S-3 1 d546011ds3.htm FORM S-3 Form S-3
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 7, 2023

Registration No. 333-          

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

DELEK LOGISTICS PARTNERS, LP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   45-5379027

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

310 Seven Springs Way

Suite 500

Brentwood, Tennessee 37027

(615) 771-6701

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

 

 

Denise McWatters

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

310 Seven Springs Way

Suite 500

Brentwood, Tennessee 37027

(615) 771-6701

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

 

 

Copies to:

Stephen C. Hinton

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Roundabout Plaza

1600 Division Street

Suite 700

Nashville, Tennessee 37203

(615) 244-2582

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

 

 

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

 

 

 


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THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. THESE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE SOLD UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES, AND IT IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

Subject to Completion, dated September 7, 2023

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

LOGO

13,565,410 Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests

of Delek Logistics Partners, LP

Offered by the Selling Unitholder

 

 

This prospectus relates to the proposed resale or other disposition from time to time, in one or more offerings, by the selling unitholder named in this prospectus of up to 13,565,410 common units representing limited partner interests in Delek Logistics Partners, LP (“common units”). We are not selling any securities under this prospectus and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of securities by the selling unitholder.

The selling unitholder or its assignees or successors-in-interest may offer and sell the common units described in this prospectus in a number of different ways and at varying prices to be determined by market conditions and other factors at the time of an offering. This prospectus provides you with only a general description of these common units and the manner in which the selling unitholder may offer these common units. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus. We provide more information about how a selling unitholder may sell its common units in the section titled “Plan of Distribution” appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

The common units are listed on The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “DKL.” On September 6, 2023, the last reported sales price of our common units was $40.80 per unit.

 

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus and any similar section contained in the documents incorporated herein by reference and in the applicable prospectus supplement concerning factors you should consider before investing in our common units.

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

 

 

The date of this prospectus is                 , 2023.


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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the selling unitholder may from time to time sell up to an aggregate of 13,565,410 of our common units in one or more offerings.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the common units the selling unitholder may offer. Each time the selling unitholder sells common units, we will, if necessary and required by law, provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The applicable prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.

The registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, contains more information than this prospectus regarding us and the matters discussed in this prospectus, including exhibits and schedules. You can obtain a copy of the registration statement from the SEC at the SEC’s web site or at the SEC’s offices as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.” Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated by Reference” of this prospectus, before making your investment decision.

Neither we nor the selling unitholder has authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any communication from us, the selling unitholder or any underwriter specifying the final terms of a particular offering. Neither we nor the selling unitholder takes any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in such accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.

Unless we state otherwise or the context clearly indicates otherwise, references in this prospectus to “the Partnership,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Delek Logistics Partners, LP. References in this prospectus to “our general partner” refer to Delek Logistics GP, LLC, our general partner. References in this prospectus to “Delek Holdings” or our “Sponsor” refers to Delek US Holdings, Inc.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. You may also access the information we file electronically with the SEC through our website at www.deleklogistics.com. We have not incorporated by reference into this prospectus the information included on, or linked from, our website (other than to the extent specified elsewhere herein), and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

We “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the previously filed information. We incorporate by reference the documents filed by Delek Logistics Partners, LP that are listed below and any future filings made by Delek Logistics Partners, LP with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), excluding information deemed to be furnished and not filed with the SEC, until all the securities are sold, prior to the termination of the offerings under this prospectus. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is current as of any date other than the date on the cover page of this prospectus.

We incorporate by reference the documents listed below:

 

   

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 1, 2023;

 

   

Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023 filed with the SEC on May  9, 2023 and August 9, 2023, respectively;

 

   

Our Current Report on Form 8-K/A Amendment No. 1 filed on July 13, 2022 and our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March  1, 2023 and March 24, 2023 (in each case, excluding any information “furnished” but not “filed” as set forth therein); and

 

   

The description of our common units contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on October 31, 2012, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.

You may request, orally or in writing, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated herein by reference. These documents will be provided to you at no cost, by calling us at (615) 771-6701 or by contacting: Delek Logistics Partners, LP, Attn: Corporate Secretary, 310 Seven Springs Way, Suite 500, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027. Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect our current estimates, expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding the effect, impact, potential duration or other implications of, or expectations expressed with respect to, the COVID-19 Pandemic (or the “Pandemic”) and the actions of members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and other leading oil producing countries (together with OPEC, “OPEC+”) with respect to oil production and pricing, and statements regarding our efforts and plans in response to such events, the information concerning our possible future results of operations, business and growth strategies, financing plans, expectations that regulatory developments or other matters will not have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition, our competitive position and the effects of competition, the projected growth of the industry in which we operate, the benefits and synergies to be obtained from our completed and any future acquisitions, statements of management’s goals and objectives, and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “appears,” “projects” and similar expressions, as well as statements in future tense, identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking information is based on information available at the time and/or management’s good faith belief with respect to future events, and is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. Important factors that, individually or in the aggregate, could cause such differences include, but are not limited to:

 

   

our substantial dependence on Delek Holdings or its assignees and their support of and respective ability to pay us under our commercial agreements;

 

   

risks related to realizing the anticipated benefits of the 3 Bear acquisition and how the failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial results and operations;

 

   

our future coverage, leverage, financial flexibility and growth, and our ability to improve performance and achieve distribution growth at any level or at all;

 

   

Delek Holdings’ future growth, financial performance, share repurchases, crude oil supply pricing and flexibility and product distribution;

 

   

the effects of the military conflict that began with the Russian invasion of Ukraine (the “Russia-Ukraine War”), including the impact of sanctions brought by the United States and other countries against Russia or its allies;

 

   

industry dynamics, including Permian Basin growth, ownership concentration, efficiencies and takeaway capacity;

 

   

the age and condition of our assets and operating hazards and other risks incidental to transporting, storing and gathering crude oil, intermediate and refined products, including, but not limited to, costs, penalties, regulatory or legal actions and other effects related to spills, releases and tank failures;

 

   

changes in insurance markets impacting costs and the level and types of coverage available;

 

   

the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices and demand for refined products;

 

   

significant operational, investment or other changes required by existing or future environmental statutes and regulations, including international agreements and national or regional legislation and regulatory measures to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions;

 

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the wholesale marketing margins we are able to obtain and the number of barrels of product we are able to purchase and sell in our West Texas wholesale business;

 

   

the suspension, reduction or termination of Delek Holdings’ or its assignees’ or third-party’s obligations under our commercial agreements including the duration, fees or terms thereof;

 

   

the results of our investments in joint ventures;

 

   

our reliance on information technology systems in our day-to-day operations;

 

   

changes in general economic conditions, including uncertainty regarding the regulatory, economic, and market impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic or future pandemics;

 

   

the effects of existing and future laws and governmental regulations, including, but not limited to, the rules and regulations promulgated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) and state commissions and those relating to environmental protection, pipeline integrity and safety;

 

   

competitive conditions in our industry including capacity overbuild in areas where we operate;

 

   

actions taken by our customers and competitors;

 

   

the demand for crude oil, refined products and transportation and storage services;

 

   

our ability to successfully implement our business plan;

 

   

an inability to have growth projects completed on time and on budget;

 

   

our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses;

 

   

disruptions due to acts of God, natural disasters, casualty losses, severe weather patterns, such as freezing conditions, cyber or other attacks on our electronic systems, and other matters beyond our control which might cause damage to our pipelines, terminal facilities, and other assets and could impact our operating results through increased costs and/or loss of revenue;

 

   

changes in the price of renewable identification numbers (“RINs”) could affect our results of operations;

 

   

future decisions by OPEC+ regarding production and pricing and disputes between OPEC+ regarding such;

 

   

changes or volatility in interest and inflation rates;

 

   

labor relations;

 

   

large customer defaults;

 

   

changes in tax status and regulations;

 

   

the effects of future litigation or environmental liabilities that are not covered by insurance; and

 

   

other factors discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.

In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, our actual results of operations and execution of our business strategy could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance upon them. In addition, past financial and/or operating performance is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future performance, and you should not use our historical performance to anticipate results or future period trends. We can give no assurances that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if any of them do, what impact they will have on our results of operations and financial condition.

All forward-looking statements included in this prospectus are based on information available to us on the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

 

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You should consider carefully the statements under Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, under Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023, and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which describe factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus, is not complete, and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before making your investment decision. We urge you to carefully read the entire prospectus, including the more detailed consolidated financial statements, notes to the consolidated financial statements and other information included herein or incorporated by reference from our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC which are described under “Where You Can Find More Information.” Please carefully consider, among other things, the information provided in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 6 and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Company Overview

We are a publicly traded limited partnership formed in 2012 to own, operate, acquire, and construct logistics and marketing assets for crude oil and intermediate and refined products. Our business primarily consists of certain crude oil, intermediate and refined products pipelines and transportation, storage, wholesale marketing, terminalling and offloading assets which were previously owned, operated or held by Delek Holdings and assets acquired from unrelated third parties. For additional information about our business, operations, and financial results, see the documents listed under “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Risk Factors

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risk factors and all of the other information included in this prospectus and the documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including those under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, before making an investment decision. Please see “Risk Factors” on page 6 of this prospectus for further information.

Corporate Information

Our corporate headquarters are located at 310 Seven Springs Way, Suite 500, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027, and our telephone number is (615) 771-6701. Our website is located at www.deleklogistics.com. The contents of our website are not incorporated into this prospectus, and our reference to the URL for our website is intended to be an inactive textual reference only. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Additionally, limited partner interests are inherently different from the capital stock of a corporation, although many of the business risks to which we are subject are similar to those that would be faced by a corporation engaged in similar business. You should carefully review and consider the risk factors under Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, under Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023, each of which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as well as any updates thereto contained in subsequent filings with the SEC, and all other information contained in this prospectus and incorporated by reference into the prospectus before purchasing our securities. The risks and uncertainties described in these risk factors are not the only ones facing our Company. Additional risks and uncertainties of which we are unaware, or that we currently deem immaterial, also may become important factors that affect us. If any of these risks occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common units could decline, and you may lose some or all of your investment. Please see “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

If any of these risks or uncertainties actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. When the selling unitholder sells common units pursuant to a prospectus supplement, we may include additional risk factors relevant to that offering in the prospectus supplement.

Our general partner has a limited call right that may require our unitholders to sell their units at an undesirable time or price.

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than 85% of our common units, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, but not the obligation, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the common units held by unaffiliated persons at a price that is not less than their then-current market price, as calculated pursuant to the terms of our partnership agreement. The ownership threshold will drop to 80% automatically if the ownership of common units by our general partner and its affiliates falls below 77% of the outstanding common units. As a result, our unitholders may be required to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price and may not receive any positive return on their investment. Our unitholders may also incur a tax liability upon any such sale of their units to Delek Holdings. As of September 6, 2023, Delek Holdings owned 34,311,278 common units, representing an approximate 78.7% limited partner interest.

Our partnership agreement designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our unitholders, which would limit our unitholders’ ability to choose the judicial forum for disputes with us or our general partner’s directors, officers, or other employees.

Our partnership agreement provides that, with certain limited exceptions, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court located in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction) shall be the exclusive forum for any claims, suits, actions or proceedings (i) arising out of or relating in any way to our partnership agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of our partnership agreement or the duties, obligations or liabilities among our partners, or obligations or liabilities of our partners to us, or the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, our partners or us), brought in a derivative manner on our behalf, (iii) asserting a claim of breach of a duty (including a fiduciary duty) owed by any directors, officers, or other employees of us or our general partner, or owed by our general partner, to us or our partners, (iv) asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (the “Delaware Act”), or (v) asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

 

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The exclusive forum provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation or similar governing documents has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our partnership agreement to be inapplicable or unenforceable, including with respect to claims arising under the U.S. federal securities laws.

This exclusive forum provision may limit the ability of a limited partner to commence litigation in a forum that the limited partner prefers, or may require a limited partner to incur additional costs in order to commence litigation in Delaware, each of which may discourage such lawsuits against us or our general partner’s directors or officers. Alternatively, if a court were to find this exclusive forum provision inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings described above, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Tax-exempt entities and non-U.S. persons face unique tax issues from owning our units that may result in adverse tax consequences to them.

Investment in our common limited partner units by tax-exempt entities, such as employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts (known as IRAs), and non-U.S. persons raises issues unique to them. For example, virtually all of our income allocated to organizations that are exempt from federal income tax, including IRAs and other retirement plans, will be unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) and will be taxable to them.

Distributions to non-U.S. persons will be reduced by withholding taxes at the highest applicable effective tax rate, and non-U.S. persons will be required to file U.S. federal income tax returns and pay tax on their share of our taxable income.

Upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of a common limited partner unit by a non-U.S. person, the transferee is generally required to withhold 10% of the amount realized on the sale, exchange or disposition of such unit if any portion of the gain would be treated as effectively connected with a trade or business within the United States. The Department of the Treasury and the IRS have recently issued final regulations providing guidance on the application of these rules for transfers of publicly traded partnership interests, including transfers of our common limited partner units. Under these regulations, the “amount realized” on a transfer of an interest in a publicly traded partnership, such as our common limited partner units, will generally be the amount of gross proceeds paid to the broker effecting the applicable transfer on behalf of the transferor, and such broker will generally be responsible for the relevant withholding obligations. Distributions to non-U.S. persons will also be subject to additional withholding under these rules at a rate of 10% to the extent a portion of a distribution is attributable to an amount in excess of our cumulative net income that has not previously been distributed. As we do not compute our cumulative net income for such purposes due to the complexity of the calculation and lack of clarity in how it would apply to us, we intend to treat all of our distributions as being in excess of our cumulative net income for such purposes and subject to such 10% withholding tax. Accordingly, distributions to a non-U.S. unitholder will be subject to a combined withholding tax rate equal to the sum of the highest applicable effective tax rate and 10%.

If you are a tax-exempt entity or a non-U.S. person, you should consult a tax advisor before investing in our common limited partner units.

 

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If the IRS makes audit adjustments to our income tax returns, the IRS (and some states) may collect any resulting taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustment directly from us, in which case we may require our unitholders and former unitholders to reimburse us for such taxes (including any applicable penalties or interest) or, if we are required to bear such payment, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders could be substantially reduced.

If the IRS makes audit adjustments to our income tax returns, it may collect any resulting taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) directly from us. We will generally have the ability to shift any such tax liability to our unitholders in accordance with their interests in us during the year under audit, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so (and will choose to do so) under all circumstances, or that we will be able to (or choose to) effect corresponding shifts in state income or similar tax liability resulting from the IRS adjustment in states in which we do business in the year under audit or in the adjustment year. If, we make payments of taxes, penalties and interest resulting from audit adjustments, we may require our unitholders and former unitholders to reimburse us for such taxes (including any applicable penalties or interest) or, if we are required to bear such payment, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders could be substantially reduced. Additionally, we may be required to allocate an adjustment disproportionately among our unitholders, causing the publicly traded units to have different capital accounts, unless the IRS issues further guidance.

In the event the IRS makes an audit adjustment to our income tax returns and we do not or cannot shift the liability to our unitholders in accordance with their interests in us during the year under audit, we will generally have the ability to request that the IRS reduce the determined underpayment by reducing the suspended passive loss carryovers of our unitholders (without any compensation from us to such unitholders), to the extent such underpayment is attributable to a net decrease in passive activity losses allocable to certain partners. Such reduction, if approved by the IRS, will be binding on any affected unitholders.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of common units by the selling unitholder pursuant to this prospectus. The selling unitholder will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of the common units offered by this prospectus. For information about the selling unitholder, see “Selling Unitholder.”

The selling unitholder will be responsible for any broker or similar commissions and any legal fees or other costs of the selling unitholder. We will bear all other costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the common units covered by this prospectus, including (i) all registration and filing fees, (ii) printing expenses, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses, (iii) fees and expenses of our counsel, auditors, independent engineers and accountants, and (iv) all expenses related to marketing the sale of the common units.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF COMMON UNITS

The Common Units

The common units are limited partner interests in us. The holders of common units are entitled to participate in partnership distributions and exercise the rights or privileges available to limited partners under our partnership agreement. For a description of the rights and preferences of holders of common units in and to the partnership distributions please read this section and “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions.” For a general discussion of the expected federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of the common units, see “Material Tax Consequences.” For a description of the rights and privileges of limited partners under our partnership agreement, including voting rights, please read “Our Partnership Agreement.”

Transfer of Common Units

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

 

   

automatically agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of, and is deemed to have executed, our partnership agreement;

 

   

represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to enter into our partnership agreement; and

 

   

gives the consents, acknowledgements and waivers contained in our partnership agreement.

We are entitled to treat the nominee holder of a common unit as the absolute owner in the event such nominee is the record holder of such common unit. In that case, the beneficial holder’s rights are limited solely to those that it has against the nominee holder as a result of any agreement between the beneficial owner and the nominee holder.

Common units are securities and are transferable according to the laws governing transfer of securities. Until a common unit has been transferred on our register, we and the transfer agent may treat the record holder of the common unit as the absolute owner for all purposes, except as otherwise required by law or stock exchange regulations.

Listing

Our common units are listed for trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “DKL.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common units is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company LLC.

 

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PROVISIONS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT RELATING TO CASH DISTRIBUTIONS

Set forth below is a summary of the significant provisions of our partnership agreement that relate to cash distributions.

Distributions of Available Cash

General

Our partnership agreement requires that, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, we distribute all of our available cash to unitholders of record on the applicable record date.

Definition of Available Cash

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

 

   

less, the amount of cash reserves established by our general partner to:

 

   

provide for the proper conduct of our business (including cash reserves for our future capital expenditures and anticipated future debt service requirements and refunds of collected rates reasonably likely to be refunded as a result of a settlement or hearing related to FERC rate proceedings or rate proceedings under applicable law subsequent to that quarter);

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

plus, if our general partner so determines, all or any portion of the cash (A) on hand on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made subsequent to the end of such quarter or (B) available to be borrowed as a working capital borrowing as of the date of determination of available cash for the quarter (even if not actually borrowed until the date on which the distribution of available cash with respect to the quarter is paid).

The purpose and effect of the last bullet point above is to allow our general partner, if it so decides, to use cash from working capital borrowings made after the end of the quarter but on or before the date of determination of available cash for that quarter to pay distributions to unitholders. Under our partnership agreement, working capital borrowings are generally borrowings that are made under a credit facility, commercial paper facility or similar financing arrangement, and in all cases are used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to partners, and with the intent of the borrower to repay such borrowings within 12 months with funds other than from additional working capital borrowings.

General Partner Interest

Our general partner owns a non-economic general partner interest in us, which does not entitle it to receive cash distributions. However, our general partner may in the future own common units or other equity securities in us that will entitle it to receive distributions.

Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation

General

If we dissolve in accordance with the partnership agreement, we will sell or otherwise dispose of our assets in a process called liquidation. We will first apply the proceeds of liquidation to the payment of our creditors. We

 

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will distribute any remaining proceeds to our unitholders and our general partner, in accordance with their capital account balances, as adjusted to reflect any gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of our assets in liquidation.

Manner of Adjustment

If we liquidate, any gain or loss incurred on liquidation will be included in our Net Income and Net Loss (each as defined in the partnership agreement) in the taxable period that includes our liquidation. We allocate Net Income and Net Loss as follows:

 

   

Net Income is allocated:

 

   

First, to our general partner until the aggregate amount of Net Income previously allocated to our general partner for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate amount of Net Loss allocated to our general partner for all previous taxable periods; and

 

   

Thereafter, to the unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests.

 

   

Net Loss is allocated:

 

   

First, to the unitholders, in accordance with their percentage interests, until the capital accounts of the holders of common units have been reduced to zero; and

 

   

Thereafter, 100% to our general partner.

Interim Adjustments to Capital Accounts

Our partnership agreement requires that we make adjustments to capital accounts upon the issuance of additional security interests, conversion of the general partner’s Combined Interest (as defined in our partnership agreement) to common units, or distribution of property. These adjustments would be based on the fair market value of the interests or the property distributed and our partnership agreement specifies that we allocate to the unitholders and the general partner in the same manner that we allocate gain or loss upon liquidation.

 

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OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

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

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

with regard to allocations of taxable income and taxable loss, please read “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Organization and Duration

Our partnership was organized on April 23, 2012 and will have a perpetual existence unless terminated pursuant to the terms of our partnership agreement.

Purpose

Our purpose under our partnership agreement is limited to any business activity that is approved by our general partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized under Delaware law; provided that our general partner shall not cause us to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that our general partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause us to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes.

Although our general partner has the ability to cause us and our subsidiaries to engage in activities other than the business of gathering, transporting and storing crude oil and distributing, marketing, transporting and storing refined products, our general partner has no current plans to do so and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interests of us or the limited partners, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Our general partner is authorized in general to perform all acts it determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out our purposes and to conduct our business.

Capital Contributions

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

Voting Rights

The following is a summary of the unitholder vote required for the matters specified below. Matters that require the approval of a “unit majority” require the approval of a majority of the outstanding common units.

Delek Holdings has the ability to ensure passage of, as well as the ability to ensure the defeat of, any amendment that requires a unit majority by virtue of its ownership of 34,311,278 common units, representing an approximate 78.7% limited partner interest.

 

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In voting their common units, our general partner and its affiliates have no duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interests of us or the limited partners, other than the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

 

Issuance of our partnership interests    No unitholder approval rights.
Amendment of our partnership agreement    Certain amendments may be made by the general partner without the approval of the unitholders. Other amendments generally require the approval of a unit majority. Please read “—Amendment of Our Partnership Agreement.”
Merger of our partnership or the sale of all or substantially all of our assets    Unit majority in certain circumstances. Please read “—Merger, Consolidation, Conversion, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets.”
Dissolution of our partnership    Unit majority. Please read “—Termination and Dissolution.”
Continuation of our business upon dissolution    Unit majority. Please read “—Termination and Dissolution.”
Withdrawal of the general partner    Please read “—Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner.”
Removal of the general partner    Not less than 66 2/3% of the outstanding units, voting as a single class, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates, for cause. Please read “—Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner.”
Transfer of ownership interests in the general partner    No unitholder approval required. Please read “—Transfer of Ownership Interests in the General Partner.”

Limited Liability

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

 

   

to remove or replace our general partner;

 

   

to approve some amendments to our partnership agreement; or

 

   

to take other action under our partnership agreement;

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

 

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

Our subsidiaries conduct business in several states and we may have subsidiaries that conduct business in other states in the future. Maintenance of our limited liability as a limited partner of our operating subsidiaries may require compliance with legal requirements in the jurisdictions in which our operating subsidiaries conduct business, including qualifying our subsidiaries to do business there.

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

Issuance of Additional Partnership Interests

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional partnership interests for the consideration and on the terms and conditions determined by our general partner without the approval of the unitholders.

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

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

Our general partner has the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates, to purchase common units or other partnership interests whenever, and on the same terms that, we issue those interests to persons other than our general partner and its affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain the percentage interest of the general partner and its affiliates, including such interest represented by common units,

 

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that existed immediately prior to each issuance. The other holders of common units will not have preemptive rights to acquire additional common units or other partnership interests.

Amendment of Our Partnership Agreement

General

Amendments to our partnership agreement may be proposed only by our general partner. However, our general partner has no duty or obligation to propose any amendment and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interests of us or the limited partners, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. In order to adopt a proposed amendment our general partner is usually required to seek written approval of the holders of the number of units required to approve the amendment or call a meeting of the limited partners to consider and vote upon the proposed amendment. However, in some circumstances, more particularly described in our partnership agreement, our general partner may make amendments to our partnership agreement without the approval of our limited partners. Except as described below, an amendment that must be approved by our limited partners must be approved by a unit majority.

Prohibited Amendments

No amendment may be made that would:

 

   

enlarge the obligations of any limited partner without its consent, unless such is deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved by at least a majority of the type or class of limited partner interests so affected; or

 

   

enlarge the obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable, or otherwise payable by us to our general partner or any of its affiliates without its consent, which consent may be given or withheld at its option.

The provisions of our partnership agreement preventing the amendments having the effects described in any of the clauses above can be amended upon the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units voting together as a single class (including units owned by our general partner and its affiliates).

No Unitholder Approval

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

a change that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to qualify or continue our qualification as a limited partnership or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries will be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;

 

   

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

 

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an amendment that our general partner determines to be necessary, or appropriate for the authorization or issuance of any class or series of partnership interests;

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

any amendment that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for the formation by us of, or our investment in, any corporation, partnership or other entity, in connection with our conduct of activities permitted by our partnership agreement;

 

   

a change in our fiscal year or taxable year and any other changes that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate as a result of such change;

 

   

conversions into, mergers with or conveyances to another limited liability entity that is newly formed and has no assets, liabilities, or operations at the time of the conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives by way of the conversion, merger or conveyance; or

 

   

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

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

 

   

do not adversely affect in any material respect the limited partners considered as a whole or any particular class of partnership interests as compared to other classes of partnership interests;

 

   

are necessary or appropriate to satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute;

 

   

are necessary or appropriate to facilitate the trading of limited partner interests or to comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any securities exchange on which the limited partner interests are or will be listed or admitted to trading;

 

   

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

 

   

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

Opinion of Counsel and Unitholder Approval

For amendments of the type not requiring unitholder approval, our general partner will not be required to obtain an opinion of counsel to the effect that an amendment will not affect the limited liability of any limited partner under Delaware law. No other amendments to our partnership agreement will become effective without the approval of holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units voting as a single class unless we first obtain such an opinion.

In addition to the above restrictions, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any type or class of partnership interests in relation to other classes of partnership interests will require the approval of at least a majority of the type or class of partnership interests so affected. Any amendment that would reduce the percentage of units required to take any action, other than to remove our general partner or call a meeting of unitholders, must be approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding units constitute not less than the percentage sought to be reduced. Any amendment that would increase the percentage of units required to remove our general partner must be approved by the

 

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written consent or the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding units constitute not less than 90% of outstanding units. Any amendment that would increase the percentage of units required to call a meeting of unitholders must be approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding units constitute at least a majority of the outstanding units.

Merger, Consolidation, Conversion, Sale, or Other Disposition of Assets

A merger, consolidation or conversion of our partnership requires the prior consent of our general partner. However, our general partner has no duty or obligation to consent to any merger, consolidation or conversion and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interest of us or the limited partners, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

In addition, our partnership agreement generally prohibits our general partner, without the prior approval of the holders of a unit majority, from causing us to, among other things, sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets in a single transaction or a series of related transactions. Our general partner may, however, mortgage, pledge, hypothecate, or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of our assets without that approval. Our general partner may also sell any or all of our assets under a foreclosure or other realization upon those encumbrances without that approval. Finally, our general partner may consummate any merger with another limited liability entity without the prior approval of our unitholders if we are the surviving entity in the transaction, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters, the transaction would not result in an amendment to our partnership agreement requiring unitholder approval, each of our units will be an identical unit of our partnership following the transaction and the partnership interests to be issued by us in such merger do not exceed 20% of our outstanding partnership interests immediately prior to the transaction.

If the conditions specified in our partnership agreement are satisfied, our general partner may convert us or any of our subsidiaries into a new limited liability entity or merge us or any of our subsidiaries into, or convey all of our assets to, a newly formed entity if the sole purpose of that conversion, merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in our legal form into another limited liability entity, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters, and our general partner determines that the governing instruments of the new entity provide the limited partners and our general partner with the same rights and obligations as contained in our partnership agreement. The unitholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal under our partnership agreement or applicable Delaware law in the event of a conversion, merger or consolidation, a sale of substantially all of our assets or any other similar transaction or event.

Termination and Dissolution

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

Upon a dissolution under the last clause above, the holders of a unit majority may also elect, within specific time limitations, to continue our business on the same terms and conditions described in our partnership

 

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agreement by appointing as a successor general partner an entity approved by the holders of units representing a unit majority, subject to our receipt of an opinion of counsel to the effect that:

 

   

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

 

   

neither our partnership nor any of our subsidiaries would be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of that right to continue.

Liquidation and Distribution of Proceeds

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

Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner

Our general partner may withdraw as general partner without first obtaining approval of any unitholder by giving 90 days’ written notice, and that withdrawal will not constitute a violation of our partnership agreement. In addition, our partnership agreement permits our general partner to sell or otherwise transfer all of its general partner interest in us without the approval of the unitholders. Please read “—Transfer of General Partner Interest.”

Upon voluntary withdrawal of our general partner by giving written notice to the other partners, the holders of a unit majority may select a successor to that withdrawing general partner. If a successor is not elected, or is elected but an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters cannot be obtained, we will be dissolved, wound up and liquidated, unless within a specified period after that withdrawal, the holders of a unit majority agree to continue our business by appointing a successor general partner. Please read “—Termination and Dissolution.”

Our general partner may not be removed unless that removal is approved by the vote of the holders of not less than 66 2/3% of the outstanding units, voting together as a single class, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates, and we receive an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. Any removal of our general partner is also subject to the approval of a successor general partner by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common units voting as a separate class. The ownership of more than 33 1/3% of the outstanding units by our general partner and its affiliates would give them the practical ability to prevent our general partner’s removal.

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

 

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

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

Transfer of General Partner Units

Our general partner may transfer all or any of its general partner units to an affiliate or a third party without the approval of our unitholders. As a condition of this transfer, the transferee must assume, among other things, the rights and duties of our general partner, agree to be bound by the provisions of our partnership agreement, and furnish an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters.

Our general partner and its affiliates may at any time transfer common units to one or more persons, without unitholder approval.

Transfer of Ownership Interests in the General Partner

At any time, Delek Holdings and its subsidiaries may sell or transfer all or part of their membership interest in our general partner to an affiliate or third party without the approval of our unitholders.

Change of Management Provisions

Our partnership agreement contains specific provisions that are intended to discourage a person or group from attempting to remove Delek Logistics GP, LLC as our general partner or otherwise change our management. If any person or group other than our general partner and its affiliates acquires beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of units, that person or group loses voting rights on all of its units. This loss of voting rights does not apply to any person or group that acquires the units from our general partner or its affiliates and any transferees of that person or group who are notified by our general partner that they will not lose their voting rights or to any person or group who acquires the units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner. Please read “—Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner.”

Limited Call Right

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than the Designated Percentage of the then-issued and outstanding limited partner interests of any class, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the limited partner interests of such class held by unaffiliated persons as of a record date to be selected by our general partner, on at least 10, but not more than 60 days’ notice. “Designated Percentage” means, with respect to the common units. 85% and, with respect to limited partner interests of any class other than common units, 80%; provided, however, that, if at any time the General Partner and its Affiliates hold less than 77% of the common units then outstanding, then, thereafter, the “Designated Percentage” with respect to the common units, will be 80%. The purchase price in the event of this purchase is the greater of:

 

   

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

 

   

the current market price calculated in accordance the partnership agreement as of the date three business days before the date the notice is mailed.

 

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As a result of our general partner’s right to purchase outstanding limited partner interests, a holder of limited partner interests may have the limited partner interests purchased at a price that may be lower than market prices at various times prior to such purchase or lower than a unitholder may anticipate the market price to be in the future. The tax consequences to a unitholder of the exercise of this limited call right are the same as a sale by that unitholder of the common units in the market. Please read “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Disposition of Common Units.”

Possible Redemption of Ineligible Holders

Under our partnership agreement, an “Eligible Holder” is a limited partner whose (a) federal income tax status is not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the rates that can be charged by us on assets that are subject to regulation by FERC or an analogous regulatory body and (b) nationality, citizenship or other related status would not create a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which we have an interest, in each case as determined by our general partner with the advice of counsel.

If at any time our general partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that one or more limited partners are not Eligible Holders (any such limited partner, an “Ineligible Holder”), then our general partner may request any limited partner to furnish to the general partner an executed certification or other information about such limited partner’s federal income tax status and/or nationality, citizenship, or related status. If a limited partner fails to furnish such certification or other requested information within 30 days (or such other period as the general partner may determine) after a request for such certification or other information, or our general partner determines after receipt of the information that the limited partner is not an Eligible Holder, the limited partner may be treated as an Ineligible Holder. An Ineligible Holder does not have the right to direct the voting of its units and may not receive distributions in kind upon our liquidation.

Furthermore, we have the right to redeem all of the common units of any holder that our general partner concludes is an Ineligible Holder or fails to furnish the information requested by our general partner. The redemption price in the event of such redemption for each unit held by such unitholder will be the current market price of such unit (the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption). The redemption price will be paid, as determined by our general partner, in cash or by delivery of a promissory note. Any such promissory note will bear interest at the rate of 5% annually and be payable in three equal annual installments of principal and accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.

Meetings; Voting

Except as described below regarding a person or group owning 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, record holders of units on the record date will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, meetings of our limited partners and to act upon matters for which approvals may be solicited.

Our general partner does not anticipate that any meeting of unitholders will be called in the foreseeable future. Any action that is required or permitted to be taken by the unitholders may be taken either at a meeting of the unitholders or, if authorized by our general partner, without a meeting if consents in writing describing the action so taken are signed by holders of the number of units that would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting where all limited partners were present and voted. Meetings of the unitholders may be called by our general partner or by unitholders owning at least 20% of the outstanding units of the class for which a meeting is proposed. Unitholders may vote either in person or by proxy at meetings. The holders of a majority of the outstanding units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum unless any action by the unitholders requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of the units, in which case the quorum will be the greater percentage.

Each record holder of a unit has a vote according to the percentage interest in us, although additional limited partner interests having special voting rights could be issued. Please read “—Issuance of Additional Partnership

 

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Interests.” However, if at any time any person or group, other than our general partner and its affiliates, a direct transferee of our general partner and its affiliates or a transferee of such direct transferee, who is notified by our general partner that it will not lose its voting rights, acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its units and the units may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of unitholders, calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum, or for other similar purposes. Common units held in nominee or street name account will be voted by the broker or other nominee in accordance with the instruction of the beneficial owner unless the arrangement between the beneficial owner and its nominee provides otherwise. Any notice, demand, request, report, or proxy material required or permitted to be given or made to record holders of common units under our partnership agreement will be delivered to the record holder by us or by the transfer agent.

Status as Limited Partner

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

Indemnification

Under our partnership agreement, in most circumstances, we will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (joint or several), expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative):

 

   

our general partner;

 

   

any departing general partner;

 

   

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

 

   

any person who is or was a director, officer, managing member, manager, general partner, fiduciary or trustee of our subsidiaries, us or any entity set forth in the preceding three bullet points;

 

   

any person who is or was serving as director, officer, managing member, manager, general partner, fiduciary, or trustee of another person owing a fiduciary duty to us or any of our subsidiaries at the request of our general partner or any departing general partner or any of their affiliates; and

 

   

any person designated by our general partner.

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

Reimbursement of Expenses

Our partnership agreement requires us to reimburse our general partner for all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on our behalf and all other expenses allocable to us or otherwise incurred by our general partner in connection with operating our business. These expenses include salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf and expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates. The general partner is entitled to determine in good faith the expenses that are allocable to us.

 

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Books and Reports

Our general partner is required to keep appropriate books of our business at our principal offices. The books will be maintained for financial reporting purposes on an accrual basis. For tax and fiscal reporting purposes, our fiscal year is the calendar year.

We will mail or make available to record holders of common units, within 105 days after the close of each fiscal year, an annual report containing audited financial statements and a report on those financial statements by our independent public accountants. Except for our fourth quarter, we will also mail or make available summary financial information within 50 days after the close of each quarter.

We will furnish each record holder of a unit with information reasonably required for tax reporting purposes within 90 days after the close of each calendar year. This information is expected to be furnished in summary form so that some complex calculations normally required of partners can be avoided. Our ability to furnish this summary information to unitholders will depend on the cooperation of unitholders in supplying us with specific information. Every unitholder will receive information to assist the partner in determining the partner’s federal and state tax liability and filing the partner’s federal and state income tax returns, regardless of whether the partner supplies us with information.

Right to Inspect Our Books and Records

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

 

   

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

 

   

copies of our partnership agreement and our certificate of limited partnership and all amendments thereto; and

 

   

certain information regarding the status of our business and financial condition.

Our general partner may, and intends to, keep confidential from the limited partners, trade secrets or other information the disclosure of which our general partner determines is not in our best interests or that we are required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential. Our partnership agreement limits the right to information that a limited partner would otherwise have under Delaware law.

Registration Rights

Under our partnership agreement, we have agreed to register for resale under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws any common units or other partnership interests proposed to be sold by our general partner or any of its affiliates or their assignees if an exemption from the registration requirements is not otherwise available. These registration rights continue for two years following any withdrawal or removal of Delek Logistics GP, LLC as general partner. We are obligated to pay all expenses incidental to the registration, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.

Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction

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

 

   

arising out of or relating in any way to our partnership agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of our partnership agreement or the duties, obligations or liabilities among our partners or of our partners to us, or the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, our partners or us);

 

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brought in a derivative manner on our behalf;

 

   

asserting a claim of breach of a duty (including a fiduciary duty) owed by any director, officer or other employee of us or our general partner, or owed by our general partner, to us or the limited partners;

 

   

asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware Act; or

 

   

asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine

shall be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court located in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction), regardless of whether such claims, suits, actions or proceedings sound in contract, tort, fraud or otherwise, are based on common law, statutory, equitable, legal, or other grounds, or are derivative or direct claims. By purchasing a common unit, a limited partner is irrevocably consenting to these limitations and provisions regarding claims, suits, actions, or proceedings and submitting to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or such other Delaware courts) in connection with any such claims, suits, actions, or proceedings.

Under our partnership agreement, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction over any matter, then the applicable claim, suit, action, or proceeding is required to be brought in any other court in the State of Delaware having jurisdiction. The exclusive forum provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation or similar governing documents have been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any action, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our partnership agreement to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

Tax Consequences of Ownership of Common Units

This section is a summary of the material tax considerations that may be relevant to prospective common unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States and, unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, is the opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P., counsel to our general partner and us, insofar as it relates to legal conclusions with respect to matters of U.S. federal income tax law. This section is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), existing and proposed Treasury regulations promulgated under the Code (the “Treasury Regulations”) and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of which are subject to change. Later changes in these authorities may cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the consequences described below. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “us” or “we” are references to Delek Logistics Partners, LP and our operating subsidiaries.

The following discussion does not comment on all federal income tax matters affecting us or our unitholders and does not describe the application of the alternative minimum tax that may be applicable to certain unitholders. Moreover, the discussion focuses on common unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States and has only limited application to corporations, estates, entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, trusts, nonresident aliens, U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States or other unitholders subject to specialized tax treatment, such as banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions, tax-exempt institutions, foreign persons (including, without limitation, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies and non-U.S. persons eligible for the benefits of an applicable income tax treaty with the United States), IRAs, real estate investment trusts (REITs) or mutual funds, dealers in securities or currencies, traders in securities, U.S. persons whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar, persons holding their units as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction” or other risk reduction transaction, and persons deemed to sell their units under the constructive sale provisions of the Code. In addition, the discussion only comments to a limited extent on state, local and foreign tax consequences. Accordingly, we encourage each prospective unitholder to consult its own tax advisor in analyzing the state, local and foreign tax consequences particular to it of the ownership or disposition of units and potential changes in applicable tax laws.

All statements as to matters of federal income tax law and legal conclusions with respect thereto, but not as to factual matters, contained in this section, unless otherwise noted, are the opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P. and are based on the accuracy of the representations made by us.

We will rely on opinions of Baker Botts L.L.P. An opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s best legal judgment and does not bind the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or the courts. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made herein may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Any contest of this sort with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for our common units and the prices at which our units trade. In addition, the costs of any contest with the IRS, principally legal, accounting, and related fees, will result in a reduction in our cash available for distribution and thus will be borne indirectly by our unitholders. Additionally, if the IRS makes an audit adjustment to any of our income tax returns, our unitholders will directly or indirectly bear any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustment (please read “—Administrative Matters—Information Returns and Audit Procedures”). Furthermore, the tax treatment of us, or of an investment in us, may be significantly modified by future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions. Any modifications may or may not be retroactively applied.

For the reasons described below, Baker Botts L.L.P. has not rendered an opinion with respect to the following specific federal income tax issues: (i) the treatment of a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of units (please read “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—

 

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Treatment of Short Sales”); (ii) whether our monthly convention for allocating taxable income and losses is permitted by existing Treasury Regulations (please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees”); (iii) whether our method for taking into account Section 743 adjustments is sustainable in certain cases (please read “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election” and “—Uniformity of Common Units”); and (iv) whether our use of simplifying conventions for making adjustments to “book” basis and relevant allocations is permitted by existing Treasury Regulations (please read “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction” and “—Uniformity of Common Units”).

Partnership Status

A partnership is not a taxable entity and generally incurs no federal income tax liability. Instead, each partner of a partnership is required to take into account its share of items of income, gain, loss, and deduction of the partnership in computing its federal income tax liability, regardless of whether cash distributions are made to it by the partnership. Distributions by a partnership to a partner are generally not taxable to the partnership or the partner unless the amount of cash distributed to it is in excess of the partner’s adjusted basis in its partnership interest.

Section 7704 of the Code provides that publicly traded limited partnerships will, as a general rule, be taxed as corporations. However, an exception, referred to as the “Qualifying Income Exception,” exists with respect to publicly traded limited partnerships of which 90% or more of the gross income for every taxable year consists of “qualifying income.” Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from the transportation, processing, storage and marketing of crude oil, natural gas, and refined products thereof. Other types of qualifying income include interest (other than from a financial business), dividends, gains from the sale of real property and gains from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of income that otherwise constitutes qualifying income. We estimate that approximately 7% of our current gross income is not qualifying income; however, this estimate could change from time to time. Based upon and subject to this estimate, the factual representations made by us and our general partner and a review of the applicable legal authorities, Baker Botts L.L.P. is of the opinion that at least 90% of our current gross income constitutes qualifying income. The portion of our income that is qualifying income may change from time to time.

The IRS has made no determination as to our status or the status of our operating subsidiaries for federal income tax purposes. Instead, we will rely on the opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P. on such matters. It is the opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P. that, based upon the Code, its regulations, published revenue rulings and court decisions and the representations described below that:

 

   

We will be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes; and

 

   

Each of our operating subsidiaries will be treated as a partnership or will be disregarded as an entity separate from us for federal income tax purposes.

In rendering its opinion, Baker Botts L.L.P. has relied on factual representations made by us and our general partner. The representations made by us and our general partner upon which Baker Botts L.L.P. has relied include:

 

   

Neither we nor the operating subsidiaries has elected or will elect to be treated, or is otherwise treated, as a corporation for federal income tax purposes; and

 

   

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

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

 

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The present federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships or an investment in the units of publicly traded partnerships may be modified by administrative or legislative action or judicial interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time, the President and members of the U.S. Congress propose and consider substantive changes to the existing federal income tax laws that affect publicly traded partnerships, such as proposals eliminating the Qualifying Income Exception upon which we rely for our treatment as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. One such recent proposal by the Biden Administration would repeal the application of the qualifying income exception to partnerships with income and gains from activities relating to fossil fuels for taxable years beginning after 2028. We are unable to predict whether this or any other such changes will ultimately be enacted, but it is possible that a change in law could affect us and may, if enacted, be applied retroactively. Any such changes could affect our ability to meet the Qualifying Income Exception and could negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units.

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

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

The discussion below is based on Baker Botts L.L.P.’s opinion that we will be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

Limited Partner Status

Common unitholders who are admitted as limited partners of Delek Logistics Partners, LP will be treated as partners of Delek Logistics Partners, LP for federal income tax purposes. Also, unitholders whose common units are held in street name or by a nominee and who have the right to direct the nominee in the exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the ownership of their units will be treated as partners of Delek Logistics Partners, LP for federal income tax purposes.

A beneficial owner of common units whose units have been transferred to a short seller to complete a short sale would appear to lose its status as a partner with respect to those units for federal income tax purposes. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—Treatment of Short Sales.”

Income, gains, losses or deductions would not appear to be reportable by a unitholder who is not a partner for federal income tax purposes, and any cash distributions received by a unitholder who is not a partner for federal income tax purposes would therefore appear to be fully taxable as ordinary income. These holders are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences to them of holding common units in Delek Logistics Partners, LP. The references to “unitholders” in the discussion that follows are to persons who are treated as partners in Delek Logistics Partners, LP for federal income tax purposes.

 

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Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership

Flow-Through of Taxable Income

Subject to the discussion below under “—Entity-Level Collections” and “—Administrative Matters—Information Returns and Audit Procedures,” we will not pay any federal income tax. Instead, each common unitholder will be required to report on its income tax return its share of our income, gains, losses, and deductions without regard to whether we make cash distributions to it. Consequently, we may allocate income to a unitholder even if it has not received a cash distribution. The income we allocate to unitholders will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Each unitholder will be required to include in income its allocable share of our income, gains, losses, and deductions for our taxable year ending with or within its taxable year. Our taxable year ends on December 31.

Treatment of Distributions

Distributions by us to a common unitholder generally will not be taxable to the unitholder for federal income tax purposes, except to the extent the amount of any such cash distribution exceeds its tax basis in its common units immediately before the distribution. Our cash distributions in excess of a unitholder’s tax basis generally will be considered to be gain from the sale or exchange of the common units, taxable in accordance with the rules described under “—Disposition of Common Units.” Any reduction in a unitholder’s share of our liabilities for which no partner, including the general partner, bears the economic risk of loss, known as “nonrecourse liabilities,” will be treated as a distribution by us of cash to that unitholder. To the extent our distributions cause a unitholder’s “at-risk” amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year, it must recapture any losses deducted in previous years. Please read “—Limitations on Deductibility of Losses.”

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

Basis of Common Units

A unitholder’s initial tax basis for its common units will be the amount it paid for the common units plus its share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis will be increased by its share of our income and by any increases in its share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis will be decreased, but not below zero, by distributions from us, by the unitholder’s share of our losses, by any decreases in its share of our nonrecourse liabilities and by its share of our expenditures that are not deductible in computing taxable income and are not required to be capitalized, and by any excess business interest allocated to the unitholder. Immediately prior to the disposition of common units, a unitholder’s tax basis in such common units will be increased by the amount of any excess business interest that has not been deducted by it due to applicable limitations. Please read “—Limitations on Deductibility of Losses.” A unitholder will have a share, generally based on its share of profits, of our nonrecourse liabilities. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Limitations on Deductibility of Losses

The deduction by a common unitholder of its share of our losses will be limited to the tax basis in its units and, in the case of an individual unitholder, estate, trust, or corporate unitholder (if more than 50% of the value of

 

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the corporate unitholder’s stock is owned directly or indirectly by or for five or fewer individuals or some tax-exempt organizations) to the amount for which the unitholder is considered to be “at risk” with respect to our activities, if that is less than its tax basis. A common unitholder subject to these limitations must recapture losses deducted in previous years to the extent that distributions cause its at-risk amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year. Losses disallowed to a unitholder or recaptured as a result of these limitations will carry forward and will be allowable as a deduction to the extent that its at-risk amount is subsequently increased, provided such losses do not exceed such common unitholder’s tax basis in its common units. Upon the taxable disposition of a unit, any gain recognized by a unitholder can be offset by losses that were previously suspended by the at-risk limitation but may not be offset by losses suspended by the basis limitation. Any loss previously suspended by the at-risk limitation in excess of that gain would no longer be utilizable.

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

In addition to the basis and at-risk limitations on the deductibility of losses, the passive loss limitations generally provide that individuals, estates, trusts and some closely-held corporations and personal service corporations can deduct losses from passive activities, which are generally trade or business activities in which the taxpayer does not materially participate, only to the extent of the taxpayer’s income from those passive activities. The passive loss limitations are applied separately with respect to each publicly traded limited partnership. Consequently, any passive losses we generate will only be available to offset our passive income generated in the future and will not be available to offset income from other passive activities or investments, including our investments or a unitholder’s investments in other publicly traded limited partnerships, or the unitholder’s salary, active business or other income. Passive losses that are not deductible because they exceed a unitholder’s share of income we generate may be deducted in full when it disposes of its entire investment in us in a fully taxable transaction with an unrelated party. The passive loss limitations are applied after other applicable limitations on deductions, including the at-risk rules and the basis limitation.

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

For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020 and before January 1, 2026, an “excess business loss” limitation further limits the deductibility of losses by taxpayers other than corporations. An excess business loss is the excess (if any) of a taxpayer’s aggregate deductions for the taxable year that are attributable to the trades or businesses of such taxpayer (determined without regard to the excess business loss limitation) over the aggregate gross income or gain of such taxpayer for the taxable year that is attributable to such trades or businesses plus a threshold amount. The threshold amount is equal to $250,000 or, for taxpayers filing a joint return, $500,000. Disallowed excess business losses are treated as a net operating loss carryover to the following tax year. Any losses we generate that are allocated to a common unitholder and not otherwise limited by the basis, at risk or passive loss limitations will be included in the determination of such unitholder’s aggregate trade or business deductions. Consequently, any losses we generate that are not otherwise limited will only be available to offset a unitholder’s other trade or business income plus an amount of non-trade or business income equal to the applicable threshold amount. Thus, except to the extent of the threshold amount, our losses that are not otherwise limited may not offset a unitholder’s non-trade or business income (such as salaries, fees, interest, dividends, and capital gains). This excess business loss limitation will be applied after the passive activity loss limitation.

 

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Limitations on Interest Deductions

In general, we are entitled to a deduction for interest paid or accrued on indebtedness properly allocable to our trade or business during our taxable year. Our deduction for this “business interest” is limited to the sum of our business interest income and 30% of our “adjusted taxable income.” For the purposes of this limitation, our adjusted taxable income is computed without regard to any business interest or business interest income. Beginning in 2022, our adjusted taxable income for this purpose is reduced by any deduction allowable for depreciation, amortization, or depletion. This limitation is first applied at the partnership level and any deduction for business interest is taken into account in determining our non-separately stated taxable income or loss. Then, in applying this business interest limitation at the partner level, the adjusted taxable income of each of our unitholders is determined without regard to such unitholder’s distributive share of any of our items of income, gain, deduction, or loss and is increased by such unitholder’s distributive share of our excess taxable income, which is generally equal to the excess of 30% of our adjusted taxable income over the amount of our deduction for business interest for a taxable year.

To the extent our deduction for business interest is not limited, we will allocate the full amount of our deduction for business interest among our unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us. To the extent our deduction for business interest is limited, the amount of any disallowed deduction for business interest will also be allocated to each unitholder in accordance with their percentage interest in us, but such amount of “excess business interest” will not be currently deductible. Subject to certain limitations and adjustments to a unitholder’s basis in its common units, this excess business interest may be carried forward and deducted by a unitholder in a future taxable year.

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

 

   

interest on indebtedness properly allocable to property held for investment;

 

   

our interest expense attributed to portfolio income; and

 

   

the portion of interest expense incurred to purchase or carry an interest in a passive activity to the extent attributable to portfolio income.

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

Entity-Level Collections

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

 

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Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction

In general, if we have a net profit, our items of income, gain, loss, and deduction will be allocated among our common unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us. If we have a net loss, that loss will generally be allocated among all of our common unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us to the extent of their positive capital accounts.

Section 704(c) of the Code and related Treasury Regulations require us to adjust the “book” basis of all assets held by us prior to an issuance of additional units to equal their fair market values at the time of a unit issuance. Purchasers of units in an offering are entitled to calculate tax depreciation and amortization deductions and other relevant tax items with respect to our assets based upon that “book” basis, which effectively puts purchasers in that offering in the same position as if our assets had a tax basis equal to their fair market value at the time of unit issuance. This may have the effect of decreasing the amount of our tax depreciation or amortization deductions thereafter allocated to purchasers of units in an earlier offering or of requiring purchasers of units in an earlier offering to thereafter recognize “remedial income” rather than depreciation and amortization deductions. In this context, we use the term “book” as that term is used in Treasury Regulations under Section 704 of the Code. The “book” basis assigned to our assets for this purpose may not be the same as the book value of our property for financial reporting purposes.

It may not be administratively feasible to make the relevant adjustments to “book” basis and the relevant Section 704(c) allocations separately each time we issue units, particularly in the case of small or frequent unit issuances. If that is the case, we may use simplifying conventions to make those adjustments and allocations, which may include the aggregation of certain issuances of units. Our counsel, Baker Botts L.L.P., is unable to opine as to the validity of such conventions.

In addition, items of recapture income will be allocated to the extent possible to the unitholder who was allocated the deduction giving rise to the treatment of that gain as recapture income in order to minimize the recognition of ordinary income by some unitholders. Finally, although we do not expect that our operations will result in the creation of negative capital accounts, if negative capital accounts nevertheless result, items of our income and gain will be allocated in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate the negative balance as quickly as possible.

An allocation of items of our income, gain, loss, or deduction, other than an allocation required under the Section 704(c) principles described above, will generally be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss, or deduction only if the allocation has “substantial economic effect.” In any other case, a partner’s share of an item will be determined on the basis of its interest in us, which will be determined by taking into account all the facts and circumstances, including:

 

   

its relative contributions to us;

 

   

the interests of all the partners in profits and losses;

 

   

the interest of all the partners in cash flows; and

 

   

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

Baker Botts L.L.P. is of the opinion that, with the exception of the issue described above with respect to our simplifying conventions and the issues described in “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election” and “—Disposition of Common Units —Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees,” and “—Uniformity of Common Units,” allocations under our partnership agreement will be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction.

 

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Treatment of Short Sales

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

while not entirely free from doubt, all of these distributions would appear to be ordinary income.

Because there is no direct or indirect controlling authority on the issue relating to partnership interests, Baker Botts L.L.P. has not rendered an opinion regarding the tax treatment of a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of common units; therefore, unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller are urged to consult a tax advisor to discuss whether it is advisable to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing and loaning their units. The IRS has previously announced that it is studying issues relating to the tax treatment of short sales of partnership interests. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Tax Rates

The highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income of individuals is 37% and the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains (generally, capital gains on certain assets held for more than twelve months) of individuals is 20%.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026, subject to certain limitations, a non-corporate common unitholder is entitled to a deduction equal to 20% of the sum of:

 

   

the net amount of such unitholder’s allocable share of items of our income, gain, deduction, and loss which are attributable to our conduct of a trade or business in the United States (generally excluding certain items related to our investment activities, including capital gains and dividends, which are subject to a federal income tax rate of 20%, and certain payments made to the unitholder for services rendered to us); and

 

   

any gain recognized by such unitholder on the disposition of its common units to the extent such gain is attributable to certain Section 751 Assets, including depreciation recapture, depletion recapture and “inventory items” we own.

Prospective unitholders should consult their tax advisors regarding this deduction and the applicable limitations. These rates, and the deduction, are subject to change by new legislation at any time.

In addition, a 3.8% Medicare tax, or NIIT, applies to certain net investment income earned by individuals, estates, and trusts. For these purposes, net investment income generally includes a unitholder’s allocable share of our income and gain realized by a unitholder from a sale of units (without taking into account the 20% deduction discussed above). In the case of an individual, the tax is imposed on the lesser of (i) the unitholder’s net investment income and (ii) the amount by which the unitholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). In the case of an estate or trust, the tax is imposed on the lesser of (i) undistributed net investment income and (ii) the excess adjusted gross income over the dollar amount at which the highest income tax bracket applicable to an estate or trust begins.

 

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Section 754 Election

We have made an election permitted by Section 754 of the Code. That election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS. The election will generally permit us to adjust a common unit purchaser’s tax basis in our assets (“inside basis”) under Section 743(b) of the Code to reflect its purchase price. This election does not apply with respect to a person who purchases common units directly from us. The Section 743(b) adjustment belongs to the purchaser and not to other unitholders. For purposes of this discussion, the inside basis in our assets with respect to a unitholder will be considered to have two components: (i) its share of our tax basis in our assets, or common basis, and (ii) its Section 743(b) adjustment to that basis.

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

A Section 754 election is advantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in its units is higher than the units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. In that case, as a result of the election, the transferee would have, among other items, a greater amount of depreciation deductions and its share of any gain or loss on a sale of our assets would be less. Conversely, a Section 754 election is disadvantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in its units is lower than those units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. Thus, the fair market value of the units may be affected either favorably or unfavorably by the election. A basis adjustment is required regardless of whether a Section 754 election is made in the case of a transfer of an interest in us if we have a substantial built-in loss immediately after the transfer, or if we distribute property and have a substantial basis reduction. Generally, a built-in loss or a basis reduction is substantial if it exceeds $250,000. In addition, a built-in loss is substantial if the transferee would be allocated a net loss in excess of $250,000 on a hypothetical sale of our assets for their fair market value immediately after a transfer of the interest at issue.

Subject to certain limitations, a Section 743(b) adjustment may create additional depreciable basis that is eligible for bonus depreciation under Section 168(k) to the extent the adjustment is attributable to depreciable property and not to goodwill or real property. However, because we may not be able to determine whether transfers of our units satisfy all of the eligibility requirements and due to other limitations regarding administrability, we may elect out of the bonus depreciation provisions of Section 168(k) with respect to basis adjustments under Section 743(b).

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

 

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Tax Treatment of Operations

Accounting Method and Taxable Year

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

Tax Basis, Depreciation and Amortization

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

To the extent allowable, we may elect to use the depreciation and cost recovery methods, including bonus depreciation to the extent available, that will result in the largest deductions being taken in the early years after assets subject to these allowances are placed in service. Part of or all of the goodwill, going concern value and other intangible assets we have acquired or will acquire in connection with an offering may not produce any amortization deductions because of the application of the anti-churning restrictions of Section 197 of the Code. Please read “—Uniformity of Common Units.” Property we subsequently acquire or construct may be depreciated using accelerated methods permitted by the Code.

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

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

We are allowed a first-year bonus depreciation deduction equal to 80% of the adjusted basis of certain depreciable property acquired and placed in service after December 31, 2022 and before January 1, 2024. For property placed in service during subsequent years, the deduction is phased down by 20% per year until December 31, 2026. This depreciation deduction applies to both new and used property. However, use of the deduction with respect to used property is subject to certain anti-abuse restrictions, including the requirement that the property be acquired from an unrelated party. We can elect to forgo the depreciation bonus and use the alternative depreciation system for any class of property for a taxable year.

Valuation and Tax Basis of Our Properties

The federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of common units will depend in part on our estimates of the relative fair market values, and the initial tax bases, of our assets. Although we may from

 

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time to time consult with professional appraisers regarding valuation matters, we will make many of the relative fair market value estimates ourselves. These estimates and determinations of basis are subject to challenge and will not be binding on the IRS or the courts. If the estimates of fair market value or basis are later found to be incorrect, the character and amount of items of income, gain, loss, or deductions previously reported by unitholders might change, and unitholders might be required to adjust their tax liability for prior years and incur interest and penalties with respect to those adjustments.

Disposition of Common Units

Recognition of Gain or Loss

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

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

Except as noted below, gain or loss recognized by a unitholder, other than a “dealer” in units, on the sale or exchange of a unit will generally be taxable as capital gain or loss. Capital gain recognized by an individual on the sale of units held for more than twelve months will generally be taxed at the U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains. However, a portion of this gain or loss, which will likely be substantial, will be separately computed and taxed as ordinary income or loss under Section 751 of the Code to the extent attributable to assets giving rise to depreciation recapture or other “unrealized receivables” or to “inventory items” we own. The term “unrealized receivables” includes potential recapture items, including depreciation recapture. Ordinary income attributable to unrealized receivables, inventory items and depreciation recapture may exceed net taxable gain realized upon the sale of a unit and may be recognized even if there is a net taxable loss realized on the sale of a unit. Thus, a unitholder may recognize both ordinary income and a capital loss upon a sale of units. Capital losses may offset capital gains and no more than $3,000 of ordinary income, in the case of individuals, and may only be used to offset capital gains in the case of corporations. Both ordinary income and capital gain recognized on a sale of units may be subject to the NIIT in certain circumstances. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—Tax Rates.”

The IRS has ruled that a partner who acquires interests in a partnership in separate transactions must combine those interests and maintain a single adjusted tax basis for all those interests. Upon a sale or other disposition of less than all of those interests, a portion of that tax basis must be allocated to the interests sold using an “equitable apportionment” method, which generally means that the tax basis allocated to the interest sold equals an amount that bears the same relation to the partner’s tax basis in its entire interest in the partnership as the value of the interest sold bears to the value of the partner’s entire interest in the partnership.

Treasury Regulations under Section 1223 of the Code allow a selling unitholder who can identify common units transferred with an ascertainable holding period to elect to use the actual holding period of the units transferred. Thus, according to the ruling discussed above, a common unitholder will be unable to select high or low basis units to sell as would be the case with corporate stock, but, according to the Treasury Regulations, it may designate specific units sold for purposes of determining the holding period of units transferred. A unitholder electing to use the actual holding period of common units transferred must consistently use that identification method for all subsequent sales or exchanges of units. A common unitholder considering the

 

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purchase of additional units or a sale of units purchased in separate transactions is urged to consult its tax advisor as to the possible consequences of this ruling and application of the Treasury Regulations.

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

 

   

a short sale;

 

   

an offsetting notional principal contract; or

 

   

a futures or forward contract;

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

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

Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees

In general, our taxable income or loss will be determined annually, will be prorated on a monthly basis and will be subsequently apportioned among the unitholders in proportion to the number of units owned by each of them as of the opening of the applicable exchange on the first business day of the month, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Allocation Date.” However, gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets or, in the discretion of the general partner, any other extraordinary item of income, gain, loss or deduction will be allocated among the unitholders on the Allocation Date in the month in which such income, gain, loss or deduction is recognized. As a result, a unitholder transferring units may be allocated income, gain, loss, and deduction realized after the date of transfer.

Simplifying conventions are contemplated by the Code and most publicly traded partnerships use similar simplifying conventions. The Treasury Regulations allow a similar monthly simplifying convention; however, such regulations do not specifically authorize the use of the proration method we have adopted. Accordingly, Baker Botts L.L.P. is unable to opine on the validity of this method of allocating income and deductions between transferee and transferor unitholders. If this method is not allowed under the Treasury Regulations, or only applies to transfers of less than all of the unitholder’s interest, our taxable income or losses could be reallocated among our unitholders. We are authorized to revise our method of allocation between transferee and transferor unitholders, as well as among unitholders whose interests vary during a taxable year, to conform to a method permitted under future Treasury Regulations. A common unitholder who disposes of units prior to the record date set for a cash distribution for that quarter will be allocated items of our income, gain, loss, and deduction attributable to the month of disposition but will not be entitled to receive a cash distribution for that period.

Notification Requirements

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

 

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

Uniformity of Common Units

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of common units, we must maintain uniformity of the economic and tax characteristics of the units to a purchaser of these units. In the absence of uniformity, we may be unable to completely comply with a number of federal income tax requirements, both statutory and regulatory. Any non-uniformity could have an impact upon the value of our units. The timing of deductions attributable to Section 743(b) adjustments to the common basis of our assets with respect to persons purchasing units from another unitholder may affect the uniformity of our units. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election.”

For example, some types of depreciable assets are not subject to the typical rules governing depreciation (under Section 168 of the Code) or amortization (under Section 197 of the Code). If we were to acquire any assets of that type, the timing of a common unit purchaser’s deductions with respect to Section 743(b) adjustments to the common basis of those assets might differ depending upon when and to whom the unit it purchased was originally issued. We do not currently expect to acquire any assets of that type. However, if we were to acquire a material amount of assets of that type, we intend to adopt tax positions as to those assets that will not result in any such lack of uniformity. Any such tax positions taken by us might result in allocations to some unitholders of smaller depreciation deductions than they would otherwise be entitled to receive. Baker Botts L.L.P. has not rendered an opinion with respect to those types of tax positions. Moreover, the IRS might challenge those tax positions. If we took such a tax position and the IRS successfully challenged the position, the uniformity of our units might be affected, and the gain from the sale of our units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

In addition, as described above at “—Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership—Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction,” if we aggregate multiple issuances of common units for purposes of making adjustments to “book” basis and related tax allocations, we will treat each of our common units as having the same capital account balance, regardless of the price actually paid by each purchaser of units in the aggregated offerings. Our counsel, Baker Botts L.L.P., is unable to opine as to validity of such an approach. We do not expect the number of affected units, or the differences between the purchase price of a unit and the initial capital account balance assigned to the unit, to be material, and we do not expect this convention to have a material effect upon the trading of our units.

Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors

Ownership of common units by employee benefit plans, other tax-exempt organizations, non-resident aliens, foreign corporations and other foreign persons raises issues unique to those investors and, as described below to a limited extent, may have substantially adverse tax consequences to them. If you are a tax-exempt entity or a non-U.S. person, you should consult your tax advisor before investing in our common units.

Employee benefit plans and most other organizations exempt from federal income tax, including individual retirement accounts and other retirement plans, are subject to federal income tax on unrelated business taxable income. Virtually all of our income allocated to a unitholder that is a tax-exempt organization will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to it. Further, a tax exempt organization with more than one unrelated trade or business (including by attribution from investments in a partnership, such as us, that is engaged in one or more unrelated trades or businesses) must compute its unrelated business taxable income separately for each such trade or business, including for purposes of determining any net operating loss deduction. As a result, it may not be possible for tax exempt organizations to use losses from an investment in us to offset taxable income from another unrelated trade or business.

 

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

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

A non-U.S. common unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a unit will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized from the sale or disposition of that unit to the extent the gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. unitholder. Gain realized by a non-U.S. unitholder from the sale of its interest in a partnership that is engaged in a trade or business in the United States will be considered to be “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business to the extent that gain would be recognized upon a sale by the partnership of all its assets would be “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business. Thus, a substantial portion of a non-U.S. unitholder’s gain from the sale or other disposition of our units would be treated as effectively connected with such unitholder’s indirect U.S. trade or business constituted by its investment in us and would be subject to U.S. federal income tax. As a result of the effectively connected income rules described above, the exclusion from U.S. taxation under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act for gain from the sale of partnership units regularly traded on an established securities market will not prevent a non-U.S. unitholder from being subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain from the sale or disposition of its units to the extent such gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. We expect a substantial portion of the gain from the sale or disposition of our units to be treated as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.

Moreover, the transferee of an interest in a partnership that is engaged in a U.S. trade or business is generally required to withhold 10% of the amount realized by the transferor unless the transferor certifies that it is not a foreign person, and we are required to deduct and withhold from the transferee amounts that should have been withheld by the transferees but were not withheld. Under recently finalized Treasury Regulations, such withholding will be required on open market transactions, but in the case of a transfer made through a broker, a partner’s share of liabilities will be excluded from the amount realized. In addition, the obligation to withhold will be imposed on the broker instead of the transferee, and we will generally not be required to withhold from the transferee amounts that should have been withheld by the transferee but were not withheld. These withholding obligations will apply to transfers of our common units occurring on or after January 1, 2023.

Distributions to non-U.S. persons will also be subject to additional withholding under these rules at a rate of 10% to the extent a portion of a distribution is attributable to an amount in excess of our cumulative net income that has not previously been distributed. As we do not compute our cumulative net income for such purposes due to the complexity of the calculation and lack of clarity in how it would apply to us, we intend to treat all of our distributions as being in excess of our cumulative net income for such purposes and subject to such 10% withholding tax. Accordingly, distributions to a non-U.S. unitholder will be subject to a combined withholding tax rate equal to the sum of the highest applicable effective tax rate and 10%.

 

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Administrative Matters

Information Returns and Audit Procedures

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

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

Partnerships generally are treated as separate entities for purposes of federal tax audits, judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS and tax settlement proceedings. The tax treatment of partnership items of income, gain, loss, and deduction are determined in a partnership proceeding rather than in separate proceedings with the partners.

If the IRS makes an audit adjustment to any of our income tax returns, it may assess and collect any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustment directly from us, unless we elect to have our general partner and unitholders take the audit adjustment into account in accordance with their interests in us during the taxable year under audit. Similarly, for such taxable years, if the IRS makes an audit adjustment to an income tax return filed by an entity in which we are a member or partner, it may assess and collect any taxes (including penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustment directly from such entity. We may elect to have our general partner and unitholders take any material audit adjustment into account in accordance with their interests in us during the taxable year under audit, but there can be no assurance that such election, if made, will be effective in all circumstances. With respect to an audit adjustment as to an entity in which we are a member or partner, we may not be able to have our general partner and our unitholders take such audit adjustment into account in accordance with their interests in us during the taxable year under audit, and if we are unable to do so, our then current unitholders may bear some or all of the tax liability resulting from such audit adjustment, even if such unitholders did not own our units during the taxable year under audit. If, as a result of any such audit adjustment, we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties, and interest, we may require our unitholders and former unitholders to reimburse us for such taxes (including any applicable penalties or interest) or, if we are required to bear such payment our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced.

In the event the IRS makes an audit adjustment to our income tax returns and we do not or cannot shift the liability to our unitholders in accordance with their interests in us during the taxable year under audit, we will generally have the ability to request that the IRS reduce the determined underpayment owed by the partnership by reducing the suspended passive loss carryovers of our unitholders (without any compensation from us to such unitholders), to the extent such underpayment is attributable to a net decrease in passive activity losses allocable to certain partners. Such reduction, if approved by the IRS, will be binding on any affected unitholders.

We are required to designate a partner, or other person, with a substantial presence in the United States as our partnership representative (“Partnership Representative”). The Partnership Representative has the sole authority to act on our behalf for purposes of, among other things, U.S. federal income tax audits and judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS.

 

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Our partnership agreement names our general partner (or its designee) as the Partnership Representative. Any actions taken by us or by the Partnership Representative on our behalf with respect to, among other things, U.S. federal income tax audits and judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS, will be binding on us and all of the unitholders.

Additional Withholding Requirements

Withholding taxes may apply to certain types of payments made to “foreign financial institutions” (as specially defined in the Code) and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on interest, dividends and other fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains, profits and income from sources within the United States (“FDAP Income”), or gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of any property of a type which can produce interest or dividends from sources within the United States (“Gross Proceeds”) paid to a foreign financial institution or to a “non-financial foreign entity” (as specially defined in the Code), unless (i) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting, (ii) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial U.S. owner, or (iii) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in clause (i) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain U.S. persons or U.S.-owned foreign entities, annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on payments to noncompliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, or future Treasury Regulations, may modify these requirements.

Generally, these rules apply to current payments of FDAP Income and, while such rules would have applied to payments of Gross Proceeds on or after January 1, 2019, recently proposed Treasury Regulations eliminate these withholding taxes on payments of Gross Proceeds entirely. Taxpayers may rely generally on these proposed U.S. Treasury regulations until they are revoked or final U.S. Treasury regulations are issued. Thus, to the extent we have FDAP Income that is not treated as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (please read “—Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors”), common unitholders who are foreign financial institutions or certain other non-U.S. entities may be subject to withholding on distributions they receive from us, or their distributive share of our income, pursuant to the rules described above.

Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the potential application of these withholding provisions to their investment in our common units.

Nominee Reporting

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

 

   

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

 

   

whether the beneficial owner is:

 

   

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

 

   

a foreign government, an international organization or any wholly owned agency or instrumentality of either of the foregoing; or

 

   

a tax-exempt entity;

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

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

Accuracy-Related Penalties

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

For individuals, a substantial understatement of income tax in any taxable year exists if the amount of the understatement exceeds the greater of 10% of the tax required to be shown on the return for the taxable year or $5,000 ($10,000 for most corporations). The amount of any understatement subject to penalty generally is reduced if any portion is attributable to a position adopted on the return:

 

   

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

 

   

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

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

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

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

Reportable Transactions

If we were to engage in a “reportable transaction,” we (and possibly you and others) would be required to make a detailed disclosure of the transaction to the IRS. A transaction may be a reportable transaction based upon any of several factors, including the fact that it is a type of tax avoidance transaction publicly identified by

 

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the IRS as a “listed transaction” or that it produces certain kinds of losses for partnerships, individuals, S corporations, and trusts in excess of $2.0 million in any single year, or $4.0 million in any combination of six successive tax years. Our participation in a reportable transaction could increase the likelihood that our federal income tax information return (and possibly your tax return) would be audited by the IRS. Please read “—Administrative Matters—Information Returns and Audit Procedures.”

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

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

State, Local, Foreign and Other Tax Considerations

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

It is the responsibility of each unitholder to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent states, localities, and foreign jurisdictions, of its investment in us. Accordingly, each prospective unitholder is urged to consult its own tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all state, local and foreign, as well as U.S. federal tax returns, that may be required of such unitholder. Baker Botts L.L.P. has not rendered an opinion on the state tax, local tax, alternative minimum tax, or foreign tax consequences of an investment in us.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

As of the date of this prospectus, we have not been advised by the selling unitholder as to any plan of distribution. The selling unitholder may choose not to sell any of the common units. The selling unitholder may sell the common units offered pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement directly, through agents or to or through underwriters, brokers, or dealers, in privately negotiated transactions, in a combination of any such methods of disposition, and through any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. The selling unitholder may distribute the common units offered pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement from time to time in one or more transactions at: a fixed price; market prices prevailing at the time of sale; prices related to prevailing market prices; varying prices determined at the time of sale; or negotiated prices. The selling unitholder may make sales of our common units on the NYSE or otherwise at prices and under terms prevailing at the time of sale, or at prices related to the then-current market price, at fixed prices, or in privately negotiated transactions.

In connection with sales of the common units under this prospectus, the selling unitholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers, who may in turn engage in short sales of the common units in the course of hedging the positions it assumes. The selling unitholder also may engage in short sales, short sales against the box, puts and calls and other transactions in common units, or derivatives thereof, and may sell and deliver its common units in connection therewith, or loan or pledge the common units to broker-dealers that in turn may sell them.

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

As of the date of this prospectus, neither we nor the selling unitholder has engaged any underwriter, broker, dealer, or agent in connection with the distribution of common units pursuant to this prospectus by the selling unitholder. To the extent required, the number of common units to be sold, the purchase price, the name of any applicable agent, broker, dealer or underwriter and any applicable commissions with respect to a particular offer will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The aggregate net proceeds to the selling unitholder from the sale of their common units offered hereby will be the sale price of those shares, less any commissions, if any, and other expenses of issuance and distribution not borne by us.

We will pay the costs and expenses related to the registration and offering of the common units offered hereby. We will not pay any underwriting fees, discounts and selling commissions (and similar fees or arrangements associated therewith) and transfer taxes allocable to the selling unitholder’s sale of its common units; these expenses will be paid by the selling unitholder.

The selling unitholder may agree to indemnify any underwriter, broker-dealer or agent that participates in transactions involving sales of the common units against certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act. We have agreed to indemnify the selling unitholder against certain liabilities to which it may become subject in connection with the sale of the common units owned by the selling unitholder and registered under this prospectus, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act. We may indemnify underwriters, brokers, dealers, and agents against specific liabilities to which they may become subject in connection with the sale of the common units owned by the selling unitholder and registered under this prospectus, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

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

 

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SELLING UNITHOLDER

This prospectus covers the offering for resale, from time to time, in one or more offerings, by the selling unitholder, or its assignees or successors-in-interest, of up to an aggregate amount of 13,565,410 common units, all of which were issued on August 13, 2020 in a private placement transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act under Section 4(a)(2) thereof pursuant to that certain Exchange Agreement, dated August 13, 2020, by and between Delek Logistics Partners, LP and our general partner. Delek Holdings, through its subsidiary, owns all of the ownership interests in our general partner.

We are registering the above referenced common units to permit the selling unitholder, or its assignees or successors-in-interest, to offer the common units for resale from time to time, in one or more offerings. It is our understanding that the selling unitholder acquired these common units in the ordinary course of business and at the time of such acquisition did not have any arrangement or understanding with any person to distribute these common units.

The selling unitholder may sell all, some or none of its common units listed below in this offering. Please read the section titled “Plan of Distribution” elsewhere in this prospectus. We will bear all costs, expenses, and fees in connection with the registration of the common units offered by this prospectus. Brokerage commissions and similar selling expenses, if any, attributable to the sale of the common units will be borne by the selling unitholder.

The table below lists the selling unitholder as of August 29, 2023 and other information regarding the beneficial ownership (as determined under Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder) of the common units held by the selling unitholder. The second column lists the percentage of common beneficially owned by the selling unitholder, based on its ownership of common units, as of August 29, 2023. The percentage of units beneficially owned prior to the offering is based on 43,586,176 common units outstanding as of August 29, 2023. The number of units in the column “Maximum Number of Common Units to be Sold Pursuant to this Prospectus” represents all of the units that the selling unitholder may offer under this prospectus. Information concerning the selling unitholder may change over time, and if necessary, we will supplement this prospectus accordingly. The selling unitholder may at any time hold or acquire common units in addition to those offered by this prospectus and may have acquired additional common units since the date on which the information reflected herein was provided to us. In addition, the selling unitholder may have sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of some or all of its common units since the date on which the information reflected herein was provided to us and may in the future sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of some or all of its common units in private placement transactions exempt from or not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Because the selling unitholder is not obligated to sell the offered common units, we cannot state with certainty the amount of our common units that the selling unitholder will hold upon consummation of any such sales.

 

     Common Units
Beneficially Owned
Before this Offering
    Maximum Number of
Common Units to be
Sold Pursuant to this
Prospectus
     Common Units to be
Beneficially Owned
Upon Completion of
this Offering(1)
 
Selling Unitholder    Number     Percentage     Number      Number      Percentage  

Delek US Holdings, Inc.

     34,311,278 (2)      78.7     13,565,410        20,745,868        47.6

 

(1)

The calculation of the percentage ownership assumes that the selling unitholder disposes of all common units covered by this prospectus and does not acquire any additional common units.

(2)

Consists of (i) 20,745,868 common units directly owned by Delek US Energy, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Delek Holdings, and (ii) 13,565,410 common units owned by Delek Logistics Services Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delek US Energy, Inc. The address for the foregoing persons is 310 Seven Springs Way, Suite 500, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered in this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Baker Botts L.L.P. will render an opinion on the material federal income tax considerations regarding the securities. If additional legal matters are passed on for us, or any underwriters, dealers, or agents, by counsel, we will name that counsel in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Delek Logistics Partners, LP as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the effectiveness of Delek Logistics Partners, LP’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, appearing in Delek Logistics Partners, LP’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2022, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference which, as to the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, are based in part on the report of Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P., independent registered public accounting firm. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firms as experts in accounting and auditing.

The financial statements of Red River Pipeline Company LLC as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, have been audited by Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P., an independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon, which reports appear in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The consolidated financial statements of 3 Bear Delaware Holding - NM, LLC as of December 31, 2021 (successor) and for the periods from March 23, 2021 to December 31, 2021 (successor) and January 1, 2021 to March 22, 2021 (predecessor), incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in the registration statement have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of BDO USA, LLP (n/k/a BDO USA, P.C.), independent auditors, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 14.

Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The following table sets forth the Partnership’s estimates (other than the SEC registration fee) of the expenses, other than underwriting fees and commissions, in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered.

 

SEC registration fee

   $ 767.10(1)  

Legal fees and expenses

     (2)   

Accounting fees and expenses

     (2)   

Printing fees

     (2)   

Miscellaneous fees and expenses

     (2)   

Transfer agent’s fees and expenses

     (2)   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ (2)   
  

 

 

 

 

  (1)

Excludes offset of registration fees previously paid with respect toa prior registration statement pursuant to Rule 457(p) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (see Exhibit 107 to this registration statement).

  (2)

These fees are calculated based on the number of common units offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time.

 

Item 15.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Delek Logistics Partners, LP

Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in our partnership agreement, Section 17-108 of the Delaware Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. Our partnership agreement discloses that we will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (joint or several), expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements, or other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, or proceedings (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative):

 

   

the general partner;

 

   

any departing general partner;

 

   

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

 

   

any person who is or was a director, officer, managing member, manager, general partner, fiduciary or trustee of our subsidiaries, us or any entity set forth in the preceding three bullet points;

 

   

any person who is or was serving as director, officer, managing member, manager, general partner, fiduciary, or trustee of another person owing a fiduciary duty to us or any of our subsidiaries at the request of our general partner or any departing general partner or any of their affiliates; and

 

   

any person designated by our general partner.

Delek Logistics GP, LLC

Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in our general partner’s limited liability company agreement, Section 18-108 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act empowers a Delaware limited liability company to indemnify and hold harmless any member or manager or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever.

 

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Under the limited liability company agreement of our general partner, in most circumstances, our general partner will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (joint or several), expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative):

 

   

any person who is or was an affiliate of our general partner (other than us and our subsidiaries);

 

   

any person who is or was a member, manager, partner, officer, director, fiduciary or trustee of our general partner or any affiliate of our general partner;

 

   

any person who is or was serving at the request of our general partner or any affiliate of our general partner as an officer, director, member, manager, partner, fiduciary, or trustee of another person; and

 

   

any person designated by our general partner.

Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance

Our general partner has purchased insurance covering its officers and directors against liabilities asserted and expenses incurred in connection with their activities as officers and directors of the general partner or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

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Item 16.

Exhibits

Unless otherwise indicated below as being incorporated by reference to another filing of the Partnership with the SEC, each of the following exhibits is filed herewith:

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description

    4.1    Certificate of Limited Partnership of Delek Logistics Partners, LP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Partnership’s Form S-1 (File No. 333-182631) filed on July 12, 2012).
    4.2    Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Delek Logistics Partners, LP, dated August  13, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Partnership’s Form 8-K filed on August 13, 2020).
    4.3    Amendment No.  1 to the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Delek Logistics Partners, LP, dated February 26, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Partnership’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2023).
    4.4    Certificate of Formation of Delek Logistics GP, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Partnership’s Form S-1 (File No. 333-182631) filed on July 12, 2012).
    4.5    Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Delek Logistics GP, LLC, dated as of August  13, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Partnership’s Form 8-K filed on August 14, 2020).
    5.1*    Opinion of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as to the legality of the common units being registered.
    8.1*    Opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P. relating to tax matters.
  23.1*    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP (Delek Logistics Partners, LP).
  23.2*    Consent of Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P. (Red River Pipeline Company LLC).
  23.3*    Consent of BDO USA, P.C. (3 Bear Delaware Holding - NM, LLC).
  23.4    Consent of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1).
  23.5    Consent of Baker Botts L.L.P. (contained in Exhibit 8.1).
  24.1    Powers of Attorney (contained on signature pages).
  99.1   

Audited consolidated financial statements of 3 Bear Delaware Holding – NM, LLC and its subsidiaries as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021, including the notes related thereto and the report of independent public accounting firm thereon (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Partnership’s Form 8-K/A Amendment No. 1 filed on July 13, 2022).

107*    Filing Fee Table.

 

*

Filed herewith.

 

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Item 17.

Undertakings

 

  (a)

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

  (1)

To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

  (i)

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

 

  (ii)

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

 

  (iii)

To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

 

  (2)

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

 

  (3)

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

 

  (4)

That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser

 

  (i)

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

 

  (ii)

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

 

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  contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

 

  (5)

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

 

  (1)

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

 

  (2)

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

 

  (3)

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

 

  (4)

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

 

  (b)

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

 

  (c)

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

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Brentwood, Tennessee, on September 7, 2023.

 

DELEK LOGISTICS PARTNERS, LP
By:   Delek Logistics GP, LLC, its general partner
By:   /s/ Reuven Spiegel
Name:   Reuven Spiegel
Title:   Chief Financial Officer

 

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SIGNATURES AND POWER OF ATTORNEY

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

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement on Form S-3 has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 7th day of September, 2023.

 

/s/ Ezra Uzi Yemin

Ezra Uzi Yemin

Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

    

/s/ Avigal Soreq

Avigal Soreq

Director and President

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Sherri A. Brillon

Sherri A. Brillon

Director

    

/s/ Reuven Spiegel

Reuven Spiegel

Director, Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Charles J. Brown, III

Charles J. Brown, III

Director

    

/s/ Robert Wright

Robert Wright

Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer

(Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Eric D. Gadd

Eric D. Gadd

Director

    

/s/ Frederec Charles Green

Frederec Charles Green

Director

    

/s/ Ron W. Haddock

Ron W. Haddock

Director

    

/s/ Gennifer F. Kelly

Gennifer F. Kelly

Director

    

 

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