9 Guidelines for instructions on applying for a TIN, write “Applied For” in the space reserved for the TIN. Note: Writing “Applied For” on the IRS Form W-9 or the enclosed substitute Form W-9 means that such holder has already applied for a TIN or that such holder intends to apply for one soon. If such holder does not provide its TIN to the Issuers within 60 days, backup withholding will begin and continue until such holder furnishes its TIN to the Issuers.

A tendering holder that is a non-resident alien or a foreign entity that does not otherwise establish an exemption must submit the appropriate completed IRS Form W-8 (generally IRS Form W-8BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding) to avoid backup withholding. The appropriate form may be obtained via the IRS website at www.irs.gov or by contacting the Depositary at one of the addresses on the face of this Letter of Transmittal.

FAILURE TO COMPLETE IRS FORM W-9, THE APPROPRIATE IRS FORM W-8, OR ANOTHER APPROPRIATE FORM MAY RESULT IN BACKUP WITHHOLDING ON ANY PAYMENTS MADE TO YOU PURSUANT TO THE OFFER TO PURCHASE.

8. Validity of Tenders. All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt), acceptance and withdrawal of tendered Original Notes will be determined by the Issuers in their sole discretion, which determination will be conclusive, final and binding. Alternative, conditional or contingent tenders of Original Notes will not be considered valid and may be rejected by the Issuers. The Issuers reserve the absolute right to reject any and all Original Notes not properly tendered or any Original Notes our acceptance of which, in the opinion of the Issuers’ counsel, would be unlawful.

The Issuers also reserve the right to waive any defects, irregularities or conditions of tender as to particular Original Notes. The interpretation of the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer (including the instructions in this Letter of Transmittal) by the Issuers will be conclusive, final and binding on all parties. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders of Original Notes must be cured within such time as the Issuers shall determine.

Although the Issuers intend to notify holders of defects or irregularities with respect to tenders of Original Notes through the Exchange Agent, neither the Issuers, the Exchange Agent nor any other person is under any duty to give such notice, nor shall they incur any liability for failure to give such notification. Tenders of Original Notes will not be deemed to have been made until such defects or irregularities have been cured or waived.

Any Original Notes tendered into the Exchange Agent’s account at DTC that are not validly tendered and as to which the defects or irregularities have not been cured or waived within the timeframes established by the Issuers in their sole discretion, if any, or if Original Notes are submitted in a principal amount greater than the

 

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principal amount of Original Notes being tendered by such tendering holder, such unaccepted or non-exchanged Original Notes will be credited back to the account maintained by the applicable DTC participant with such book-entry transfer facility.

9. Waiver of Conditions. The Issuers in their sole discretion reserve the absolute right to waive, in whole or part, any of the conditions to the Exchange Offer set forth in the Prospectus.

10. No Conditional Tender. No alternative, conditional, or contingent tender of Original Notes will be accepted.

11. Mutilated, Lost, Wrongfully Taken or Destroyed Original Notes. Any holder whose Original Notes have been mutilated, lost, wrongfully taken or destroyed should contact the Exchange Agent at the address indicated above for further instructions. This Letter of Transmittal and related documents cannot be processed until the procedures for replacing mutilated, lost, wrongfully taken or destroyed Original Notes have been followed.

12. Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies. Requests for assistance or for additional copies of the Prospectus or this Letter of Transmittal may be directed to the Exchange Agent at the address or telephone number set forth on the cover page of this Letter of Transmittal. Holders may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the Exchange Offer.

13. Withdrawal. Tenders may be withdrawn only in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Prospectus under the caption “The Exchange Offer — Withdrawal Rights.”

IMPORTANT: This Letter of Transmittal or a manually signed facsimile hereof or an agent’s message in lieu hereof (together with the Original Notes delivered by book-entry transfer or in original hard copy form) must be received by the Exchange Agent prior to 12:01 a.m., New York City time, on or prior to the Expiration Date.

 

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SUBSTITUTE   FORM W-9   Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service

Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification

Give form to the requester. Do not send to the IRS.

Name (as shown on your income tax return)

Business name, if different from above

Check appropriate box:    ¨  Individual    ¨  Corporation    ¨  Partnership    ¨  Other _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

¨    Exempt from backup withholding

City, state, and ZIP code

Part I

Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

Enter your TIN on the appropriate line. The TIN provided must match the name given on the top line to avoid backup withholding. For individuals, this is your social security number (SSN). However, for a resident alien, sole proprietor, or disregarded entity, see “What Number to Give the Requester” in the attached Guidelines For Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9. For other entities, it is your employer identification number (EIN). If you do not have a number, see “Obtaining a Number” in the attached Guidelines.   Note. If the account is in more than one name, see “What Number to Give the Requester” in the attached Guidelines for instructions on whose number to enter.

Social Security Number       or     Employer Identification number

Part II

Certification

Under penalties of perjury, I certify that:   1.      The number shown on this form is my correct Taxpayer Identification Number (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me), and   2.      I am not subject to backup withholding because: (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding, and   3.      I am a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).   Certification Instructions. You must cross out item 2 above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report all interest and dividends on your tax return.

Sign Here

Signature of U.S. Person

u

Date

u

FAILURE TO COMPLETE AND RETURN THIS FORM MAY RESULT IN BACKUP WITHHOLDING AT THE APPLICABLE RATE OF ANY PAYMENTS MADE TO YOU PURSUANT TO THE EXCHANGE NOTES.

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GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION

NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9

WHAT NUMBER TO GIVE THE REQUESTER.— A Social Security number (SSN) has nine digits separated by two hyphens (i.e. 000-00-0000). An employer identification number (EIN) has nine digits separated by only one hyphen (i.e. 00-0000000). The table will help determine the proper number to give the payer.

 

 

 

(1)	List first and circle the name of the person whose number you furnish. If only one person on a joint account has an SSN, that person’s number must be furnished.

(2)	Circle the minor’s name and furnish the minor’s SSN.

(3)	You must show your individual name and you may also enter your business or “DBA” name on the second name line. You may use either your SSN or EIN (if you have one), but the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) encourages you to use your SSN.

(4)	List first and circle the name of the legal trust, estate or pension trust. (Do not furnish the identifying number of the personal representative or trustee unless the legal entity itself is not designated in the account title.)

NOTE: If no name is circled when more than one name is listed, the number will be considered to be that of the first name listed.

 

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GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION

NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9

(Page 2)

 

 

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LINN ENERGY, LLC

LINN ENERGY FINANCE CORP.

LETTER TO DTC PARTICIPANTS

for Offer to Exchange

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)

for

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have not been registered under the Securities Act

Pursuant to the Prospectus, dated September 24, 2012

 

The Exchange Offer will expire at 12:01 a.m., New York City time, on October 23, 2012, unless extended (such date and time, as it may be extended, the “Expiration Date”). Outstanding notes tendered in the Exchange Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to 12:01 a.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date, but not thereafter.

To The Depository Trust Company Participants:

We are enclosing with this letter the materials listed below relating to the offer (the “Exchange Offer”) by Linn Energy, LLC and Linn Energy Finance Corp. (the “Issuers”) to exchange their 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Exchange Notes”), the issuance of which has been registered under the Securities Act, for a like principal amount of their issued and outstanding unregistered 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Original Notes”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Issuers’ prospectus dated September 24, 2012 (the “Prospectus”) and the related letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”).

We are enclosing copies of the following documents:

1. Prospectus dated September 24, 2012;

2. Letter of Transmittal, together with accompanying Substitute Form W-9 and applicable Guidelines; and

3. Letter to Clients, which may be sent to your clients for whose account you hold Original Notes in your name or in the name of your nominee, with space provided for obtaining such client’s instruction with regard to the Exchange Offer.

We urge you to contact your clients promptly. Please note that the Exchange Offer will expire at 12:01 a.m., New York City time, on October 23, 2012, unless extended by us.

The Exchange Offer is not conditioned upon any minimum aggregate principal amount of Original Notes being tendered for exchange.

Pursuant to the Letter of Transmittal, each holder of Original Notes who tenders such Original Notes will represent to the Issuers that the undersigned has full power and authority to tender, exchange, assign and transfer the Original Notes tendered and to acquire the Exchange Notes issuable upon the exchange of such tendered Original Notes, and that the Issuers will acquire good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of all liens, security interests, restrictions, charges and encumbrances and not subject to any adverse claim, right or interest of any party other than the undersigned, when the same are accepted for exchange by the Issuers.

 

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Pursuant to the Letter of Transmittal, each holder of Original Notes will further represent to the Issuers that:

 

(i)

any Exchange Notes received will be acquired in the ordinary course of business of the person receiving such Exchange Notes;

 

(ii)

such person does not have an arrangement or understanding with any person or entity to participate in the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes;

 

(iii)

such person is not engaged in and does not intend to engage in the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes;

 

(iv)

if such person is a broker-dealer that will receive Exchange Notes for its own account in exchange for Original Notes, that it acquired those Original Notes as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and it will deliver a Prospectus, as required by law, in connection with any resale of the Exchange Notes; provided, however, that by acknowledging that it will deliver, and by delivering, a Prospectus, such person will not be deemed to admit that it is an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act;

 

(v)

such person is not an “affiliate,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, of either Issuer; and

 

(vi)

such person is not acting on behalf of any person or entity who could not truthfully make the statements set forth in clauses (i) through (v) above.

The enclosed Letter to Clients contains an authorization by the beneficial owners of the Original Notes for you to make the foregoing representations on their behalf.

The Issuers will not pay any fee or commission to any broker or dealer or to any other person (other than U.S. Bank National Association, in its capacity as exchange agent) in connection with the solicitation of tenders of Original Notes under the Exchange Offer. The Issuers will pay or cause to be paid any transfer taxes payable on the transfer of Original Notes to it, except as otherwise provided in Instruction 6 of the enclosed Letter of Transmittal.

The Exchange Offer is not being made to (nor will the surrender of Original Notes be accepted from or on behalf of) holders in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance of the offer would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.

No person has been authorized to give any information with respect to the Exchange Offer, or to make any representation in connection therewith, other than those contained in the Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal. If made or given, such recommendation or any such information or representation must not be relied on as having been authorized by the Issuers.

Additional copies of the enclosed materials may be obtained from us upon request.

Very truly yours,

LINN ENERGY, LLC

LINN ENERGY FINANCE CORP.

 

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LINN ENERGY, LLC

LINN ENERGY FINANCE CORP.

LETTER TO CLIENTS

for Offer to Exchange

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)

for

$750,000,000 of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019

that have not been registered under the Securities Act

Pursuant to the Prospectus, dated September 24, 2012

 

To Our Clients:

We are enclosing with this letter a prospectus dated September 24, 2012 (the “Prospectus”) of Linn Energy, LLC and Linn Energy Finance Corp. (the “Issuers”) and the related letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”). The Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal together constitute the Issuers’ offer to exchange (the “Exchange Offer”) their 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Exchange Notes”), the issuance of which has been registered under the Securities Act, for a like principal amount of their issued and outstanding unregistered 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Original Notes”). The Exchange Offer is not conditioned upon any minimum aggregate principal amount of Original Notes being tendered for exchange.

We are the holder of record of Original Notes held by us for your account. A tender of your Original Notes held by us can be made only by us as the record holder according to your instructions. The Letter of Transmittal is furnished to you for your information only and cannot be used by you to tender Original Notes held by us for your account.

We request that you provide written instructions to us, in the form attached hereto, as to whether you wish to tender any or all of the Original Notes held by us for your account under the terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer. We also request that you confirm that we may, on your behalf, make the representations contained in the Letter of Transmittal.

Pursuant to the Letter of Transmittal, each holder of Original Notes who tenders such Original Notes will represent to the Issuers that such person has full power and authority to tender, exchange, assign and transfer the Original Notes tendered and to acquire the Exchange Notes issuable upon the exchange of such tendered Original Notes, and that the Issuers will acquire good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of all liens, security interests, restrictions, charges and encumbrances and not subject to any adverse claim, right or interest of any party other than the undersigned, when the same are accepted for exchange by the Issuers.

 

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Pursuant to the Letter of Transmittal, each holder of Original Notes will further represent to the Issuers that:

 

(i)

any Exchange Notes received will be acquired in the ordinary course of business of the person receiving such Exchange Notes;

 

(ii)

such person does not have an arrangement or understanding with any person or entity to participate in the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes;

 

(iii)

such person is not engaged in and does not intend to engage in the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes;

 

(iv)

if such person is a broker-dealer that will receive Exchange Notes for its own account in exchange for Original Notes, such person acquired those Original Notes as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and will deliver a Prospectus, as required by law, in connection with any resale of the Exchange Notes; provided, however, that by acknowledging that it will deliver, and by delivering, a Prospectus, such person will not be deemed to admit that it is an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act;

 

(v)

such person is not an “affiliate,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, of either Issuer; and

 

(vi)

such person is not acting on behalf of any person or entity who could not truthfully make the statements set forth in clauses (i) through (v) above.

The Exchange Offer is not being made to (nor will the surrender of Original Notes be accepted from or on behalf of) holders in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance of the offer would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.

No person has been authorized to give any information with respect to the Exchange Offer, or to make any representation in connection therewith, other than those contained in the Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal. If made or given, such recommendation or any such information or representation must not be relied on as having been authorized by the Issuers.

Very truly yours,

Linn Energy, LLC

Linn Energy Finance Corp.

None of the Original Notes held by us for your account will be tendered unless we receive written instructions from you to do so.

Please return your instructions to us in the enclosed envelope within ample time to permit us to submit a tender on your behalf prior to the Expiration Date of the Exchange Offer.

 

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INSTRUCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO EXCHANGE OFFER

The undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt and review of the prospectus dated September 24, 2012 (the “Prospectus”) of Linn Energy, LLC and Linn Energy Finance Corp. (the “Issuers”), and the related letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”). The Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal together constitute the Issuers’ offer to exchange (the “Exchange Offer”) their 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Exchange Notes”), the issuance of which has been registered under the Securities Act, for a like principal amount of their issued and outstanding unregistered 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Original Notes”).

This will instruct you, the registered holder and DTC participant, as to the action to be taken by you relating to the Exchange Offer for the Original Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

The aggregate principal amount of the Original Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned is (fill in amount): $            .

With respect to the Exchange Offer, the undersigned hereby instructs you (check appropriate box):

¨ To TENDER all Original Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

¨ To TENDER the following amount of Original Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned:

$             of 6.500% Senior Notes due 2019.

All tenders must be in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

¨ NOT to TENDER any Original Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

If no box is checked, a signed and returned Instruction will be deemed to instruct you to tender all Original Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned.

If the undersigned instructs you to tender the Original Notes held by you for the account of the undersigned, it is understood that you are authorized to make, on behalf of the undersigned (and the undersigned, by its signature below, hereby makes to you), the representations contained in the Letter of Transmittal that are to be made with respect to the undersigned as a beneficial owner, including, but not limited to, the representations that:

 

(i)

any Exchange Notes received will be acquired in the ordinary course of business of the undersigned;

 

(ii)

the undersigned does not have an arrangement or understanding with any person or entity to participate in the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes;

 

(iii)

the undersigned is not engaged in and does not intend to engage in the distribution (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) of the Exchange Notes;

 

(iv)

if the undersigned is a broker-dealer that will receive Exchange Notes for its own account in exchange for Original Notes, the undersigned acquired those Original Notes as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and it will deliver a Prospectus, as required by law, in connection with any resale of the Exchange Notes; provided, however, that by acknowledging that it will deliver, and by delivering, a Prospectus, the undersigned will not be deemed to admit that it is an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act;

 

(v)

the undersigned is not an “affiliate,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, of either Issuer; and

 

(vi)

the undersigned is not acting on behalf of any person or entity who could not truthfully make the statements set forth in clauses (i) through (v) above.

 

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