-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, PbmsVSPmOE7Jwu6uuAuniX3g5TSyLtLVOjuzWMbbIvtsdpd6U2igtpkKz2VyprsY NQ899GcOVALpo4O2nCXIrA== 0001193125-06-135334.txt : 20060626 0001193125-06-135334.hdr.sgml : 20060626 20060626060636 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001193125-06-135334 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: S-3 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 17 FILED AS OF DATE: 20060626 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20060626 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: MC MINERAL CO LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001260932 IRS NUMBER: 611448831 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-16 FILM NUMBER: 06923404 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Hawg Hauling Disposal LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001349099 IRS NUMBER: 061706211 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-18 FILM NUMBER: 06923406 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Chesapeake Appalachia LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001349103 IRS NUMBER: 203774650 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-23 FILM NUMBER: 06923411 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: W W Realty Inc CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001354894 IRS NUMBER: 731360666 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-05 FILM NUMBER: 06923392 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Hodges Trucking CO CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001354897 IRS NUMBER: 731293811 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-07 FILM NUMBER: 06923394 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Hodges Oilfield CO CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001354913 IRS NUMBER: 731454380 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-08 FILM NUMBER: 06923395 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Hodges Holding CO Inc CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001354938 IRS NUMBER: 731454375 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-09 FILM NUMBER: 06923396 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000895126 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: CRUDE PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS [1311] IRS NUMBER: 731395733 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319 FILM NUMBER: 06923387 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE OPERATING INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000949553 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: DRILLING OIL & GAS WELLS [1381] IRS NUMBER: 731343196 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-11 FILM NUMBER: 06923399 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE EXPLORATION L P CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000949557 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: DRILLING OIL & GAS WELLS [1381] IRS NUMBER: 731384282 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-15 FILM NUMBER: 06923403 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE LOUISIANA LP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001064208 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: DRILLING OIL & GAS WELLS [1381] IRS NUMBER: 731519126 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-03 FILM NUMBER: 06923390 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ACQUISITION LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001064216 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: DRILLING OIL & GAS WELLS [1381] IRS NUMBER: 731528271 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-24 FILM NUMBER: 06923412 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ACQUISITION CORP DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19980616 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: NOMAC DRILLING CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001141205 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: CRUDE PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS [1311] IRS NUMBER: 731606317 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-06 FILM NUMBER: 06923393 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE SIGMA L P CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001177304 IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-02 FILM NUMBER: 06923389 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058102625 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE SOUTH TEXAS CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001177307 IRS NUMBER: 412050649 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-10 FILM NUMBER: 06923397 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058102625 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE DELTA CORP DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20020711 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ORC LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001226474 IRS NUMBER: 710934234 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-21 FILM NUMBER: 06923409 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVE CITY: OKC STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N. WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: PO BOX 18496 CITY: OKC STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Chesapeake Land CO LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001321700 IRS NUMBER: 202099392 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-22 FILM NUMBER: 06923410 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Mayfield Processing LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001321701 IRS NUMBER: 200174765 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-17 FILM NUMBER: 06923405 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Chesapeake Eagle Canada Corp. CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001321702 IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: A3 FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-14 FILM NUMBER: 06923402 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: 601541 NB Ltd DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20050324 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: MidCon Compression LP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001321703 IRS NUMBER: 200299525 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-01 FILM NUMBER: 06923388 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 BUSINESS PHONE: 405-848-8000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE STREET 2: POST OFFICE BOX 18496 CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73154-0496 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: GOTHIC PRODUCTION LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001061312 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: CRUDE PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS [1311] IRS NUMBER: 731539475 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-19 FILM NUMBER: 06923407 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: GOTHIC PRODUCTION CORP DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19980508 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ENERGY MARKETING INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001084831 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: CRUDE PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS [1311] STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-12 FILM NUMBER: 06923400 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 NORTH WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ENERGY LOUISIANA CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001064204 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: DRILLING OIL & GAS WELLS [1381] IRS NUMBER: 731524569 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-13 FILM NUMBER: 06923401 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058799212 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CARMEN ACQUISITION LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001141201 IRS NUMBER: 731604860 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-04 FILM NUMBER: 06923391 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: CARMEN ACQUISITION CORP DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20010523 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ROYALTY LLC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001141203 IRS NUMBER: 731549744 STATE OF INCORPORATION: OK FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-135319-20 FILM NUMBER: 06923408 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 BUSINESS PHONE: 4058488000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6100 N WESTERN AVENUE CITY: OKLAHOMA CITY STATE: OK ZIP: 73118 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: CHESAPEAKE ROYALTY CO DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20010523 S-3 1 ds3.htm FORM S-3 Form S-3
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 26, 2006

 

Registration No. 333-                    

 


 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM S-3

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 


 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation*

(Name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Oklahoma

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation or organization)

  

73-1395733

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

6100 North Western Avenue

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118

(405) 848-8000

(Address, including zip code,

and telephone number, including area code,

of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

  

Aubrey K. McClendon

Chairman of the Board and

Chief Executive Officer

6100 North Western Avenue

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118

(405) 848-8000

(Name, address, including zip code,

and telephone number, including

area code, of agent for service)

 

Copy to:

James M. Prince, Esq.

Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

2300 First City Tower

1001 Fannin Street

Houston, Texas 77002-6760

(713) 758-3710

(713) 615-5962 (Fax)

 


 

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

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

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

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

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

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. ¨

If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box. ¨

 


 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 


Title of each class of

securities to be registered

 

Amount to be

registered

 

Proposed maximum
aggregate

offering price (1)

 

Amount of

registration fee

Senior Notes

  $500,000,000   $500,000,000   $53,500

(1)   Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee.
 *   Includes certain subsidiaries of Chesapeake Energy Corporation identified on the following pages.


Table of Contents

Chesapeake Eagle Canada Corp.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

New Brunswick, Canada   None
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Energy Louisiana Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1524569
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1439175
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Operating, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1343196
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake South Texas Corp.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   41-2050649
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Hodges Holding Company, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1454375
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Hodges Oilfield Company

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1454380
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Hodges Trucking Company

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1293811
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)


Table of Contents

 

Nomac Drilling Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

Oklahoma   73-1606317
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

W.W. Realty, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1360666
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Carmen Acquisition, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1604860
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Acquisition, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1528271
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-3774650

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Land Company, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-2099392
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake ORC, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   71-0934234
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Royalty, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1549744
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Gothic Production, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1539475
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)


Table of Contents

 

Hawg Hauling & Disposal, LLC

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Delaware   06-1706211

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

 


 

Mayfield Processing, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-0174765
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

MC Mineral Company, L.L.C.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   61-1448831
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Exploration Limited Partnership

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1384282
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1519126
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

Chesapeake Sigma, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   27-0029884
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 


 

MidCon Compression, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-0299525
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 



Table of Contents

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed without notice. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities nor a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, in any jurisdiction where the offering is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED JUNE 26, 2006

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS    STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

$500,000,000

LOGO

 

LOGO

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            % Senior Notes due 2013


The Company:

  Chesapeake Energy Corporation is the second largest independent producer of natural gas in the United States and owns interests in approximately 32,000 producing oil and natural gas wells.

 

The Offering:

  Use of Proceeds: We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to finance the purchase of our pending acquisitions, to repay outstanding indebtedness under our revolving bank credit facility and for general corporate purposes.
  Interest: The notes have a fixed annual rate of             % which will be paid every six months on                   and                      , commencing                  , 2006.
  Maturity:                      , 2013.
  Guarantees: The notes will be guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by each of our existing domestic subsidiaries, other than Nomac 100 Corp. and certain de minimus subsidiaries, one of our foreign subsidiaries and certain of our future domestic subsidiaries.
  Ranking: The notes will be our senior unsecured obligations and will rank equally in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior debt and senior to any subordinated debt that we may incur. The notes will be effectively subordinated to our and our guarantor subsidiaries’ existing and future secured debt, including debt under our revolving bank credit facility, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt. The notes will also be effectively subordinated to the debt of any non-guarantor subsidiaries.
  Make-Whole Redemption: We may redeem some or all of the notes at any time pursuant to certain make-whole provisions. If we enter into certain sale-leaseback transactions and do not reinvest the proceeds or repay certain senior debt, we must offer to repurchase the notes.
  Pricing:

 

     Per Note

  Total

Initial public offering price

                   %   $                 

Underwriting discount

                   %   $                 

Proceeds, before expenses, to Chesapeake

                   %   $                 

This investment involves risks. See “ Risk Factors” beginning on page 13.

The underwriters expect to deliver the notes to investors on or about                     , 2006, only in book-entry form through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company.


Joint Book-Running Managers

Banc of America Securities LLC

Deutsche Bank Securities

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Lehman Brothers

Wachovia Securities


Senior Co-Managers

ABN AMRO Incorporated   BNP PARIBAS   Calyon Securities (USA)
Fortis Securities   RBS Greenwich Capital   SunTrust Robinson Humphrey
    Wells Fargo Securities    

Co-Managers

Barclays Capital   BMO Capital Markets   BOSC, Inc.
Comerica Securities   DZ Bank Financial Markets LLC   HVB Capital Markets, Inc.
Piper Jaffray   TD Securities   Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc.

 

The date of this prospectus is                     , 2006.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page

Summary

  1

Risk Factors

  13

Use of Proceeds

  21

Capitalization

  22

Description of Notes

  24

Description of Certain Other Indebtedness

  43

Material United States Federal Tax Considerations

  45

Underwriting

  49

About This Prospectus

  52

Where You Can Find More Information

  52

Forward-Looking Statements

  54

Legal Matters

  55

Experts

  55

 

We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to give any information or represent anything to you other than the information contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on unauthorized information or representations. The information in this prospectus is current only as of the date on its cover, and may change after that date.

 

NOTICE TO INVESTORS

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), any state securities commission nor any other U.S. regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved the securities nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of this offering or the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

This prospectus does not offer to sell or ask for offers to buy any of the securities in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful, where the person making the offer is not qualified to do so, or to any person who can not legally be offered the securities.

 

In making an investment decision, prospective investors must rely on their own examination of the company and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. Prospective investors should not construe anything in this prospectus as legal, business or tax advice. Each prospective investor should consult its own advisors as needed to make its investment decision and to determine whether it is legally permitted to purchase the securities under applicable legal investment, or similar laws or regulations. Investors should be aware that they may be required to bear the financial risks of this investment for an indefinite period of time.

 

This prospectus contains summaries believed to be accurate with respect to certain documents, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All such summaries are qualified in their entirety by such reference. Copies of documents referred to herein will be made available to prospective investors upon request to us.

 

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NOTICE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENTS

 

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

 

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SUMMARY

 

This summary may not contain all the information that may be important to you. You should read this entire prospectus and the documents to which we have referred you before making an investment decision. You should carefully consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors.” In addition, certain statements include forward-looking information which involves risks and uncertainties. See “Forward-Looking Statements.”

 

Chesapeake

 

We are the second largest independent producer of natural gas in the United States, and we own interests in approximately 32,000 producing oil and natural gas wells that are currently producing approximately 1.6 bcfe per day, 92% of which is natural gas. Our strategy is focused on discovering, developing and acquiring onshore natural gas reserves in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains. Our most important operating area has historically been the Mid-Continent region, which includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. At March 31, 2006, 49% of our proved oil and natural gas reserves were located in the Mid-Continent. During the past four years, we have also built significant positions in various conventional and unconventional plays in the South Texas and Texas Gulf Coast regions, the Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, the Barnett Shale area of North Texas, the Ark-La-Tex area of East Texas and northern Louisiana, the Appalachian Basin in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, eastern Ohio and southern New York, the Caney and Woodford Shales in southeastern Oklahoma, the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas and the Barnett and Woodford Shales in West Texas.

 

As of December 31, 2005, we had 7.5 tcfe of proved reserves, of which 92% were natural gas and all of which were onshore. During 2005, we produced an average of 1.3 bcfe per day, a 30% increase over the 1.0 bcfe per day produced in 2004. For 2005, we generated net income available to common shareholders of $880 million, or $2.51 per fully diluted common share, which was a 64% increase over the prior year.

 

During the first quarter of 2006, we led the nation in drilling activity with an average utilization of 77 operated rigs and 75 non-operated rigs. Through this drilling activity, we drilled 262 (210 net) operated wells and participated in another 371 (45 net) wells operated by other companies. Our success rate was 97% for operated wells and 98% for non-operated wells. We replaced our 137 bcfe of production with an internally estimated 427 bcfe of new proved reserves for a reserve replacement rate of 312%. Reserve replacement through the drillbit was 184 bcfe, or 135% of production (including 76 bcfe of upward performance revisions and 88 bcfe of downward revisions resulting from oil and natural gas price declines between December 31, 2005 and March 31, 2006), and reserve replacement through acquisitions was 243 bcfe, or 177% of production. As a result, our proved reserves grew by 4% during the first quarter of 2006, from 7.5 tcfe to 7.8 tcfe. Of the 7.8 tcfe, 64% were proved developed reserves.

 

In the first quarter of 2006, we produced an average of 1.5 bcfe per day, a 31% increase over the 1.2 bcfe per day produced in the first quarter of 2005. During the first quarter of 2006, we generated net income available to common shareholders of $604 million, or $1.44 per fully diluted common share, which was a 300% increase over the first quarter of 2005. Also, in the first quarter we added approximately 700 new employees to support our growth, which increased our total employee base to approximately 3,600 employees at March 31, 2006, and invested $200 million in leasehold (excluding leasehold acquired through acquisitions) and 3-D seismic data, all of which we consider the building blocks of future value creation.

 

From January 1, 1998 through March 31, 2006, we have been one of the most active consolidators of onshore U.S. natural gas assets, having purchased approximately 6.3 tcfe of proved reserves, at a total cost of approximately $12.2 billion (including $3.4 billion for unproved leasehold, but excluding $891 million of

 

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deferred taxes established in connection with certain corporate acquisitions). Excluding the amounts allocated to unproved leasehold and deferred taxes, our acquisition cost per proved mcfe was $1.40 over this time period. During 2006, we have been especially active in the acquisitions market. Acquisition expenditures totaled $1.9 billion (including $1.1 billion for unproved leasehold), pro forma for our pending acquisitions. Through these acquisitions, we will have acquired an internally estimated 404 bcfe of proved oil and natural gas reserves.

 

On June 5, 2006, we announced that we had entered into an agreement to acquire from Four Sevens Oil Co. Ltd. and its equal equity partner, Sinclair Oil Corporation (collectively referred to as “Four Sevens/Sinclair”), 39,000 net acres of Barnett Shale leasehold, 30 mmcf of current natural gas current production and $55 million of midstream natural gas assets for $845 million in cash. We also announced that we acquired or agreed to acquire an additional 28,000 net acres of prospective Barnett Shale leasehold, primarily in Johnson and Tarrant Counties, Texas, from various additional sellers for $87 million. Please see “—Recent Developments—Pending Acquisitions.”

 

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with the net proceeds from our concurrent public offering of preferred stock and our concurrent public offering of common stock, to fund the purchase price for our pending acquisitions discussed above, to pay related fees and expenses, to repay outstanding indebtedness under our revolving bank credit facility and for general corporate purposes. Please see “Use of Proceeds.” There is no assurance, however, that these acquisitions will close, or close without material adjustment, as scheduled. Neither this offering nor our concurrently announced proposed public offerings of preferred stock and common stock are conditioned upon the closing of these acquisitions. Our pending acquisitions are not conditioned upon the closing of any of these offerings.

 

Our executive offices are located at 6100 North Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118, and our telephone number is (405) 848-8000.

 

Business Strategy

 

Since our inception in 1989, Chesapeake’s goal has been to create value for investors by building one of the largest onshore natural gas resource bases in the United States. For much of the past eight years, our strategy to accomplish this goal has been to build a dominant operating position in the Mid-Continent region, the third largest natural gas supply region in the U.S. In building our industry-leading position in the Mid-Continent, we have integrated an aggressive and technologically advanced drilling program with an active property consolidation program focused on small to medium-sized corporate and property acquisitions. In 2002, we began expanding our focus from the Mid-Continent to other regions where we believed we could extend our successful strategy. To date, those areas have included the South Texas and Texas Gulf Coast regions, the Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, the Barnett Shale area of North Texas, the Ark-La-Tex area of East Texas and northern Louisiana, the Appalachian Basin in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, eastern Ohio and southern New York, the Caney and Woodford Shales in southeastern Oklahoma, the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas and the Barnett and Woodford Shales in West Texas. We believe significant elements of our successful Mid-Continent strategy of acquisition, exploitation, extension and exploration have been or will be successfully transferred to these areas.

 

Key elements of this business strategy are further explained below:

 

Make High-Quality Acquisitions. Our acquisition program is focused on acquisitions of natural gas properties that offer high-quality, long-lived production and significant development and high potential deep drilling opportunities. From January 1, 1998 through March 31, 2006 and pro forma for our pending acquisitions, we have purchased approximately 6.3 tcfe of proved reserves, at a total cost of approximately $12.2 billion (including $3.4

 

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billion for unproved leasehold, but excluding $891 million of deferred taxes established in connection with certain corporate acquisitions). Excluding the amounts allocated to unproved leasehold and deferred taxes, our acquisition cost per proved mcfe was $1.40 over this time period. The vast majority of these acquisitions either increased our ownership in existing wells or fields or added additional drilling locations in our focused operating areas. Because these operating areas contain many smaller companies seeking liquidity opportunities and larger companies seeking to divest non-core assets, we expect to continue to find additional attractive acquisition opportunities in the future.

 

Grow through the Drillbit. One of Chesapeake’s most distinctive characteristics is our ability to increase reserves and production through the drillbit. We are currently utilizing 87 operated drilling rigs and 81 non-operated drilling rigs to conduct the most active drilling program in the United States. We focus both on finding significant new natural gas reserves and developing existing proved reserves, principally at deeper depths than the industry average. For the past seven years, we have been actively investing in leasehold, 3-D seismic information and human capital to be able to take advantage of the favorable drilling economics that exist today. While we believe U.S. natural gas production has declined during the past five years, we are one of the few large-cap companies that have been able to increase production, which we have successfully achieved for the past 16 consecutive years and 19 consecutive quarters. We believe key elements of the success and scale of our drilling programs have been our early recognition that natural gas prices were likely to move higher in the U.S. in the post-1999 period accompanied by our willingness to proactively hire new employees and to build the nation’s largest onshore leasehold and 3-D seismic inventories, all of which are the building blocks of a successful large-scale drilling program.

 

Build Regional Scale. We believe one of the keys to success in the natural gas exploration industry is to build significant operating scale in a limited number of operating areas that share many similar geological and operational characteristics. Achieving such scale provides many benefits, the most important of which are higher per unit revenues, lower per unit operating costs, greater rates of drilling success, higher returns from more easily integrated acquisitions and higher returns on drilling investments. We first began pursuing this focused strategy in the Mid-Continent in late 1997 and we are now the largest natural gas producer, the most active driller and the most active acquirer of leasehold and producing properties in the Mid-Continent. We believe this region, which trails only the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain basins in U.S. natural gas production, has many attractive characteristics. These characteristics include long-lived natural gas properties with predictable decline curves; multi-pay geological targets that decrease drilling risk and have resulted in a drilling success rate of 94% over the past 16 years; generally lower service costs than in more competitive or more remote basins; and a favorable regulatory environment with virtually no federal land ownership. We believe our other operating areas possess many of these same favorable characteristics and our goal is to become or remain a top five natural gas producer in each of our operating areas.

 

Focus on Low Costs. By minimizing lease operating costs and general and administrative expense through focused activities and increased scale, we have been able to deliver attractive financial returns through all phases of the commodity price cycle. We believe our low cost structure is the result of management’s effective cost-control programs, a high-quality asset base and extensive and competitive services, natural gas processing and transportation infrastructures that exist in our key operating areas. As of March 31, 2006, we operated approximately 18,800 wells, which accounted for approximately 80% of our daily production volume. This large percentage of operated properties provides us with a high degree of operating flexibility and cost control.

 

Improve our Balance Sheet. We have made significant progress in improving our balance sheet over the past seven years. From December 31, 1998 through March 31, 2006, we have increased our shareholders’ equity by $7.6 billion ($8.6 billion pro forma for our pending offerings of common stock and preferred stock) through a combination of earnings and common and preferred equity issuances. As of March 31, 2006, our debt as a percentage of total capitalization (total capitalization is the sum of debt and stockholders’ equity) was 46%, compared to 137% as of December 31, 1998. On a pro forma basis for our pending public offerings of common

 

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stock and preferred stock, our recently completed preferred stock exchanges and this offering, our debt to total capitalization ratio as of March 31, 2006, would be 43%. We plan to continue improving our balance sheet in the years ahead.

 

Based on our view that natural gas will be in a tight supply/demand relationship in the U.S. during at least the next few years because of the significant structural challenges to growing natural gas supply and the growing demand for this clean-burning, domestically-produced fuel, we believe our focused natural gas acquisition, exploitation and exploration strategy should provide substantial value-creating growth opportunities in the years ahead. Our goal is to increase our overall production by 10% to 20% per year, with growth at an annual rate of 7% to 10% generated organically through the drillbit and the remaining growth generated through acquisitions. We have reached or exceeded this overall production goal in 11 of our 13 years as a public company.

 

Company Strengths

 

We believe the following six characteristics distinguish our past performance and differentiate our future growth potential from other independent natural gas producers:

 

High-Quality Asset Base. Our producing properties are characterized by long-lived reserves, established production profiles and an emphasis on onshore natural gas. Based upon current production and proved reserve estimates, and including estimates for our pending acquisitions, our proved reserves-to-production ratio, or reserve life, is approximately 14 years. In addition, we believe we are the sixth largest producer of natural gas in the U.S. (second among independents) and the fourth largest owner of proved U.S. natural gas reserves (first among independents). In each of our operating areas, our properties are concentrated in locations that enable us to establish substantial economies of scale in drilling and production operations and facilitate the application of more effective reservoir management practices. We intend to continue building our asset base in each of our operating areas through a balance of acquisitions, exploitation and exploration.

 

Low-Cost Producer. Our high-quality asset base, the work ethic of our employees, our hands-on management style and our headquarters location in Oklahoma City have enabled us to achieve a low operating and administrative cost structure. During the first quarter of 2006, our operating costs per unit of production were $1.48 per mcfe, which consisted of general and administrative expenses of $0.21 per mcfe (including non-cash stock-based compensation of $0.05 per mcfe), production expenses of $0.87 per mcfe and production taxes of $0.40 per mcfe. We believe this is one of the lowest cost structures among publicly traded, large-cap independent oil and natural gas producers.

 

Successful Acquisition Program. Our experienced acquisition team focuses on enhancing and expanding our existing assets in each of our operating areas. These areas are characterized by long-lived natural gas reserves, low lifting costs, multiple geological targets, favorable basis differentials to benchmark commodity prices, well-developed oil and natural gas transportation infrastructures and considerable potential for further consolidation of assets. Since 1998 and including our pending acquisitions, we have acquired approximately 6.3 tcfe of proved reserves that replaced 317% of our total production. We believe we are well-positioned to continue making attractive acquisitions as a result of our extensive track record of identifying, completing and integrating multiple successful acquisitions, our large operating scale and our knowledge and experience in the regions in which we operate.

 

Large Inventory of Drilling Projects. During the 16 years since our inception, we have been among the five most active drillers of new wells in the United States. Presently we are the most active driller in the U.S. with 87 operated and 81 non-operated rigs drilling. Through this high level of activity over the years, we have developed an industry-leading expertise in drilling deep vertical and horizontal wells in search of large natural gas

 

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accumulations in challenging conventional and unconventional reservoirs. As a result of our successful acquisition program and active leasehold acquisition and seismic acquisition strategies, we have been able to accumulate a U.S. onshore leasehold position of approximately 9.3 million net acres, pro forma for our pending acquisitions, and have acquired rights to 12.3 million acres of onshore 3-D seismic data to provide informational advantages over our competitors and to help evaluate our large acreage inventory. On this very large acreage position, our technical teams believe approximately 31,000 exploratory and developmental drill sites exist, representing a backlog of more than ten years of future drilling opportunities at current drilling rates.

 

Hedging Program. We have used and intend to continue using hedging programs to reduce the risks inherent in acquiring and producing oil and natural gas reserves, commodities that are frequently characterized by significant price volatility. We believe this price volatility is likely to continue in the years ahead and that we can use this volatility to our benefit by taking advantage of prices when they reach levels that management believes are either unsustainable for the long-term or provide unusually high rates of return on our invested capital. We currently have natural gas hedges in place covering 88%, 69% and 55% of our anticipated natural gas production for the remainder of 2006 (including the second quarter of 2006) and all of 2007 and 2008 at average NYMEX prices of $9.08, $9.86 and $9.34 per mcf, respectively. In addition, we have 79%, 56% and 48% of our anticipated oil production hedged for the remainder of 2006 (including the second quarter of 2006) and all of 2007 and 2008 at average NYMEX prices of $63.24, $68.79 and $69.50 per barrel of oil, respectively. During the first quarter of 2006, we realized gains from our hedging program of approximately $248.2 million.

 

Entrepreneurial Management. Our management team formed the company in 1989 with an initial capitalization of $50,000 and fewer than ten employees. Since then, our management team has guided the company through various operational and industry challenges and extremes of oil and natural gas prices to create the second largest independent producer of natural gas in the U.S. with approximately 4,000 employees and an enterprise value of approximately $20.2 billion (based on a common stock price of $28.50 per share and pro forma for this offering and our pending offerings of preferred stock and common stock). Our chief executive officer and co-founder, Aubrey K. McClendon, has been in the oil and natural gas industry for 25 years and beneficially owns, as of June 23, 2006, approximately 25 million shares of our common stock.

 

Recent Developments

 

Pending Acquisitions. On June 5, 2006, we announced that we had entered into an agreement to acquire from Four Sevens/Sinclair, 39,000 net acres of Barnett Shale leasehold, 30 mmcf of current natural gas production and $55 million of mid-stream natural gas assets for $845 million in cash. Of the 39,000 net acres, 26,000 net acres are located in Johnson and Tarrant Counties, Texas, where we have identified 500 net potential drillsites, and 13,000 net acres are located in counties outside our core focus area where we have not yet identified any drilling opportunities that would produce returns as competitive as those in our core focus area. We also announced that we acquired or agreed to acquire an additional 28,000 net acres of prospective Barnett Shale leasehold, primarily in Johnson and Tarrant Counties, from various additional sellers for $87 million. On these 28,000 acres, we anticipate drilling as many as 400 net wells to develop these properties under current market conditions.

 

We have also recently agreed to invest approximately $450 million to acquire an additional 225,000 net acres of leasehold in the Delaware Basin shale plays of West Texas and to acquire a leading drilling contractor in the Appalachian Basin. We may use part of the proceeds from this offering and our concurrent public offerings together with borrowings under our revolving bank credit facility to finance such acquisitions, which we expect to close in July 2006.

 

There is no assurance that our pending acquisitions will close, close without material adjustment, or close as scheduled. Neither this offering nor either of our concurrently announced proposed offerings is conditioned upon

 

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the closing of these acquisitions. The pending acquisitions are not conditioned upon the closing of any of these offerings. We intend to finance these acquisitions with the net proceeds from this offering and our concurrent public offerings of preferred stock and common stock. If one or more of the concurrent offerings are not consummated, we intend to finance these acquisitions with the net proceeds from this offering and borrowings under our revolving bank credit facility.

 

Pending Public Offerings. We are concurrently conducting separate public offerings of 2,000,000 shares of mandatory convertible preferred stock with a stated value of $500 million (plus up to an additional 300,000 shares to cover the option of the underwriters to purchase additional shares) and 20,000,000 shares of our common stock (plus up to an additional 3,000,000 shares to cover the option of the underwriters to purchase additional shares). This prospectus shall not be deemed an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of our preferred stock or common stock. There is no assurance that our concurrent public offerings will be completed or, if completed, that they will be completed for the amounts contemplated. The completion of this offering is not conditioned on the completion of our pending acquisitions or the completion of our concurrent public offerings of preferred stock or common stock.

 

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The Offering

 

The summary below describes the principal terms of the notes. Some of the terms and conditions described below are subject to important limitations and exceptions. The “Description of Notes” section of this prospectus contains a more detailed description of the terms and conditions of the notes.

 

Issuer

Chesapeake Energy Corporation.

 

Notes Offered

$500,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of         % Senior Notes due 2013.

 

Maturity Date

                         , 2013.

 

Interest

Interest on the notes will accrue at an annual rate of         %. Interest will be paid semi-annually in arrears on                   and                           of each year, commencing              , 2006.

 

Guarantees

The notes will be unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by (i) each of our existing domestic subsidiaries, other than Nomac 100 Corp. and certain de minimus subsidiaries, and one of our foreign subsidiaries and (ii) each of our future domestic subsidiaries that guarantees any other indebtedness of us or a subsidiary guarantor in excess of $5 million. The guarantee will be released if we dispose of the subsidiary guarantor or it ceases to guarantee certain other indebtedness of us or any other subsidiary guarantor.

 

Ranking

The notes will be unsecured and will rank equally in right of payment to all of our existing and future senior indebtedness. The notes will rank senior in right of payment to all of our future subordinated indebtedness. Holders of our secured indebtedness have claims with respect to our assets constituting collateral for their indebtedness that are prior to your claim under the notes. In addition, the notes will be structurally subordinated to any indebtedness of a subsidiary that is not a subsidiary guarantor. Please read “Description of Notes—Ranking.”

 

 

As of March 31, 2006, we had approximately $6.5 billion in principal amount of senior indebtedness outstanding, of which $444 million was secured indebtedness under our revolving bank credit facility. After giving effect to this offering, our pending offerings of common stock and preferred stock and the ultimate application of net proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds,” on a pro forma basis as of March 31, 2006, we would have had approximately $6.5 billion in principal amount of senior indebtedness outstanding, none of which would have been secured indebtedness. As of June 23, 2006, we had outstanding borrowings of $1.188 billion under our revolving bank credit facility. Nomac 100 Corp., which holds approximately $150 million in assets, is a guarantor of all of our other existing senior indebtedness, which will effectively rank senior to the notes with respect to the assets of Nomac 100 Corp.

 

Make-Whole Redemption

We may redeem some or all of the notes at any time prior to maturity by the payment of a make-whole premium described in the

 

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“Description of Notes—Make-Whole Redemption” section of this prospectus.

 

Restrictive Covenants

The indenture governing the notes will contain covenants that limit our ability and our subsidiaries’ ability to:

 

    incur certain secured indebtedness;

 

    enter into sale-leaseback transactions; and

 

    consolidate, merge or transfer assets.

 

 

The covenants are subject to a number of exceptions and qualifications. See “Description of Notes—Certain Covenants.”

 

Use of Proceeds

We expect the net proceeds to us from this offering, after deducting discounts to the underwriters and estimated expenses of the offering payable by us, to be approximately $491.6 million. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with the net proceeds from our pending public offerings of preferred stock and common stock to finance the purchase of our pending acquisitions, to pay related fees and expenses, to repay outstanding indebtedness under our revolving bank credit facility and for general corporate purposes, including to finance possible future acquisitions. Please see “Use of Proceeds.”

 

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

Initially, the notes will be represented by one or more permanent global certificates in definitive, fully registered form deposited with a custodian for, and registered in the name of, a nominee of The Depository Trust Company.

 

Risk Factors

 

An investment in the notes involves certain risks that a potential investor should carefully evaluate prior to making an investment in the notes. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page 13.

 

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Summary Consolidated Financial Data

 

The following tables set forth summary consolidated financial data as of and for each of the three years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003 and three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005. This data was derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 and from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2006, each of which is incorporated by reference herein. The financial data below should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our historical consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes and the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” which are set forth in such annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

 

    Years Ended December 31,

    Three Months Ended
March 31,


 
    2005

    2004

    2003

        2006    

        2005    

 
    ($ in thousands, except per share data)  

Statement of Operations Data:

                                       

Revenues:

                                       

Oil and natural gas sales

  $ 3,272,585     $ 1,936,176     $ 1,296,822     $ 1,510,821     $ 538,942  

Marketing sales

    1,392,705       773,092       420,610       404,367       244,508  

Service operations revenue

                      29,379        
   


 


 


 


 


Total revenues

    4,665,290       2,709,268       1,717,432       1,944,567       783,450  
   


 


 


 


 


Operating costs:

                                       

Production expenses

    316,956       204,821       137,583       119,392       69,562  

Production taxes

    207,898       103,931       77,893       55,373       35,958  

General and administrative expenses

    64,272       37,045       23,753       28,791       12,067  

Marketing expenses

    1,358,003       755,314       410,288       391,360       237,276  

Service operations expense

                      14,437        

Oil and natural gas depreciation, depletion and amortization

    894,035       582,137       369,465       304,957       180,968  

Depreciation and amortization of other assets

    50,966       29,185       16,793       23,872       10,082  

Provision for legal settlements

          4,500       6,402              

Employee retirement expense

                      54,753        
   


 


 


 


 


Total operating costs

    2,892,130       1,716,933       1,042,177       992,935       545,913  
   


 


 


 


 


Income from operations

    1,773,160       992,335       675,255       951,632       237,537  
   


 


 


 


 


Other income (expense):

                                       

Interest and other income

    10,452       4,476       2,827       9,636       3,357  

Interest expense

    (219,800 )     (167,328 )     (154,356 )     (72,658 )     (43,128 )

Loss on investment in Seven Seas

                (2,015 )            

Loss on repurchases or exchanges of Chesapeake debt

    (70,419 )     (24,557 )     (20,759 )           (900 )

Gain on sale of investment

                      117,396        
   


 


 


 


 


Total other income (expense)

    (279,767 )     (187,409 )     (174,303 )     54,374       (40,671 )
   


 


 


 


 


Income before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting change

    1,493,393       804,926       500,952       1,006,006       196,866  

Income tax expense (benefit):

                                       

Current

                5,000              

Deferred

    545,091       289,771       185,360       382,283       71,856  
   


 


 


 


 


Total income tax expense (benefit)

    545,091       289,771       190,360       382,283       71,856  
   


 


 


 


 


Net income before cumulative effect of accounting change, net of tax

    948,302       515,155       310,592       623,723       125,010  

Cumulative effect of accounting change, net of income taxes of $1,464,000

                2,389              
   


 


 


 


 


Net Income

    948,302       515,155       312,981       623,723       125,010  

Preferred stock dividends

    (41,813 )     (39,506 )     (22,469 )     (18,812 )     (5,463 )

Loss on conversion/exchange of preferred stock

    (26,874 )     (36,678 )           (1,009 )      
   


 


 


 


 


Net income available to common shareholders

  $ 879,615     $ 438,971     $ 290,512     $ 603,902     $ 119,547  
   


 


 


 


 


 

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Table of Contents
    Years Ended December 31,

  Three Months Ended
March 31,


    2005

  2004

  2003

      2006    

      2005    

    ($ in thousands, except per share data)

Earnings per common share—basic:

                             

Income before cumulative effect of accounting change

  $ 2.73   $ 1.73   $ 1.36   $ 1.64   $ 0.39

Cumulative effect of accounting change

            0.02        
   

 

 

 

 

    $ 2.73   $ 1.73   $ 1.38   $ 1.64   $ 0.39
   

 

 

 

 

Earnings per common share—assuming dilution:

                             

Income before cumulative effect of accounting change

  $ 2.51   $ 1.53   $ 1.20   $ 1.44   $ 0.36

Cumulative effect of accounting change

            0.01        
   

 

 

 

 

    $ 2.51   $ 1.53   $ 1.21   $ 1.44   $ 0.36
   

 

 

 

 

Cash dividends declared per common share

  $ 0.195   $ 0.170   $ 0.135   $ 0.050   $ 0.045

Cash Flow Data:

                             

Cash provided by operating activities

  $ 2,406,888   $ 1,432,274   $ 938,907   $ 967,458   $ 512,685

Cash used in investing activities

    6,921,378     3,381,204     2,077,217     1,960,061     1,173,937

Cash provided by financing activities

    4,567,621     1,915,245     931,254     970,862     654,356

Other Financial Data:

                             

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges(1)(2)

    5.6x     4.8x     4.0x     10.2x     3.8x

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges and preference dividends(1)(3)

    4.6x     3.7x     3.3x     8.0x     3.4x
    As of December 31,

  As of March 31,

    2005

  2004

  2003

      2006    

      2005    

    ($ in thousands)

Balance Sheet Data:

                             

Total assets

  $ 16,118,462   $ 8,244,509   $ 4,572,291   $ 18,052,360   $ 9,343,411

Long-term debt, net of current maturities

    5,489,742     3,075,109     2,057,713     6,320,915     3,718,679

Stockholders’ equity

    6,174,323     3,162,883     1,732,810     7,362,823     3,168,201

(1)   For purposes of determining the ratios of earnings to fixed charges and earnings to fixed charges and preference dividends, earnings are defined as net income before income taxes, cumulative effect of accounting changes, pretax gain or loss of equity investees, amortization of capitalized interest and fixed charges, less capitalized interest. Fixed charges consist of interest (whether expensed or capitalized and excluding the effect of unrealized gains or losses on interest rate derivatives), and amortization of debt expenses and discount or premium relating to any indebtedness. Preference dividends consist of preferred stock dividends “grossed up” to reflect the pre-tax amount.
(2)   The pro forma ratio of earnings to fixed charges after giving effect to this offering, our concurrent public offerings and the application of net proceeds from such offerings is 5.1x for the year ended December 31, 2005 and 9.4x for the three months ended March 31, 2006.
(3)   The pro forma ratio of earnings to fixed charges and preference dividends after giving effect to this offering, our concurrent public offerings and the application of net proceeds from such offerings is 3.9x for the year ended December 31, 2005 and 7.0x for the three months ended March 31, 2006.

 

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Table of Contents

Summary Reserve Information

 

The following table sets forth our estimated proved reserves and the present value of the proved reserves as of December 31, 2005 (based on our weighted average wellhead prices at December 31, 2005 of $56.41 per barrel of oil and $8.76 per mcf of natural gas). These prices were based on the cash spot prices for oil and natural gas at December 31, 2005.

 

    

Oil

(mbbl)


  

Gas

(mmcf)


  

Gas
Equivalent

(mmcfe)


  

Percent
of

Proved
Reserves


   

Present
Value

($ in
thousands)


 

Mid-Continent

   48,915    3,504,653    3,798,216    51 %   $ 11,308,766  

South Texas and Texas Gulf Coast

   3,308    602,551    622,399    8       2,459,379  

Ark-La-Tex and Barnett Shale

   6,379    1,030,962    1,069,236    14       3,551,565  

Permian

   39,126    457,811    692,570    9       2,040,175  

Appalachia

   1,094    1,289,919    1,296,482    17       3,462,744  

Other

   4,501    14,858    41,787    1       110,965  
    
  
  
  

 


Total

   103,323    6,900,754    7,520,690    100 %   $ 22,933,594 (1)
    
  
  
  

 



(1)   The standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows at December 31, 2005 was $16.0 billion.

 

As of December 31, 2005, the present value of our proved developed reserves as a percentage of total proved reserves was 71%, and the volume of our proved developed reserves as a percentage of total proved reserves was 65%. Natural gas reserves accounted for 92% of the volume of total proved reserves at December 31, 2005.

 

Future prices and costs may be materially higher or lower than the prices and costs as of the date of any estimate. A change in price of $0.10 per mcf for natural gas and $1.00 per barrel for oil would result in a change in our December 31, 2005 present value of estimated future net revenue of proved reserves of approximately $315 million and $50 million, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

Summary Production, Sales, Prices and Expenses Data

 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the production volumes, oil and natural gas sales, average sales prices received and expenses associated with sales of natural gas and oil for the periods indicated:

 

     Years Ended December 31,

    Three Months Ended
March 31,


 
     2005

    2004

    2003

    2006

    2005

 

Net Production:

                                        

Oil (mbbl)

     7,698       6,764       4,665       2,116       1,746  

Natural gas (mmcf)

     422,389       322,009       240,366       124,056       94,131  

Natural gas equivalent (mmcfe)

     468,577       362,593       268,356       136,752       104,607  

Oil and Natural Gas Sales ($ in thousands):

                                        

Oil sales

   $ 401,845     $ 260,915     $ 132,630     $ 124,667     $ 79,944  

Oil derivatives—realized gains (losses)

     (34,132 )     (69,267 )     (12,058 )     (3,808 )     (7,067 )

Oil derivatives—unrealized gains (losses)

     4,374       3,454       (9,440 )     (1,335 )     (12,842 )
    


 


 


 


 


Total oil sales

   $ 372,087     $ 195,102     $ 111,132     $ 119,524     $ 60,035  
    


 


 


 


 


Natural gas sales

   $ 3,231,286     $ 1,789,275     $ 1,171,050     $ 940,318     $ 535,777  

Natural gas derivatives—realized gains (losses)

     (367,551 )     (85,634 )     (5,331 )     252,029       47,415  

Natural gas derivatives—unrealized gains (losses)

     36,763       37,433       19,971       198,950       (104,285 )
    


 


 


 


 


Total natural gas sales

   $ 2,900,498     $ 1,741,074     $ 1,185,690     $ 1,391,297     $ 478,907  
    


 


 


 


 


Total oil and natural gas sales

   $ 3,272,585     $ 1,936,176     $ 1,296,822     $ 1,510,821     $ 538,942  
    


 


 


 


 


Average Sales Price: (excluding gains (losses) on derivatives):

                                        

Oil ($ per bbl)

   $ 52.20     $ 38.57     $ 28.43     $ 58.92     $ 45.79  

Natural gas ($ per mcf)

   $ 7.65     $ 5.56     $ 4.87     $ 7.58     $ 5.69  

Natural gas equivalent ($ per mcfe)

   $ 7.75     $ 5.65     $ 4.86     $ 7.79     $ 5.89  

Average Sales Price: (excluding unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives):

                                        

Oil ($ per bbl)

   $ 47.77     $ 28.33     $ 25.85     $ 57.12     $ 41.74  

Natural gas ($ per mcf)

   $ 6.78     $ 5.29     $ 4.85     $ 9.61     $ 6.20  

Natural gas equivalent ($ per mcfe)

   $ 6.90     $ 5.23     $ 4.79     $ 9.60     $ 6.27  

Expenses ($ per mcfe):

                                        

Production expenses

   $ 0.68     $ 0.56     $ 0.51     $ 0.87     $ 0.66  

Production taxes

   $ 0.44     $ 0.29     $ 0.29     $ 0.40     $ 0.34  

General and administrative expenses

   $ 0.14     $ 0.10     $ 0.09     $ 0.21     $ 0.12  

Oil and natural gas depreciation, depletion and amortization

   $ 1.91     $ 1.61     $ 1.38     $ 2.23     $ 1.73  

Depreciation and amortization of other assets

   $ 0.11     $ 0.08     $ 0.06     $ 0.17     $ 0.10  

Interest expense(1)

   $ 0.47     $ 0.45     $ 0.55     $ 0.52     $ 0.44  

(1)   Includes the effects of realized gains or (losses) from hedging, but does not include the effects of unrealized gains or (losses) from hedging.

 

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Table of Contents

RISK FACTORS

 

In addition to the other information set forth elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, the following factors relating to our company and the offering should be considered carefully before making an investment in the notes offered hereby.

 

Risks Relating to Our Business

 

Oil and gas prices are volatile. A decline in prices could adversely affect our financial position, financial results, cash flows, access to capital and ability to grow.

 

Our revenues, operating results, profitability and future rate of growth depend primarily upon the prices we receive for the oil and gas we sell. Prices also affect the amount of cash flow available for capital expenditures and our ability to borrow money or raise additional capital. The amount we can borrow from banks is subject to periodic redeterminations based on prices specified by our bank group at the time of redetermination. In addition, we may have ceiling test write-downs in the future if prices fall significantly.

 

Historically, the markets for oil and gas have been volatile and they are likely to continue to be volatile. Wide fluctuations in oil and gas prices may result from relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, market uncertainty and other factors that are beyond our control, including:

 

    worldwide and domestic supplies of oil and gas;

 

    weather conditions;

 

    the level of consumer demand;

 

    the price and availability of alternative fuels;

 

    the proximity and capacity of natural gas pipelines and other transportation facilities;

 

    the price and level of foreign imports;

 

    domestic and foreign governmental regulations and taxes;

 

    the ability of the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to agree to and maintain oil price and production controls;

 

    political instability or armed conflict in oil-producing regions; and

 

    overall domestic and global economic conditions.

 

These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict future oil and gas price movements with any certainty. Declines in oil and natural gas prices would not only reduce revenue, but could reduce the amount of oil and gas that we can produce economically and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and reserves. Further, oil and gas prices do not necessarily move in tandem. Because approximately 92% of our reserves at December 31, 2005 are natural gas reserves, we are more affected by movements in natural gas prices.

 

Our level of indebtedness and preferred stock may adversely affect operations and limit our growth, and we may have difficulty making debt service payments on our indebtedness as such payments become due.

 

As of March 31, 2006, we had long-term indebtedness of approximately $6.3 billion, with $444 million of outstanding borrowings drawn under our revolving bank credit facility. Our long-term indebtedness represented 46% of our total book capitalization at March 31, 2006. We expect to continue to be highly leveraged in the foreseeable future.

 

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Table of Contents

Our level of indebtedness and preferred stock affects our operations in several ways, including the following:

 

    a portion of our cash flows from operating activities must be used to service our indebtedness and pay dividends on our preferred stock and is not available for other purposes;

 

    we may be at a competitive disadvantage as compared to similar companies that have less debt;

 

    the covenants contained in the agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness and future indebtedness may limit our ability to borrow additional funds, pay dividends and make certain investments and may also affect our flexibility in planning for, and reacting to, changes in the economy and in our industry;

 

    additional financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, general corporate or other purposes may have higher costs and more restrictive covenants;

 

    changes in the credit ratings of our debt may negatively affect the cost, terms, conditions and availability of future financing, and lower ratings will increase the interest rate and fees we pay on our revolving bank credit facility; and

 

    we may be more vulnerable to general adverse economic and industry conditions.

 

We may incur additional debt, including significant secured indebtedness, or issue additional series of preferred stock in order to make future acquisitions or to develop our properties. A higher level of indebtedness and/or additional preferred stock increases the risk that we may default on our obligations. Our ability to meet our debt obligations and to reduce our level of indebtedness depends on our future performance. General economic conditions, oil and gas prices and financial, business and other factors affect our operations and our future performance. Many of these factors are beyond our control. We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to pay the interest on our debt, and future working capital, borrowings or equity financing may not be available to pay or refinance such debt. Factors that will affect our ability to raise cash through an offering of our capital stock or a refinancing of our debt include financial market conditions, the value of our assets and our performance at the time we need capital.

 

In addition, our bank borrowing base is subject to periodic redetermination. A lowering of our borrowing base could require us to repay indebtedness in excess of the borrowing base, or we might need to further secure the lenders with additional collateral.

 

Competition in the oil and natural gas industry is intense, and many of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do.

 

We operate in the highly competitive areas of oil and natural gas acquisition, development, exploitation, exploration and production. We face intense competition from both major and other independent oil and natural gas companies in each of the following areas:

 

    seeking to acquire desirable producing properties or new leases for future exploration; and

 

    seeking to acquire the equipment and expertise necessary to develop and operate our properties.

 

Many of our competitors have financial and other resources substantially greater than ours, and some of them are fully integrated oil companies. These companies may be able to pay more for development prospects and productive oil and natural gas properties and may be able to define, evaluate, bid for and purchase a greater number of properties and prospects than our financial or human resources permit. Our ability to develop and exploit our oil and natural gas properties and to acquire additional properties in the future will depend upon our ability to successfully conduct operations, evaluate and select suitable properties and consummate transactions in this highly competitive environment.

 

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Table of Contents

Significant capital expenditures are required to replace our reserves.

 

Our exploration, development and acquisition activities require substantial capital expenditures. Historically, we have funded our capital expenditures through a combination of cash flows from operations, our revolving bank credit facility and debt and equity issuances. Future cash flows are subject to a number of variables, such as the level of production from existing wells, prices of oil and gas, and our success in developing and producing new reserves. If revenue were to decrease as a result of lower oil and gas prices or decreased production, and our access to capital were limited, we would have a reduced ability to replace our reserves. If our cash flow from operations is not sufficient to fund our capital expenditure budget, we may not be able to access additional bank debt, debt or equity or other methods of financing on an economic basis to meet these requirements.

 

If we are not able to replace reserves, we may not be able to sustain production.

 

Our future success depends largely upon our ability to find, develop or acquire additional oil and gas reserves that are economically recoverable. Unless we replace the reserves we produce through successful development, exploration or acquisition activities, our proved reserves and production will decline over time. In addition, approximately 35% of our total estimated proved reserves (by volume) at December 31, 2005 were undeveloped. By their nature, estimates of undeveloped reserves are less certain. Recovery of such reserves will require significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations. Our reserve estimates reflect that our production rate on producing properties will decline approximately 24% from 2006 to 2007. Thus, our future oil and natural gas reserves and production and, therefore, our cash flow and income are highly dependent on our success in efficiently developing and exploiting our current reserves and economically finding or acquiring additional recoverable reserves.

 

The actual quantities and present value of our proved reserves may prove to be lower than we have estimated.

 

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain estimates of our proved reserves and the estimated future net revenues from our proved reserves. These estimates are based upon various assumptions, including assumptions required by the SEC relating to oil and gas prices, drilling and operating expenses, capital expenditures, taxes and availability of funds. The process of estimating oil and gas reserves is complex. The process involves significant decisions and assumptions in the evaluation of available geological, geophysical, engineering and economic data for each reservoir. Therefore, these estimates are inherently imprecise.

 

Actual future production, oil and gas prices, revenues, taxes, development expenditures, operating expenses and quantities of recoverable oil and gas reserves most likely will vary from these estimates. Such variations may be significant and could materially affect the estimated quantities and present value of our proved reserves. In addition, we may adjust estimates of proved reserves to reflect production history, results of exploration and development drilling, prevailing oil and gas prices and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our properties may also be susceptible to hydrocarbon drainage from production by operators on adjacent properties.

 

At December 31, 2005, approximately 35% of our estimated proved reserves (by volume) were undeveloped. Recovery of undeveloped reserves requires significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations. These reserve estimates include the assumption that we will make significant capital expenditures to develop the reserves, including approximately $1.8 billion in 2006. You should be aware that the estimated costs may not be accurate, development may not occur as scheduled and results may not be as estimated.

 

You should not assume that the present values referred to in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein represent the current market value of our estimated oil and gas reserves. In accordance with SEC requirements, the estimates of our present values are based on prices and costs as of the date of the estimates. The December 31, 2005 present value is based on weighted average oil and natural gas wellhead prices of

 

15


Table of Contents

$56.41 per barrel of oil and $8.76 per mcf of natural gas. Actual future prices and costs may be materially higher or lower than the prices and costs as of the date of an estimate.

 

Any changes in consumption by oil and natural gas purchasers or in governmental regulations or taxation will also affect actual future net cash flows.

 

The timing of both the production and the expenses from the development and production of oil and gas properties will affect both the timing of actual future net cash flows from our proved reserves and their present value. In addition, the 10% discount factor, which is required by the SEC to be used in calculating discounted future net cash flows for reporting purposes, is not necessarily the most accurate discount factor. The effective interest rate at various times and the risks associated with our business or the oil and natural gas industry in general will affect the accuracy of the 10% discount factor.

 

Acquisitions may prove to be worth less than we paid because of uncertainties in evaluating recoverable reserves and potential liabilities.

 

Our recent growth is due in large part to acquisitions of exploration and production companies, producing properties and undeveloped leasehold. We expect acquisitions will also contribute to our future growth. Successful acquisitions require an assessment of a number of factors, including estimates of recoverable reserves, exploration potential, future oil and gas prices, operating costs and potential environmental and other liabilities. Such assessments are inexact and their accuracy is inherently uncertain. In connection with our assessments, we perform a review of the acquired properties which we believe is generally consistent with industry practices. However, such a review will not reveal all existing or potential problems. In addition, our review may not permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to fully assess their deficiencies and capabilities. We do not inspect every well. Even when we inspect a well, we do not always discover structural, subsurface and environmental problems that may exist or arise. We are generally not entitled to contractual indemnification for preclosing liabilities, including environmental liabilities. Normally, we acquire interests in properties on an “as is” basis with limited remedies for breaches of representations and warranties. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to acquire oil and gas properties that contain economically recoverable reserves or be able to complete such acquisitions on acceptable terms.

 

As new owners, we may not effectively consolidate and integrate acquired operations, particularly when we make significant acquisitions outside our historical operating areas.

 

Significant acquisitions present operational and administrative challenges that may prove more difficult than anticipated. The failure to consolidate functions and integrate procedures, personnel and operations in an effective and timely manner may adversely affect our business and results of operations, at least temporarily. Significant acquisitions can change the nature of our operations and business depending upon the character of the acquired properties, which may have substantially different operating and geological characteristics or be in different geographic locations than our existing properties. To the extent that we acquire properties substantially different from the properties in our primary operating areas or acquire properties that require different technical expertise, we may not be able to realize the economic benefits of these acquisitions as efficiently as in our prior acquisitions.

 

Exploration and development drilling may not result in commercially productive reserves.

 

We do not always encounter commercially productive reservoirs through our drilling operations. The new wells we drill or participate in may not be productive and we may not recover all or any portion of our investment in wells we drill or participate in. The seismic data and other technologies we use do not allow us to know conclusively prior to drilling a well that oil or gas is present or may be produced economically. The cost of drilling, completing and operating a well is often uncertain, and cost factors can adversely affect the economics of a project. Our efforts will be unprofitable if we drill dry wells or wells that are productive but do not produce

 

16


Table of Contents

enough reserves to return a profit after drilling, operating and other costs. Further, our drilling operations may be curtailed, delayed or canceled as a result of a variety of factors, including:

 

    increases in the cost of, or shortages or delays in the availability of, drilling rigs and equipment;

 

    unexpected drilling conditions;

 

    title problems;

 

    pressure or irregularities in formations;

 

    equipment failures or accidents;

 

    adverse weather conditions; and

 

    compliance with environmental and other governmental requirements.

 

Future price declines may result in a write-down of our asset carrying values.

 

We utilize the full cost method of accounting for costs related to our oil and gas properties. Under this method, all such costs (for both productive and nonproductive properties) are capitalized and amortized on an aggregate basis over the estimated lives of the properties using the unit-of-production method. However, these capitalized costs are subject to a ceiling test which limits such pooled costs to the aggregate of the present value of future net revenues attributable to proved oil and natural gas reserves discounted at 10% plus the lower of cost or market value of unproved properties. The full cost ceiling is evaluated at the end of each quarter using the prices for oil and gas at that date, adjusted for the impact of derivatives accounted for as cash flow hedges. A significant decline in oil and gas prices from current levels, or other factors, without other mitigating circumstances, could cause a future writedown of capitalized costs and a non-cash charge against future earnings.

 

Our hedging activities may reduce the realized prices received for our oil and natural gas sales and require us to provide collateral for hedging liabilities.

 

In order to manage our exposure to price volatility in marketing our oil and gas, we enter into oil and gas price risk management arrangements for a portion of our expected production. Commodity price hedging may limit the prices we actually realize and therefore reduce oil and natural gas revenues in the future. The fair value of our oil and gas derivative instruments outstanding as of March 31, 2006 was an asset of approximately $43.5 million. In addition, our commodity price risk management transactions may expose us to the risk of financial loss in certain circumstances, including instances in which:

 

    our production is less than expected;

 

    there is a widening of price differentials between delivery points for our production and the delivery point assumed in the hedge arrangement; or

 

    the counterparties to our contracts fail to perform under the contracts.

 

All but two of our commodity price risk management counterparties require us to provide assurances of performance in the event that the counterparties’ mark-to-market exposure to us exceeds certain levels. Most of these arrangements allow us to minimize the potential liquidity impact of significant mark-to-market fluctuations by making collateral allocations from our revolving bank credit facility or directly pledging oil and natural gas properties rather than posting cash or letters of credit with the counterparties. As of March 31, 2006, we were required to post a total of $50 million of collateral with our counterparties through letters of credit issued under our revolving bank credit facility, in addition to collateral allocations and pledges of oil and natural gas properties, with respect to commodity price risk management transactions. As of June 23, 2006, we had outstanding transactions with twelve counterparties, seven of which hold collateral allocations from our bank facility or liens against certain oil and natural gas properties under our secured hedging facilities, and two of which do not require us to provide security for our risk management transactions. We were not required to post

 

17


Table of Contents

cash or letters of credit with the remaining three counterparties as of June 23, 2006. Future collateral requirements are uncertain and will depend on the arrangements with our counterparties and highly volatile natural gas and oil prices.

 

Lower oil and gas prices could negatively impact our ability to borrow.

 

Our revolving bank credit facility limits our borrowings to the lesser of the borrowing base (currently $2.5 billion) and the total commitments (currently $2.0 billion). The borrowing base is determined periodically at the discretion of the banks and is based in part on oil and natural gas prices. Additionally, some of our indentures contain covenants limiting our ability to incur indebtedness in addition to that incurred under our revolving bank credit facility. These indentures limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness unless we meet one of two alternative tests. The first alternative is based on our adjusted consolidated net tangible assets (as defined in all of our indentures), which is determined using discounted future net revenues from proved oil and natural gas reserves as of the end of each year. The second alternative is based on the ratio of our adjusted consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the relevant indentures) to our adjusted consolidated interest expense over a trailing twelve-month period. As of the date of this prospectus, we are permitted to incur significant additional indebtedness under both of these debt incurrence tests. Lower oil and gas prices in the future could reduce our adjusted consolidated EBITDA, as well as our adjusted consolidated net tangible assets, and thus could reduce our ability to incur additional indebtedness.

 

Oil and natural gas drilling and producing operations can be hazardous and may expose us to environmental liabilities.

 

Oil and natural gas operations are subject to many risks, including well blowouts, cratering and explosions, pipe failure, fires, formations with abnormal pressures, uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas, brine or well fluids, and other environmental hazards and risks. Our drilling operations involve risks from high pressures and from mechanical difficulties such as stuck pipes, collapsed casings and separated cables. If any of these risks occurs, we could sustain substantial losses as a result of:

 

    injury or loss of life;

 

    severe damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment;

 

    pollution or other environmental damage;

 

    clean-up responsibilities;

 

    regulatory investigations and administrative, civil and criminal penalties; and

 

    injunctions resulting in limitation or suspension of operations.

 

There is inherent risk of incurring significant environmental costs and liabilities in our exploration and production operations due to our generation, handling, and disposal of materials including wastes and petroleum hydrocarbons. We may incur joint and several, strict liability under applicable federal and state environmental laws in connection with releases of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes on, under or from our leased or owned properties, some of which have been used for oil and natural gas exploration and production activities for a number of years, oftentimes by third parties not under our control. While we may maintain insurance against some, but not all, of the risks described above, our insurance may not be adequate to cover casualty losses or liabilities. Also, in the future we may not be able to obtain insurance at premium levels that justify its purchase.

 

Risks Related to the Notes

 

Holders of the notes will be effectively subordinated to all of our and our subsidiaries’ secured indebtedness.

 

Holders of our secured indebtedness, which is comprised primarily of the indebtedness under our revolving bank credit facility, have claims with respect to our assets constituting collateral for their indebtedness that are

 

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prior to your claims under the notes. In the event of a default on the notes or our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, those assets would be available to satisfy obligations with respect to the indebtedness secured thereby before any payment could be made on the notes. Accordingly, the secured indebtedness would effectively be senior to the notes to the extent of the value of the collateral securing the indebtedness. While the indenture governing the notes places some limitations on our ability to create liens, there are significant exceptions to these limitations, including with respect to sale and leaseback transactions, that will allow us to secure indebtedness without equally and ratably securing the notes. To the extent the value of the collateral is not sufficient to satisfy the secured indebtedness, the holders of that indebtedness would be entitled to share with the holders of the notes and the holders of other claims against us with respect to our other assets. In addition, in certain circumstances a subsidiary may not be required to be, or may be delayed in becoming, a Subsidiary Guarantor. The notes will be structurally subordinated to any indebtedness of a subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

A guarantee could be voided if the guarantor fraudulently transferred the guarantee at the time it incurred the indebtedness, which could result in the noteholders being able to rely on only us to satisfy claims.

 

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

 

    intended to hinder, delay or defraud any present or future creditor or received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration for the incurrence of the guarantee;

 

    was insolvent or rendered insolvent by reason of such incurrence;

 

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

 

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

 

In addition, any payment by that guarantor under a guarantee could be voided and required to be returned to the guarantor or to a fund for the benefit of the creditors of the guarantor.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

    it could not pay its debts as they became due.

 

On the basis of historical financial information, recent operating history and other factors, we believe that the subsidiary guarantees are being incurred for proper purposes and in good faith and that each subsidiary guarantor, after giving effect to its guarantee of the notes, will not be insolvent, have unreasonably small capital for the business in which it is engaged or have incurred debts beyond its ability to pay those debts as they mature. We cannot be certain, however, that a court would agree with our conclusions in this regard.

 

You may find it difficult to sell your notes.

 

The notes will constitute a new issue of securities with no established public market. Although the underwriters have indicated that they intend to make a market in the notes, they are not obligated to do so and

 

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any of their market making activities may be terminated or limited at any time. In addition, although we have registered the offer and sale of the notes under the Securities Act of 1933 and intend to apply for a listing of the notes on the New York Stock Exchange, there can be no assurance as to the liquidity of markets that may develop for the notes, the ability of noteholders to sell their notes or the prices at which notes could be sold. The notes may trade at prices that are lower than their initial purchase price depending on many factors, including prevailing interest rates and the markets for similar securities. The liquidity of trading markets for the notes may also be adversely affected by general declines or disruptions in the markets for debt securities. Those market declines or disruptions could adversely affect the liquidity of and market for the notes independent of our financial performance or prospects. An active market for the notes may not develop or, if developed, may not continue. In the absence of an active trading market, you may not be able to transfer the notes within the time or at the price you desire.

 

The notes are not subject to a change-of-control put option and lack some covenants typically found in other comparably rated public debt securities.

 

Although the notes are rated below investment grade by both Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service, they lack the protection for holders of a change-of-control put option and several financial and other restrictive covenants associated with several other series of our outstanding senior notes and typically associated with comparably rated public debt securities, including:

 

    incurrence of additional indebtedness;

 

    payment of dividends and other restricted payments;

 

    sale of assets and the use of proceeds therefrom;

 

    transactions with affiliates; and

 

    dividend and other payment restrictions affecting subsidiaries.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We expect the net proceeds from this offering to be approximately $491.6 million, after deducting underwriters’ discounts and the estimated expenses of the offering payable by us. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with approximately $484.8 million in expected net proceeds from our pending public offering of preferred stock and $548.4 million in expected net proceeds from our pending public offering of common stock (each assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares), to fund the purchase of our pending acquisitions and to pay related fees and expenses. Any remaining net proceeds will be used to repay borrowings under our revolving bank credit facility and for general corporate purposes, including funding our pending acreage acquisition in the Delaware Basin of West Texas, our pending drilling company acquisition and other possible future acquisitions. This offering, however, is not conditioned upon the closing of the pending acquisitions or the consummation of either of our pending public offerings of preferred stock and common stock. Should the pending public offerings be unsuccessful, we will finance our pending acquisitions with borrowings under our revolving bank credit facility. Affiliates of certain of the underwriters in this offering are lenders under our existing revolving bank credit facility and may receive a portion of the proceeds from this offering. See “Underwriting.”

 

 

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table shows our unaudited capitalization as of March 31, 2006:

 

    on a historical basis;

 

    on a pro forma basis to reflect (i) the issuance of 5.2 million shares of our common stock in exchange for $83.2 million of our outstanding 4.125% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock on June 2, 2006, (ii) the issuance of 5.0 million shares of our common stock in exchange for $80.4 million of our outstanding 5.00% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series 2003) on June 2, 2006 and (iii) the consummation of this offering;

 

    on a pro forma basis to reflect the foregoing plus our pending public offering of 2,000,000 shares of mandatory convertible preferred stock with a stated value of $500.0 million and our pending public offering of 20,000,000 shares of common stock (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ options to purchase additional shares). The completion of this offering is not conditioned on the completion of either concurrent offerings (which in turn are not conditioned on this offering); and

 

    on a pro forma basis to reflect the foregoing plus the application of approximately $491.6 million in estimated net proceeds from this offering, $484.8 million in estimated net proceeds from our pending public offering of preferred stock and $548.4 million in estimated net proceeds from our pending public offering of common stock to fund our pending acquisitions and to pay related fees and expenses. This offering, the concurrent offering of preferred stock and the concurrent offering of common stock, however, are not conditioned upon the closing of our pending acquisitions. Any net proceeds available in the event our pending acquisitions are not consummated will be used to repay borrowings under our revolving bank credit facility and for general corporate purposes, including the funding of other possible future acquisitions. The following table does not give effect to our pending acreage acquisition in the Delaware Basin of West Texas or our pending drilling company acquisition.

 

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This table should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our historical financial statements and the accompanying notes included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2006, which are incorporated by reference herein.

 

     As of March 31, 2006

 
     Historical

    Pro Forma
for Exchanges
and this
Offering


    Pro Forma
for Exchanges
and all
Offerings


    Pro Forma
for Exchanges,
Offerings and
Acquisitions


 
     (in thousands)  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 38,286     $ 85,911     $ 1,119,036     $ 187,036  
    


 


 


 


Long-term debt:

                                

Revolving bank credit facility

   $ 444,000     $     $     $  

7.500% Senior Notes due 2013

     363,823       363,823       363,823       363,823  

         % Senior Notes due 2013

           500,000       500,000       500,000  

7.000% Senior Notes due 2014

     300,000       300,000       300,000       300,000  

7.500% Senior Notes due 2014

     300,000       300,000       300,000       300,000  

7.750% Senior Notes due 2015

     300,408       300,408       300,408       300,408  

6.375% Senior Notes due 2015

     600,000       600,000       600,000       600,000  

6.625% Senior Notes due 2016

     600,000       600,000       600,000       600,000  

6.875% Senior Notes due 2016

     670,437       670,437       670,437       670,437  

6.500% Senior Notes due 2017

     1,100,000       1,100,000       1,100,000       1,100,000  

6.250% Senior Notes due 2018

     600,000       600,000       600,000       600,000  

6.875% Senior Notes due 2020

     500,000       500,000       500,000       500,000  

2.750% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2035

     690,000       690,000       690,000       690,000  

Interest rate derivatives

     (48,817 )     (48,817 )     (48,817 )     (48,817 )

Discount, net of premium, on Senior Notes

     (98,936 )     (98,936 )     (98,936 )     (98,936 )
    


 


 


 


Total long-term debt

   $ 6,320,915     $ 6,376,915     $ 6,376,915     $ 6,376,915  

Stockholders’ equity:

                                

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 20,000,000 authorized:

                                

5.00% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series 2003), 842,673 shares (38,625 shares pro forma) issued and outstanding, entitled in liquidation to $84.3 million ($3.9 million pro forma)

     84,267       3,862       3,862       3,862  

4.125% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, 86,310 shares (3,065 shares pro forma) issued and outstanding, entitled in liquidation to $86.3 million ($3.1 million pro forma)

     86,310       3,065       3,065       3,065  

5.00% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series 2005), 4,600,000 shares issued and outstanding, entitled in liquidation to $460.0 million

     460,000       460,000       460,000       460,000  

4.50% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, 3,450,000 shares issued and outstanding, entitled in liquidation to $345.0 million

     345,000       345,000       345,000       345,000  

5.00% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series 2005B), 5,750,000 shares issued and outstanding, entitled in liquidation to $575.0 million

     575,000       575,000       575,000       575,000  

      % Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock, 2,000,000 shares issued and outstanding, entitled in liquidation to $500.0 million

                 500,000       500,000  

Common Stock, $0.01 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 387,352,930 issued and outstanding (397,573,842 shares pro forma for the exchanges and 417,573,842 shares pro forma our concurrent offerings)

     3,874       3,976       4,176       4,176  

Paid-in capital

     3,916,507       4,080,055       4,612,980       4,612,980  

Retained earnings

     1,687,214       1,687,214       1,687,214       1,687,214  

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax of ($141,357,000)

     230,635       230,635       230,635       230,635  

Less: treasury stock, at cost; 5,320,124 common shares

     (25,984 )     (25,984 )     (25,984 )     (25,984 )
    


 


 


 


Total stockholders’ equity

   $ 7,362,823     $ 7,362,823     $ 8,395,948     $ 8,395,948  
    


 


 


 


Total capitalization

   $ 13,683,738     $ 13,739,738     $ 14,772,863     $ 14,772,863  
    


 


 


 


 

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DESCRIPTION OF NOTES

 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation will issue the notes offered hereby (the “Notes”) under an indenture to be dated as of                     , 2006 (the “Indenture”), among the Company, as issuer, the Subsidiary Guarantors, as guarantors, and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”). The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the “Trust Indenture Act”).

 

The following description is only a summary of the material provisions of the Notes and the Indenture. These descriptions do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, the Notes and the Indenture. You may request copies of the Indenture at our address set forth under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Certain terms used in this description are defined under the subheading “—Certain Definitions.” In this description, the words “Company” and “we” refer only to Chesapeake Energy Corporation and not to any of its subsidiaries.

 

General

 

The Company will issue the Notes initially with a maximum aggregate principal amount of $500 million. The Company is permitted to issue additional Notes under the Indenture in an unlimited aggregate principal amount (“Add-On Notes”). Any Add-On Notes that are actually issued will be treated as issued and outstanding Notes (as the same class as the initial Notes) for all purposes of the Indenture and this “Description of Notes,” unless the context indicates otherwise. Each Note will mature on                      , 2013 and will bear interest at the rate of interest per annum indicated on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

Interest on the Notes issued in this offering will accrue from the Issue Date at an annual rate of             %, payable semi-annually in arrears on                       and                       of each year, commencing                      , 2006. We will make each interest payment to the holders of record of the Notes at the close of business on the                       or                       preceding such interest payment date. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. Principal, premium, if any, and interest will be payable at the offices of the Trustee and the paying agent, provided that, at the option of the Company, payment of interest on Notes not in global form may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as it appears in the register of the Notes maintained by the registrar. Initially, the Trustee will also act as paying agent and registrar for the Notes.

 

The Notes are unsecured senior obligations of the Company. The Notes rank pari passu in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Indebtedness of the Company and rank senior in right of payment to all future Subordinated Indebtedness of the Company.

 

Guarantees

 

On the Issue Date, all the existing domestic subsidiaries, other than certain de minimus subsidiaries and Nomac 100 Corp., which holds approximately $150 million in assets, and one foreign subsidiary of the Company will fully and unconditionally guarantee, on a joint and several basis, the Company’s obligations to pay principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes. The Indenture provides that each Person that becomes a domestic Subsidiary after the Issue Date and guarantees any other Indebtedness of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor in excess of a De Minimis Guaranteed Amount will guarantee the payment of the Notes within 180 days after the later of (i) the date it becomes a domestic Subsidiary and (ii) the date it guarantees such other Indebtedness, provided that no guarantee shall be required if the Subsidiary merges into the Company or an existing Subsidiary Guarantor and the surviving entity remains a Subsidiary Guarantor. Nomac 100 Corp. is a guarantor of all of our

 

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existing senior indebtedness. Accordingly, such other indebtedness will effectively rank senior to the Notes with respect to the assets of Nomac 100 Corp.

 

The obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor under its Guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent that Guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under federal, state or foreign law. Each Subsidiary Guarantor that makes a payment or distribution under a Guarantee shall be entitled to a contribution from each other Subsidiary Guarantor in a pro rata amount based on the respective net assets of each Subsidiary Guarantor at the time of such payment determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

If a Guarantee were rendered voidable, it could be subordinated by a court to all other indebtedness (including guarantees and other contingent liabilities) of the applicable Subsidiary Guarantor, and, depending on the amount of such indebtedness, a Subsidiary Guarantor’s liability on its Guarantee could be reduced to zero. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Notes—A guarantee could be voided if the guarantor fraudulently transferred the guarantee at the time it incurred the indebtedness, which could result in the noteholders being able to rely on only us to satisfy claims.”

 

Subject to the next succeeding paragraph, no Subsidiary Guarantor may consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not such Subsidiary Guarantor is the surviving Person) another Person unless:

 

(1) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than such Subsidiary Guarantor) assumes all the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor under the Indenture and the Notes pursuant to a supplemental indenture, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, and

 

(2) immediately after such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists.

 

The preceding does not prohibit a merger between Subsidiary Guarantors or a merger between the Company and a Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

In the event of a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor, or a sale or other disposition of all the Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor, in any case whether by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, then such Subsidiary Guarantor (in the event of a sale or other disposition by way of such a merger, consolidation or otherwise, of all of the Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor) or the Person acquiring the assets (in the event of a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor) will be released and relieved of any obligations under its Guarantee. Further, a Subsidiary Guarantor will be released and relieved from any obligations under its Guarantee if it ceases to guarantee any other Indebtedness of the Company or any other Subsidiary Guarantor other than a De Minimis Guaranteed Amount.

 

Ranking

 

Senior Indebtedness versus Notes. The Indebtedness evidenced by the Notes and the Guarantees will be unsecured and will rank pari passu in right of payment to all Senior Indebtedness of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, as the case may be.

 

As of March 31, 2006, the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors had approximately $6.5 billion in principal amount of Senior Indebtedness outstanding, of which $444 million was secured indebtedness under our revolving bank credit facility. Upon completion of this offering, our pending offerings of preferred stock and common stock and the ultimate application of the net proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds,” we would have had, on a pro forma basis as adjusted as of March 31, 2006, approximately $6.5 billion in principal amount of Senior Indebtedness outstanding, none of which would have been secured. If our pending acquisitions were paid for entirely with debt, we would expect to have long-term indebtedness of approximately $7.3 billion immediately following the acquisition. As of June 23, 2006, we had outstanding borrowings of $1.188 billion under our revolving bank credit facility.

 

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The Notes will be unsecured obligations of the Company. Secured debt and other secured obligations of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors (including obligations with respect to our revolving bank credit facility) will be effectively senior to the Notes to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt or other obligations.

 

Liabilities of Subsidiaries versus Notes. A substantial portion of the Company’s operations is conducted through its subsidiaries. Claims of creditors of any subsidiaries that are not Subsidiary Guarantors, including trade creditors and creditors holding indebtedness or guarantees issued by such subsidiaries, and claims of preferred stockholders of such subsidiaries will have priority with respect to the assets and earnings of such subsidiaries over the claims of the Company’s creditors, including holders of the Notes. Accordingly, the Notes will be effectively subordinated to creditors (including trade creditors) and preferred stockholders, if any, of the Company’s subsidiaries that are not Subsidiary Guarantors. As of the Issue Date, all of the Company’s existing domestic subsidiaries and one of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries will be Subsidiary Guarantors.

 

Although the Indenture limits the incurrence of certain secured Indebtedness of Company’s subsidiaries, such limitations are subject to a number of significant qualifications and the Indenture does not limit the incurrence of unsecured Indebtedness.

 

Make-Whole Redemption

 

At any time prior to the Maturity Date, the Company may, at its option, redeem all or any portion of the Notes at the Make-Whole Price plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption.

 

Certain Covenants

 

The following restrictive covenants will be applicable to the Company and its Subsidiaries.

 

Limitation on Liens. The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur or assume any Indebtedness secured by any Liens (other than Permitted Liens) upon any of the properties of the Company or any Subsidiary, unless the Notes or a Guarantee are equally and ratably secured; provided that if such Indebtedness is expressly subordinated to the Notes or a Guarantee, the Lien securing such Indebtedness will be subordinated and junior to the Lien securing the Notes or such Guarantee.

 

Limitation on Sale/Leaseback Transactions. The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Sale/Leaseback Transaction with any Person (other than the Company or any other Subsidiary) unless:

 

(1) the Company or such Subsidiary would be entitled to incur secured Indebtedness, in a principal amount equal to the Attributable Indebtedness with respect to such Sale/Leaseback Transaction in accordance with the covenant captioned “—Limitation on Liens”; or

 

(2) the Company or such Subsidiary receives proceeds from such Sale/Leaseback Transaction at least equal to the fair market value thereof (as determined in good faith by the Company’s Board of Directors, whose determination in good faith, evidenced by a resolution of such Board, shall be conclusive) and such proceeds are applied in accordance with the following two paragraphs:

 

The Company may apply Net Available Proceeds from such Sale/Leaseback Transaction, within 365 days following the receipt of Net Available Proceeds from the Sale/Leaseback Transaction, to:

 

(1) the repayment of Indebtedness of the Company or a Subsidiary under Credit Facilities or other Senior Indebtedness, including any mandatory redemption or repurchase or make-whole redemption of the Existing Notes or the Notes;

 

(2) make an Investment in assets used in the Oil and Gas Business; or

 

(3) develop by drilling the Company’s oil and gas reserves.

 

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If, upon completion of the 365-day period, any portion of the Net Available Proceeds shall not have been applied by the Company as described in clauses (1), (2) or (3) in the immediately preceding paragraph and such remaining Net Available Proceeds, together with any remaining net cash proceeds from any prior Sale/Leaseback Transaction (such aggregate constituting “Excess Proceeds”), exceed $40 million, then the Company will be obligated to make an offer (the “Net Proceeds Offer”) to purchase the Notes and any other Senior Indebtedness in respect of which such an offer to purchase is also required to be made concurrently with the Net Proceeds Offer having an aggregate principal amount equal to the Excess Proceeds (such purchase to be made on a pro rata basis if the amount available for such repurchase is less than the principal amount of the Notes and other such Senior Indebtedness tendered in such Net Proceeds Offer) at a purchase price of 100% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued interest to the date of repurchase. Upon the completion of the Net Proceeds Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds will be reset to zero.

 

Within 15 days after the Company becomes obligated to make a Net Proceeds Offer (a “Net Proceeds Offer Triggering Event”), the Company will mail or cause to be mailed to all Holders on the date of the Net Proceeds Offer Triggering Event a notice (the “Offer Notice”) of the occurrence of such Net Proceeds Offer Triggering Event and of the Holders’ rights arising as a result thereof. The Offer Notice shall state, among other things:

 

(1) that the offer is being made pursuant to this covenant;

 

(2) that any Note not tendered will continue to accrue interest;

 

(3) that any Note accepted for payment pursuant to the offer shall cease to accrue interest on the payment date; and

 

(4) the instructions, consistent with this covenant, that a Holder must follow in order to have such Holder’s Notes purchased.

 

The Net Proceeds Offer will be deemed to have commenced upon mailing of the Offer Notice and will terminate 20 business days after its commencement, unless a longer offering period is required by law. Promptly after the termination of the offer, the Company will purchase and mail or deliver payment for all Notes tendered in response to the offer.

 

On the payment date, the Company will, to the extent lawful, (a) accept for payment Notes or portions thereof tendered pursuant to the Net Proceeds Offer, (b) deposit with the paying agent an amount equal to the payment in respect of all Notes or portions thereof so tendered and (c) deliver to the Trustee the Notes so accepted together with an officers’ certificate stating the Notes or portions thereof tendered to the Company. The paying agent will promptly mail or deliver to each Holder of Notes so accepted payment in an amount equal to the purchase price for such Notes, and the Trustee will promptly authenticate and mail or deliver to each Holder a new Note equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered, if any, provided that each such new Note will be in a principal amount of $1,000 or an integral multiple thereof.

 

The Company will comply with Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the provisions of Regulation 14E and any other tender offer rules under the Exchange Act and any other federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations which may then be applicable to any Net Proceeds Offer.

 

During the period between any Sale/Leaseback Transaction and the application of the Net Available Proceeds therefrom in accordance with this covenant, all Net Available Proceeds shall be maintained in a segregated account and shall be invested in Permitted Financial Investments.

 

Limitations on Mergers and Consolidations. The Company will not consolidate or merge with or into any Person, or sell, convey, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to any Person, unless:

 

(1) the Person formed by or surviving such consolidation or merger (if other than the Company), or to which such sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition shall be made (collectively, the “Successor”), is a

 

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corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership organized and existing under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, or Canada or any province thereof, and the Successor assumes by supplemental indenture in a form satisfactory to the Trustee all of the obligations of the Company under the Indenture and under the Notes; provided, that unless the Successor is a corporation, a corporate co-issuer of the Notes will be added to the Indenture by such supplemental indenture; and

 

(2) immediately before and after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

SEC Reports. Notwithstanding that the Company may not be required to remain subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the Company will file with the SEC and provide the Trustee and Holders with annual reports and such information, documents and other reports specified in Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

 

Certain Definitions

 

The following is a summary of certain defined terms used in the Indenture. Reference is made to the Indenture for the full definition of all such terms and for the definitions of capitalized terms used in this prospectus and not defined below.

 

“Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” or “ACNTA” means, without duplication, as of the date of determination, (a) the sum of

 

(1) discounted future net revenue from proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines before any state or federal income taxes, as estimated by petroleum engineers (which may include the Company’s internal engineers) in a reserve report prepared as of the end of the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year, as increased by, as of the date of determination, the discounted future net revenue of (A) estimated proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries attributable to any acquisition consummated since the date of such year-end reserve report and (B) estimated proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries attributable to extensions, discoveries and other additions and upward revisions of estimates of proved oil and gas reserves due to exploration, development or exploitation, production or other activities conducted or otherwise occurring since the date of such year-end reserve report which, in the case of sub-clauses (A) and (B), would, in accordance with standard industry practice, result in such increases as calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in such year-end reserve report), and decreased by, as of the date of determination, the discounted future net revenue of (C) estimated proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries produced or disposed of since the date of such year-end reserve report and (D) reductions in the estimated oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries since the date of such year-end reserve report attributable to downward revisions of estimates of proved oil and gas reserves due to exploration, development or exploitation, production or other activities conducted or otherwise occurring since the date of such year-end reserve report which, in the case of sub-clauses (C) and (D) would, in accordance with standard industry practice, result in such decreases as calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in such year-end reserve report); provided that, in the case of each of the determinations made pursuant to clauses (A) through (D), such increases and decreases shall be as estimated by the Company’s engineers,

 

(2) the capitalized costs that are attributable to oil and gas properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries to which no proved oil and gas reserves are attributable, based on the Company’s books and records as of a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements,

 

(3) the Net Working Capital on a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements and

 

(4) the greater of (A) the net book value on a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements and (B) the appraised value, as estimated by independent appraisers,

 

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of other tangible assets (including Investments in unconsolidated Subsidiaries) of the Company and its Subsidiaries, as of a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest audited financial statements,

 

minus (b) the sum of

 

(1) minority interests,

 

(2) any gas balancing liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries reflected as a long-term liability in the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements,

 

(3) the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in the Company’s year-end reserve report), attributable to reserves which are required to be delivered to third parties to fully satisfy the obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to Volumetric Production Payments on the schedules specified with respect thereto,

 

(4) the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines, attributable to reserves subject to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments which, based on the estimates of production included in determining the discounted future net revenue specified in (a)(1) above (utilizing the same prices utilized in the Company’s year-end reserve report), would be necessary to fully satisfy the payment obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments on the schedules specified with respect thereto and

 

(5) the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the same prices utilized in the Company’s year-end reserve report), attributable to reserves subject to participation interests, overriding royalty interests or other interests of third parties, pursuant to participation, partnership, vendor financing or other agreements then in effect, or which otherwise are required to be delivered to third parties.

 

If the Company changes its method of accounting from the full cost method to the successful efforts method or a similar method of accounting, ACNTA will continue to be calculated as if the Company were still using the full cost method of accounting.

 

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

 

“Attributable Indebtedness” means, with respect to any particular lease under which any Person is at the time liable and at any date as of which the amount thereof is to be determined, the present value of the total net amount of rent required to be paid by such Person under the lease during the primary term thereof, without giving effect to any renewals at the option of the lessee, discounted from the respective due dates thereof to such date at the rate of interest per annum implicit in the terms of the lease. As used in the preceding sentence, the “net amount of rent” under any lease for any such period shall mean the sum of rental and other payments required to be paid with respect to such period by the lessee thereunder excluding any amounts required to be paid by such lessee on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges. In the case of any lease which is terminable by the lessee upon payment of a penalty, such net amount of rent shall also include the amount of such penalty, but no rent shall be considered as required to be paid under such lease subsequent to the first date upon which it may be so terminated.

 

“Average Life” means, as of the date of determination, with respect to any Indebtedness, the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the product of (x) the number of years from such date to the date of each successive scheduled principal payment of such Indebtedness multiplied by (y) the amount of such principal payment by (b) the sum of all such principal payments.

 

“Capital Stock” means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares, interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock or partnership or limited liability company interests and any

 

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and all warrants, options and rights with respect thereto (whether or not currently exercisable), including each class of common stock and preferred stock of such Person.

 

“Capitalized Lease Obligations” of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under a lease of property, real or personal, that is required to be capitalized for financial reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

“Credit Facilities” means, one or more debt facilities (including, without limitation, the Company’s existing credit facility) or commercial paper facilities, in each case with banks, investment banks, insurance companies, mutual funds and/or other institutional lenders providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, receivables financing (including through the sale of receivables to such lenders or to special purpose entities formed to borrow from (or sell receivables to) such lenders against such receivables) or letters of credit, in each case, as amended, extended, restated, renewed, refunded, replaced or refinanced (in each case with Credit Facilities), supplemented or otherwise modified (in whole or in part and without limitation as to amount, terms, conditions, covenants and other provisions) from time to time.

 

“Currency Hedge Obligations” means, at any time as to the Company and its Subsidiaries, the obligations of any such Person at such time that were incurred in the ordinary course of business pursuant to any foreign currency exchange agreement, option or futures contract or other similar agreement or arrangement designed to protect against or manage such Person’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

“De Minimis Guaranteed Amount” means a principal amount of Indebtedness that does not exceed $5 million.

 

“Disqualified Stock” means any Capital Stock of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company which, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event or with the passage of time, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof, in whole or in part, on or prior to the Maturity Date or which is exchangeable or convertible into debt securities of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, except to the extent that such exchange or conversion rights cannot be exercised prior to the Maturity Date.

 

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

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC hereunder.

 

“Existing Notes” means the Company’s outstanding (a) 7.5% Senior Notes due 2013, (b) 7.5% Senior Notes due 2014, (c) 7% Senior Notes due 2014, (d) 7.75% Senior Notes due 2015, (e) 6.375% Senior Notes due 2015, (f) 6.875% Senior Notes due 2016, (g) 6.625% Senior Notes due 2016, (h) 6.5% Senior Notes due 2017, (i) 6.25% Senior Notes due 2018, (j) 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020 and (k) 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2035.

 

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles as in effect in the United States of America as of the Issue Date.

 

“Guarantee” means, individually and collectively, the guarantees given by the Subsidiary Guarantors pursuant to Article Ten of the Indenture.

 

“Holder” means a Person in whose name a Note is registered on the registrar’s books.

 

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“Indebtedness” means, without duplication, with respect to any Person,

 

(a) all obligations of such Person

 

(1) in respect of borrowed money (whether or not the recourse of the lender is to the whole of the assets of such Person or only to a portion thereof),

 

(2) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments,

 

(3) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property or services (other than accounts payable or other obligations arising in the ordinary course of business),

 

(4) evidenced by bankers’ acceptances or similar instruments issued or accepted by banks,

 

(5) for the payment of money relating to a Capitalized Lease Obligation, or

 

(6) evidenced by a letter of credit or a reimbursement obligation of such Person with respect to any letter of credit;

 

(b) all net obligations of such Person under Interest Rate Hedging Agreements, Oil and Gas Hedging Contracts, and Currency Hedge Obligations, except to the extent such net obligations are taken into account in the determination of future net revenues from proved oil and gas reserves for purposes of the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets;

 

(c) all liabilities of others of the kind described in the preceding clauses (a) or (b) that such Person has guaranteed or that are otherwise its legal liability (including, with respect to any Production Payment, any warranties or guaranties of production or payment by such Person with respect to such Production Payment but excluding other contractual obligations of such Person with respect to such Production Payment);

 

(d) Indebtedness (as otherwise defined in this definition) of another Person secured by a Lien on any asset of such Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by such Person, the amount of such obligations being deemed to be the lesser of

 

(1) the full amount of such obligations so secured and

 

(2) the fair market value of such asset, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of such Person, which determination shall be evidenced by a resolution of such Board;

 

(e) with respect to such Person, the liquidation preference or any mandatory redemption payment obligations in respect of Disqualified Stock;

 

(f) the aggregate preference in respect of amounts payable on the issued and outstanding shares of preferred stock of any of such Person’s Subsidiaries in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up (excluding any such preference attributable to such shares of preferred stock that are owned by such Person or any of its Subsidiaries; provided, that if such Person is the Company, such exclusion shall be for such preference attributable to such shares of preferred stock that are owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries); and

 

(g) any and all deferrals, renewals, extensions, refinancings and refundings (whether direct or indirect) of, or amendments, modifications or supplements to, any liability of the kind described in any of the preceding clauses (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) or (f) or this clause (g), whether or not between or among the same parties.

 

Subject to clause (c) of the preceding sentence, neither Dollar-Denominated Production Payments nor Volumetric Production Payments shall be deemed to be Indebtedness.

 

“Interest Rate Hedging Agreements” means, with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries, the obligations of such Persons under (a) interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements and interest rate collar agreements and (b) other agreements or arrangements designed to protect any such Person or any of its Subsidiaries against fluctuations in interest rates.

 

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“Investment” of any Person means (a) all investments by such Person in any other Person in the form of loans, advances or capital contributions, (b) all guarantees of Indebtedness or other obligations of any other Person by such Person, (c) all purchases (or other acquisitions for consideration) by such Person of assets, Indebtedness, Capital Stock or other securities of any other Person and (d) all other items that would be classified as investments (including, without limitation, purchases of assets outside the ordinary course of business) or advances on a balance sheet of such Person prepared in accordance with GAAP.

 

“Issue Date” means the first date on which the Notes are originally issued,                         , 2006.

 

“Lien” means, with respect to any Person, any mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, easement, restriction, covenant, right-of-way, charge or adverse claim affecting title or resulting in an encumbrance against real or personal property of such Person, or a security interest of any kind (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, any option, right of first refusal or other similar agreement to sell, in each case securing obligations of such Person and any filing of or agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent statute or statutes) of any jurisdiction).

 

“Make-Whole Amount” with respect to a Note means an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (a) the present value of the remaining interest, premium and principal payments due on such Note (excluding any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the redemption date) as if such Note were redeemed on the Maturity Date, computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate plus 50 basis points, over (b) the outstanding principal amount of such Note. “Treasury Rate” with respect to a Note means the yield to maturity (calculated on a semi-annual bond equivalent basis) at the time of the computation of United States Treasury securities with a constant maturity (as compiled by and published in the most recent Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15(519), which has become publicly available at least two business days prior to the date of the redemption notice or, if such Statistical Release is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar market data) most nearly equal to the then remaining maturity of such Note assuming that such Note will be redeemed on the Maturity Date; provided, however, that if the Make-Whole Average Life of a Note is not equal to the constant maturity of the United States Treasury security for which a weekly average yield is given, the Treasury Rate shall be obtained by linear interpolation (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth of a year) from the weekly average yields of United States Treasury securities for which such yields are given, except that if the Make-Whole Average Life of such Note is less than one year, the weekly average yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year shall be used. “Make-Whole Average Life” means, with respect to a Note, the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth of a year) between the date of redemption of such Note and the Maturity Date.

 

“Make-Whole Price” means the sum of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed plus the Make-Whole Amount of such Notes.

 

“Maturity Date” means                          , 2013.

 

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

 

“Net Available Proceeds” means, with respect to any Sale/Leaseback Transaction of any Person, cash proceeds received (including any cash proceeds received by way of deferred payment of principal pursuant to a note or installment receivable or otherwise, but only as and when received, and excluding any other consideration until such time as such consideration is converted into cash) therefrom, in each case net of all legal, title and recording tax expenses, commissions and other fees and expenses incurred, and all federal, state or local taxes required to be accrued as a liability as a consequence of such Sale/Leaseback Transaction, and in each case net of all Indebtedness which is secured by such assets, in accordance with the terms of any Lien upon or with respect to such assets, or which must, by its terms or in order to obtain a necessary consent to such Sale/Leaseback Transaction or by applicable law, be repaid out of the proceeds from such Sale/Leaseback Transaction and which is actually so repaid.

 

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“Net Working Capital” means (a) all current assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, minus (b) all current liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries, except current liabilities included in Indebtedness.

 

“Oil and Gas Business” means the business of the exploration for, and exploitation, development, production, processing (but not refining), marketing, storage and transportation of, hydrocarbons, and other related energy and natural resource businesses (including oil and gas services businesses related to the foregoing).

 

“Oil and Gas Hedging Contracts” means any oil and gas purchase or hedging agreement, and other agreement or arrangement, in each case, that is designed to provide protection against price fluctuations of oil, gas or other commodities.

 

“Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness” means Indebtedness of the Company, the net proceeds of which are used to renew, extend, refinance, refund or repurchase outstanding Indebtedness of the Company, provided that

 

(1) if the Indebtedness (including the Notes) being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased is pari passu with or subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, then such Indebtedness is pari passu or subordinated in right of payment to, as the case may be, the Notes at least to the same extent as the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased,

 

(2) such Indebtedness is scheduled to mature no earlier than the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased, and

 

(3) such Indebtedness has an Average Life at the time such Indebtedness is incurred that is equal to or greater than the Average Life of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased;

 

provided, further, that such Indebtedness (to the extent that such Indebtedness constitutes Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness) is in an aggregate principal amount (or, if such Indebtedness is issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, the aggregate amount of gross proceeds therefrom is) not in excess of the aggregate principal amount then outstanding of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased (or if the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased was issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, then not in excess of the amount of liability in respect thereof determined in accordance with GAAP).

 

“Permitted Financial Investments” means the following kinds of instruments if, in the case of instruments referred to in clauses (1)-(4) below, on the date of purchase or other acquisition of any such instrument by the Company or any Subsidiary, the remaining term to maturity is not more than one year:

 

(1) readily marketable obligations issued or unconditionally guaranteed as to principal of and interest thereon by the United States of America or by any agency or authority controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the United States of America;

 

(2) repurchase obligations for instruments of the type described in clause (1) for which delivery of the instrument is made against payment;

 

(3) obligations (including, but not limited to, demand or time deposits, bankers’ acceptances and certificates of deposit) issued by a depository institution or trust company incorporated or doing business under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia or a branch or subsidiary of any such depository institution or trust company operating outside the United States, provided, that such depository institution or trust company has, at the time of the Company’s or such Subsidiary’s investment therein or contractual commitment providing for such investment, capital surplus or undivided profits (as of the date of such institution’s most recently published financial statements) in excess of $500,000,000;

 

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(4) commercial paper issued by any corporation, if such commercial paper has, at the time of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s investment therein or contractual commitment providing for such investment, credit ratings of A-1 (or higher) by S&P and P-1 (or higher) by Moody’s; and

 

(5) money market mutual or similar funds having assets in excess of $500,000,000.

 

“Permitted Liens” means

 

(1) Liens existing on the Issue Date;

 

(2) Liens securing Indebtedness under Credit Facilities;

 

(3) Liens now or hereafter securing any obligations under Interest Rate Hedging Agreements so long as the related Indebtedness (a) constitutes the Existing Notes or the Notes (or any Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof) or (b) is, or is permitted to be under the Indenture, secured by a Lien on the same property securing such interest rate hedging obligations;

 

(4) Liens securing Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness or Permitted Subsidiary Refinancing Indebtedness; provided, that such Liens extend to or cover only the property or assets currently securing the Indebtedness being refinanced and that the Indebtedness being refinanced was not incurred under the Credit Facilities;

 

(5) Liens for taxes, assessments and governmental charges not yet delinquent or being contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been established to the extent required by GAAP;

 

(6) mechanics’, worker’s, materialmen’s, operators’ or similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business;

 

(7) Liens in connection with worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance or other social security, old age pension or public liability obligations;

 

(8) Liens, deposits or pledges to secure the performance of bids, tenders, contracts (other than contracts for the payment of money), leases, public or statutory obligations, surety, stay, appeal, indemnity, performance or other similar bonds, or other similar obligations arising in the ordinary course of business;

 

(9) survey exceptions, encumbrances, easements or reservations of, or rights of others for, rights of way, zoning or other restrictions as to the use of real properties, and minor defects in title which, in the case of any of the foregoing, were not incurred or created to secure the payment of borrowed money or the deferred purchase price of property or services, and in the aggregate do not materially adversely affect the value of such properties or materially impair use for the purposes of which such properties are held by the Company or any Subsidiaries;

 

(10) Liens on, or related to, properties to secure all or part of the costs incurred in the ordinary course of business of exploration, drilling, development or operation thereof;

 

(11) Liens on pipeline or pipeline facilities which arise out of operation of law;

 

(12) judgment and attachment Liens not giving rise to an Event of Default or Liens created by or existing from any litigation or legal proceeding that are currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been made;

 

(13) (a) Liens upon any property of any Person existing at the time of acquisition thereof by the Company or a Subsidiary, (b) Liens upon any property of a Person existing at the time such Person is merged or consolidated with the Company or any Subsidiary or existing at the time of the sale or transfer of any such property of such Person to the Company or any Subsidiary, or (c) Liens upon any property of a Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary; provided, that in each case such Lien has not been created in contemplation of such sale, merger, consolidation, transfer or acquisition, and provided that in each such case no such Lien shall extend to or cover any property of the Company or any Subsidiary other than the property being acquired and improvements thereon;

 

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(14) Liens on deposits to secure public or statutory obligations or in lieu of surety or appeal bonds entered into in the ordinary course of business;

 

(15) Liens in favor of collecting or payor banks having a right of setoff, revocation, refund or chargeback with respect to money or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary on deposit with or in possession of such bank;

 

(16) purchase money security interests granted in connection with the acquisition of assets in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices, provided, that (A) such Liens attach only to the property so acquired with the purchase money indebtedness secured thereby and (B) such Liens secure only Indebtedness that is not in excess of 100% of the purchase price of such assets;

 

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

 

(18) Liens arising under partnership agreements, oil and gas leases, farm-out agreements, division orders, contracts for the sale, purchase, exchange, transportation or processing (but not refining) of oil, gas or other hydrocarbons, unitization and pooling declarations and agreements, development agreements, operating agreements, area of mutual interest agreements, and other similar agreements which are customary in the Oil and Gas Business;

 

(19) Liens securing obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under Currency Hedge Obligations or Oil and Gas Hedging Contracts;

 

(20) Liens to secure Dollar-Denominated Production Payments and Volumetric Production Payments; and

 

(21) Liens securing other Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount which, together with all other Indebtedness outstanding on the date of such incurrence and secured by Liens pursuant to this clause (21), does not exceed 15% of Adjusted Consolidated Tangible Net Assets.

 

“Permitted Subsidiary Refinancing Indebtedness” means Indebtedness of any Subsidiary, the net proceeds of which are used to renew, extend, refinance, refund or repurchase outstanding Indebtedness of such Subsidiary, provided that

 

(1) if the Indebtedness (including the Guarantees) being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased is pari passu with or subordinated in right of payment to the Guarantees, then such Indebtedness is pari passu with or subordinated in right of payment to, as the case may be, the Guarantees at least to the same extent as the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased,

 

(2) such Indebtedness is scheduled to mature no earlier than the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased, and

 

(3) such Indebtedness has an Average Life at the time such Indebtedness is incurred that is equal to or greater than the Average Life of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased;

 

provided, further, that such Indebtedness (to the extent that such Indebtedness constitutes Permitted Subsidiary Refinancing Indebtedness) is in an aggregate principal amount (or, if such Indebtedness is issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, the aggregate amount of gross proceeds therefrom is) not in excess of the aggregate principal amount then outstanding of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased (or if the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased was issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, then not in excess of the amount of liability in respect thereof determined in accordance with GAAP).

 

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, estate, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

 

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

 

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

 

“Sale/Leaseback Transaction” means with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any arrangement with any Person providing for the leasing by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any principal property, acquired or placed into service more than 180 days prior to such arrangement, whereby such property has been or is to be sold or transferred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to such Person.

 

“Senior Indebtedness” means any Indebtedness of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor (whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter incurred), unless such Indebtedness is contractually subordinate or junior in right of payment of principal, premium and interest to the Notes or the Guarantees, respectively.

 

Subordinated Indebtedness of a Subsidiary Guarantor” means any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary Guarantor, whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter created, incurred or assumed, which is contractually subordinate or junior in right of payment of principal, premium and interest to the Guarantees.

 

Subordinated Indebtedness of the Company” means any Indebtedness of the Company, whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter incurred, which is contractually subordinate or junior in right of payment of principal, premium and interest to the Notes.

 

“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company. A “subsidiary” of any Person means

 

(1) a corporation a majority of whose Voting Stock is at the time, directly or indirectly, owned by such Person, by one or more subsidiaries of such Person or by such Person and one or more subsidiaries of such Person,

 

(2) a partnership in which such Person or a subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if such Person or its subsidiary is entitled to receive more than 50 percent of the assets of such partnership upon its dissolution, or

 

(3) any other Person (other than a corporation or partnership) in which such Person, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination thereof, has (x) at least a majority ownership interest or (y) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

 

“Subsidiary Guarantor” means (a) each of the domestic Subsidiaries on the Issue Date, other than Nomac 100 Corp. and Subsidiaries that are not guarantors of other Indebtedness of the Company in excess of a De Minimus Guaranteed Amount, (b) Chesapeake Eagle Canada Corp., a Canadian Subsidiary, and (c) each of the other Subsidiaries that becomes a guarantor of the Notes in compliance with the terms of the Indenture.

 

“U.S. Government Securities” means securities that are (1) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (2) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America, which, in either case under clauses (1) or (2) are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.

 

“U.S. Legal Tender” means such coin or currency of the United States as at the time of payment shall be legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

 

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

 

“Voting Stock” means, with respect to any Person, securities of any class or classes of Capital Stock in such Person entitling the holders thereof (whether at all times or only so long as no senior class of stock has voting

 

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power by reason of contingency) to vote in the election of members of the Board of Directors or other governing body of such Person.

 

Events of Default

 

The following will be Events of Default with respect to the Notes:

 

(1) default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in the payment of principal of or premium, if any, on the Notes when due and payable at maturity, upon repurchase pursuant to the covenant described under “Limitation on Sale/Leaseback Transactions”, upon acceleration or otherwise;

 

(2) default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor for 30 days in payment of any interest on the Notes;

 

(3) default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in the deposit of any make-whole redemption payment;

 

(4) default on any other Indebtedness of the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Subsidiary if either

 

(A) such default results in the acceleration of the maturity of any such Indebtedness having a principal amount of $50.0 million or more individually or, taken together with the principal amount of any other such Indebtedness the maturity of which has been so accelerated, in the aggregate, or

 

(B) such default results from the failure to pay when due principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, any such Indebtedness, after giving effect to any applicable grace period (a “Payment Default”), having a principal amount of $50.0 million or more individually or, taken together with the principal amount of any other Indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default, in the aggregate;

 

provided that if any such default is cured or waived or any such acceleration is rescinded, or such Indebtedness is repaid, within a period of 30 days from the continuation of such default beyond any applicable grace period or the occurrence of such acceleration, as the case may be, such Event of Default and any consequent acceleration of the Notes shall be rescinded, so long as any such rescission does not conflict with any judgment or decree or applicable provision of law;

 

(5) default in the performance, or breach of, the covenant set forth in the covenant captioned “Limitations on Mergers and Consolidations,” or in the performance, or breach of, any other covenant or agreement of the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in the Indenture and failure to remedy such default within a period of 45 days after written notice thereof from the Trustee or Holders of 25% of the principal amount of the outstanding Notes;

 

(6) the entry by a court of one or more judgments or orders for the payment of money against the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Subsidiary in an aggregate amount in excess of $50.0 million (net of applicable insurance coverage by a third party insurer which is acknowledged in writing by such insurer) that has not been vacated, discharged, satisfied or stayed pending appeal within 60 days from the entry thereof;

 

(7) the failure of a Guarantee by a Subsidiary Guarantor to be in full force and effect, or the denial or disaffirmance by such entity thereof; or

 

(8) certain events involving bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company.

 

The Indenture provides that the Trustee may withhold notice to the Holders of the Notes of any default (except in payment of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on the Notes) if the Trustee considers it in the interest of the Holders of the Notes to do so.

 

If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Notes outstanding may declare the principal of and premium, if any, and accrued but unpaid

 

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interest on all the Notes to be due and payable. Upon such a declaration, such principal, premium, if any, and interest will be due and payable immediately. If an Event of Default relating to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company occurs and is continuing, the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on all the Notes will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holders of the Notes. The amount due and payable on the acceleration of any Note will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Note, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of payment. Under certain circumstances, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may rescind any such acceleration with respect to the Notes and its consequences.

 

No Holder of a Note may pursue any remedy under the Indenture unless

 

(1) the Trustee shall have received written notice of a continuing Event of Default,

 

(2) the Trustee shall have received a request from Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Notes to pursue such remedy,

 

(3) the Trustee shall have been offered indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it,

 

(4) the Trustee shall have failed to act for a period of 60 days after receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity and

 

(5) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes;

 

provided, however, such provision does not affect the right of a Holder of any Note to sue for enforcement of any overdue payment thereon.

 

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the Trustee, subject to certain limitations specified in the Indenture. The Indenture requires the annual filing by the Company with the Trustee of a written statement as to compliance with the covenants contained in the Indenture.

 

Modification and Waiver

 

Supplements and amendments to the Indenture or the Notes may be made by the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding; provided that no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the Holder of each Note then outstanding affected thereby,

 

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

 

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

 

(3) reduce the principal amount of any Note or change the Maturity Date;

 

(4) reduce the redemption price, including premium, if any, payable upon redemption of any Note or change the time at which any Note may or shall be redeemed;

 

(5) reduce the purchase price payable upon the repurchase of any Note in connection with a Net Proceeds Offer, or change the time at which any Note may or shall be repurchased thereunder;

 

(6) make any Note payable in money other than that stated in such Note;

 

(7) impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, any Note;

 

(8) make any change in the percentage of principal amount of Notes necessary to waive compliance with certain provisions of the Indenture; or

 

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(9) waive a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Notes.

 

Supplements and amendments of the Indenture may be made by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of any Holders of the Notes in certain limited circumstances, including

 

(a) to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency,

 

(b) to provide for the assumption of the obligations of the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor under the Indenture upon the merger, consolidation or sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or such Subsidiary Guarantor,

 

(c) to reflect the release of any Subsidiary Guarantor from its Guarantee of the Notes, or the addition of any Subsidiary of the Company as a Subsidiary Guarantor, in the manner provided in the Indenture,

 

(d) to comply with any requirement of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act or

 

(e) to make any change that would provide any additional benefit to the Holders or that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder of the Notes in any material respect.

 

The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding may waive any past default under the Indenture, except a default in the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest.

 

Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance

 

The Company may, at its option and at any time, elect to have its obligations discharged with respect to the outstanding Notes (“Legal Defeasance”). Such Legal Defeasance means that the Company will be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by such Notes, except for

 

(1) the rights of Holders of the Notes to receive payments solely from the trust fund described in the following paragraph in respect of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes when such payments are due,

 

(2) the Company’s obligations with respect to the Notes concerning the issuance of temporary Notes, transfers and exchanges of the Notes, replacement of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Notes, the maintenance of an office or agency where the Notes may be surrendered for transfer or exchange or presented for payment, and duties of paying agents,

 

(3) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee, and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith and

 

(4) the Legal Defeasance provisions of the Indenture.

 

In addition, the Company may, at its option and at any time, elect to have the obligations of the Company released with respect to certain covenants described under “—Certain Covenants” (“Covenant Defeasance”), and thereafter any omission to comply with such obligations shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default. In the event Covenant Defeasance occurs, certain events (not including non-payment) described under “—Events of Default” will no longer constitute an Event of Default. If we exercise our Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance option, each Subsidiary Guarantor will be released from all its obligations under the Indenture and its Guarantee.

 

In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance under the Indenture,

 

(1) the Company must irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders of the Notes, cash in U.S. Legal Tender, U.S. Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in such amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public

 

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accountants, to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the outstanding amount of the Notes on the Maturity Date or on the applicable mandatory redemption date, as the case may be, of such principal or installment of principal, premium, if any, or interest;

 

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

 

(A) the Company has received from or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or

 

(B) since the date of the Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion of counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. Federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to U.S. Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

 

(3) in the case of Covenant Defeasance, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee to the effect that the Holders of the Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. Federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;

 

(4) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or insofar as Events of Default from bankruptcy or insolvency events are concerned, at any time in the period ending on the 91st day after the date of deposit;

 

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

 

(6) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an officers’ certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of preferring the Holders of the Notes over other creditors of the Company or with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of the Company or others; and

 

(7) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel each stating that the Company has complied with all conditions precedent provided for relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance.

 

Governing Law

 

The Indenture provides that it and the Notes will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

 

The Trustee

 

The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. is the Trustee under the Indenture. The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. also serves as trustee for our 7.5% Senior Notes due 2013, our 7% Senior Notes due 2014, our 7.5% Senior Notes due 2014, our 7.75% Senior Notes due 2015, our 6.375% Senior Notes due 2015, our 6.875% Senior Notes due 2016, our 6.625% Senior Notes due 2016, our 6.5% Senior Notes due 2017, our 6.25% Senior Notes due 2018, our 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020 and our 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2035. We may also maintain banking and other commercial relationships with the Trustee and its affiliates in the ordinary course of business, and the Trustee may own our debt securities. The Trustee’s address is 2 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1020, Chicago, Illinois 60602. The Company has also appointed the Trustee as the initial registrar and paying agent under the Indenture.

 

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The Trustee is permitted to become an owner or pledgee of the Notes and may otherwise deal with the Company or its Subsidiaries or Affiliates with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. If, however, the Trustee acquires any conflicting interest (as defined in the Trust Indenture Act) after an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, it must eliminate such conflict or resign.

 

In case an Event of Default shall occur (and be continuing), the Trustee will be required to use the degree of care and skill of a prudent person in the conduct of such person’s own affairs. The Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its powers under the Indenture at the request of any of the Holders of the Notes, unless such Holders have offered the Trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it.

 

Book Entry, Delivery and Form

 

The Notes sold will be issued in the form of one or more global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary and registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee. Except as set forth below, the global securities may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to the Depositary or another nominee of the Depositary. Investors may hold their beneficial interests in the global securities directly through the Depositary if they have an account with the Depositary or indirectly through organizations which have accounts with the Depositary.

 

Notes that are issued as described below under “—Certificated Notes” will be issued in definitive form. Upon the transfer of Notes in definitive form, such Notes will, unless the global securities have previously been exchanged for Notes in definitive form, be exchanged for an interest in the global securities representing the aggregate principal amount of Notes being transferred.

 

The Depositary has advised the Company as follows: The Depositary is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. The Depositary was created to hold securities of institutions that have accounts with the Depositary (“participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among its participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. The Depositary’s participants include securities brokers and dealers (which may include the underwriters), banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. Access to the Depositary’s book-entry system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant, whether directly or indirectly.

 

The Company expects that pursuant to procedures established by the Depositary, upon the issuance of the global securities, the Depositary will credit, on its book-entry registrations and transfer system, the aggregate principal amount of Notes represented by such global securities to the accounts of participants. The accounts to be credited shall be designated by the underwriter of the Notes. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities will be limited to participants or Persons that may hold interests through participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities will be shown on, and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the Depositary (with respect to participants’ interest) and such participants (with respect to the owners of beneficial interests in the global securities other than participants). The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such limits and laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in the global securities.

 

So long as the Depositary, or its nominee, is the Holder of the global securities, the Depositary or such nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole legal owner and Holder of the Notes for all purposes of the Notes and the Indenture. Except as set forth below, you will not be entitled to have the Notes represented by the global securities registered in your name, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of

 

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certificated Notes in definitive form and will not be considered to be the owner or Holder of any Notes under the global securities. The Company understands that under existing industry practice, in the event an owner of a beneficial interest in the global securities desires to take any action that the Depositary, as the Holder of the global securities, is entitled to take, the Depositary will authorize the participants to take such action, and that the participants will authorize beneficial owners owning through such participants to take such action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through them.

 

The Company will make all payments on Notes represented by the global securities registered in the name of and held by the Depositary or its nominee to the Depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the owner and Holder of the global securities.

 

The Company expects that the Depositary or its nominee, upon receipt of any payment in respect of the global securities, will credit participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the aggregate principal amount of the global securities as shown on the records of the Depositary or its nominee. The Company also expects that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interest in the global securities held through such participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices and will be the responsibility of such participants. The Company will not have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to, or payments made on account of, beneficial ownership interests in the global securities for any Notes or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between the Depositary and its participants or the relationship between such participants and the owners of beneficial interests in the global securities owning through such participants.

 

Although the Depositary has agreed to the foregoing procedures in order to facilitate transfers of interests in the global securities among participants of the Depositary, it is under no obligations to perform or continue to perform such procedures, and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither the Trustee nor the Company will have any responsibility for the performance by the Depositary or its participants or indirect participants of their respective obligations under the rules and procedures governing their operations.

 

Certificated Notes

 

Subject to certain conditions, the Notes represented by the global securities will be exchangeable for certificated Notes in definitive form of like tenor as such Notes if:

 

(1) the Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for the global securities and a successor is not promptly appointed or if at any time the Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act or

 

(2) the Company in its discretion at any time determines not to have all of the Notes represented by the global securities.

 

Any Notes that are exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence will be exchanged for certificated Notes issuable in authorized denominations and registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct. Subject to the foregoing, the global securities are not exchangeable, except for global securities of the same aggregate denominations to be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN OTHER INDEBTEDNESS

 

The following is a summary of certain of our indebtedness that will be outstanding following the consummation of this offering. To the extent this summary contains descriptions of our revolving bank credit facility, our 7.5% Senior Notes due 2013, our 7% Senior Notes due 2014, our 7.5% Senior Notes due 2014, our 7.75% Senior Notes due 2015, our 6.375% Senior Notes due 2015, our 6.875% Senior Notes due 2016, our 6.625% Senior Notes due 2016, our 6.5% Senior Notes due 2017, our 6.25% Senior Notes due 2018, our 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020 and our 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2035, and the indentures governing them, the descriptions do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to those and related documents, copies of which we will provide you upon request.

 

Our Revolving Bank Credit Facility

 

Our revolving bank credit facility limits our borrowings to the lesser of the borrowing base (currently $2.5 billion) and the total commitments (currently $2.0 billion) and matures in January 2011. As of June 23, 2006, we had outstanding borrowings of $1.188 billion under this facility and had $5.1 million of the facility securing various letters of credit. Borrowings under the facility are collateralized by some of our producing oil and gas properties and bear interest at either (i) the greater of the reference rate of Union Bank of California N.A. or the federal funds effective rate plus 0.50% or (ii) the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), at our option, plus a margin that varies based on our senior unsecured long-term debt ratings. The collateral value and borrowing base are determined periodically. The unused portion of the facility is subject to an annual commitment fee that also varies according to our senior unsecured long-term debt ratings. As of March 31, 2006, the annual commitment fee rate was 0.25%. Interest is payable quarterly or, if LIBOR applies, it may be payable at more frequent intervals. The credit agreement contains various covenants and restrictive provisions, including those restricting our ability to incur additional indebtedness, make investments or loans and create liens. The credit agreement requires us to maintain an indebtedness to EBITDA ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) not to exceed 3.5 to 1 and an indebtedness to total capitalization ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) not to exceed 0.65 to 1.

 

Our Senior Notes

 

At March 31, 2006, we had outstanding senior notes in an aggregate principal amount of $6.0 billion, which represented the remainder of our long-term debt. At the date of this prospectus, we have issued and outstanding $363.8 million in principal amount of 7.5% Senior Notes due 2013, $300.0 million in principal amount of 7% Senior Notes due 2014, $300.0 million in principal amount of 7.5% Senior Notes due 2014, $300.4 million in principal amount of 7.75% Senior Notes due 2015, $600.0 million in principal amount of 6.375% Senior Notes due 2015, $670.4 million in principal amount of 6.875% Senior Notes due 2016, $600.0 million principal amount of 6.625% Senior Notes due 2016, $1.1 billion principal amount of 6.5% Senior Notes due 2017, $600.0 million principal amount of 6.25% Senior Notes due 2018 and $500.0 million principal amount of 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020. There are no scheduled principal payments required on any of these senior notes until their final maturities.

 

Our outstanding senior notes are senior, unsecured obligations that rank pari passu in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior indebtedness, including the notes offered hereby, and rank senior in right of payment to all of our future subordinated indebtedness. Our outstanding notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by certain of our domestic subsidiaries and one of our foreign subsidiaries.

 

Our existing senior note indentures (other than the indentures governing the 6.50% Senior Notes due 2017 and the 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020) restrict our and our restricted subsidiaries’ ability to incur additional indebtedness. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—Lower oil and natural gas prices could negatively impact our ability to borrow.” As of March 31, 2006, we estimate that secured bank indebtedness of $3.4 billion could have been incurred within those restrictions. These restrictions under such indentures will not apply to

 

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any future unrestricted subsidiaries. There are no unrestricted subsidiaries under our indentures as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Our existing senior note indentures (other than the indentures governing the 6.50% Senior Notes due 2017 and the 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020) also limit our ability to make restricted payments, including the payment of cash dividends, unless certain tests are met.

 

We also have issued and outstanding $690 million aggregate principal amount of 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2035 (the “Convertible Senior Notes”). The Convertible Senior Notes are senior unsecured obligations and rank pari passu in right of payment to all of our existing and future senior indebtedness, including the notes offered hereby, and rank senior in right of payment to all of our future subordinated indebtedness. The Convertible Senior Notes are guaranteed by certain of our existing domestic subsidiaries and one of our foreign subsidiaries and by certain of our future domestic subsidiaries on a senior unsecured basis. The indenture governing the Convertible Senior Notes does not have any financial or restricted payment covenants.

 

The Convertible Senior Notes will be convertible, at the holder’s option, prior to the maturity date under certain circumstances, using a net share settlement process, into cash and, in some circumstances, our common stock. In general, upon conversion of a Convertible Senior Note, the holder of such note will receive cash equal to the principal amount of the note and common stock for the note’s conversion value in excess of such principal amount.

 

In addition, we will pay contingent interest on the Convertible Senior Notes during any six-month interest period, beginning with the six-month period ending May 14, 2016, under certain conditions.

 

The Convertible Senior Notes will mature on November 15, 2035. We may redeem the Convertible Senior Notes, in whole at any time, or in part from time to time, on or after November 15, 2015 at a redemption price, payable in cash, of 100% of the principal amount of such notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest.

 

Holders of the Convertible Senior Notes may require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes on November 15, 2015, 2020, 2025 and 2030 at 100% of the principal amount of the notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, payable in cash. Upon a fundamental change, as defined in the indenture governing the Convertible Senior Notes, holders may require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes, payable in cash equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes plus accrued and unpaid interest.

 

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MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

General

 

The following discussion summarizes the material U.S. Federal income and certain estate tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the notes by an initial holder of the notes who purchases the notes for cash at the original offering price, who holds the notes as capital assets and who does not have a special tax status. This discussion is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury Regulations, and judicial decisions and administrative interpretations thereunder, as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, or are subject to different interpretations. We cannot assure you that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) will not challenge one or more of the tax consequences described herein, and we have not obtained, nor do we intend to obtain, a ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel with respect to the U.S. Federal tax consequences of purchasing, owning or disposing of the notes.

 

In this discussion, we do not purport to address all tax considerations that may be important to a particular holder in light of the holder’s circumstances, or to certain categories of investors (such as financial institutions, insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, dealers in securities, persons who hold the notes through partnerships or other pass-through entities, regulated investment companies, U.S. persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, U.S. expatriates or persons who hold the notes as part of a hedge, conversion transaction, straddle or other risk reduction transaction) that may be subject to special rules. This discussion also does not address the tax considerations arising under the laws of any foreign, state or local jurisdiction.

 

If a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. Federal income tax purposes) holds notes, the tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding notes, we suggest that you consult your tax advisor.

 

YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF THE NOTES, INCLUDING THE EFFECT AND APPLICABILITY OF STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN TAX LAWS.

 

Consequences to U.S. Holders

 

You are a U.S. holder for purposes of this discussion if you are a beneficial owner of notes and you are:

 

    an individual U.S. citizen or resident alien;

 

    a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. Federal income tax purposes, that was created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

    an estate whose world-wide income is subject to U.S. Federal income taxation; or

 

    a trust that either is subject to the supervision of a court within the United States and which has one or more United States persons with authority to control all substantial decisions or has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

 

Interest on the Notes

 

Stated interest on a note will be includible in your gross income as ordinary interest income in accordance with your usual method of accounting for tax purposes. We do not intend to treat the possibility of the payment of additional amounts described in “Description of Notes—Make-Whole Redemption,” as (i) affecting the determination of the yield to maturity of the notes, or (ii) giving rise to original issue discount or recognition of ordinary income on the sale, exchange or redemption of the notes. As a result, any additional amounts received should be treated as ordinary income at the time such amounts accrue or are received in accordance with your

 

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method of accounting. It is possible, however, that the IRS may take a different position, in which case the timing and amount of income inclusions by a U.S. holder may be affected.

 

Sale, Exchange, Redemption or Other Disposition of the Notes

 

Upon the disposition of a note by sale, exchange, redemption or other disposition, you generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the amount realized on the disposition (other than amounts attributable to accrued interest not previously recognized as income, which will be treated as ordinary interest income as described above) and (ii) your adjusted federal income tax basis in the note. Your adjusted federal income tax basis in a note generally will equal the cost of the note to you. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held the note for longer than one year. You should consult your tax advisors regarding the treatment of capital gains (which may be taxed at lower rates than ordinary income for certain noncorporate taxpayers) and losses (the deductibility of which is subject to certain limitations).

 

Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders

 

You are a non-U.S. holder for purposes of this discussion if you are a beneficial owner of notes (other than an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and you are not a U.S. holder.

 

U.S. Federal Withholding Tax

 

The 30% U.S. Federal withholding tax generally will not apply to any payment of principal or interest on the notes under the portfolio interest exemption provided that:

 

    you do not actually or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our voting stock within the meaning of the Code and applicable Treasury Regulations;

 

    you are not a controlled foreign corporation that is related to us through stock ownership; and

 

    you are not a bank whose receipt of interest on the notes is pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in the ordinary course of business.

 

The exemption from withholding tax will not apply unless (a) you provide your name and address on an IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form), and certify under penalties of perjury, that you are not a United States person, (b) a financial institution holding the notes on your behalf certifies, under penalties of perjury, that it has received an IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form) from you and must provide us with a copy, or (c) you hold your notes directly through a “qualified intermediary,” and the qualified intermediary has sufficient information in its files indicating that you are not a U.S. holder. A qualified intermediary is a bank, broker or other intermediary that is acting out of a non-U.S. branch or office and has signed an agreement with the IRS providing that it will administer all or part of the U.S. Federal tax withholding rules under specified procedures.

 

If you cannot satisfy the requirements described above, payments of principal and interest made to you will be subject to the 30% U.S. Federal withholding tax, unless you provide us with a properly executed (1) IRS Form W-8BEN or successor form claiming an exemption from or a reduction of withholding under the benefit of a tax treaty or (2) IRS Form W-8ECI (or successor form) stating that interest paid on the notes is not subject to withholding tax because it is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States.

 

U.S. Federal Income Tax

 

Interest. If you are engaged in a trade or business in the United States and interest on the notes is effectively connected with the conduct of that trade or business (and, in the case of an applicable tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by you), you will be subject to U.S. Federal income tax on the

 

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interest on a net income basis (although exempt from the 30% withholding tax) in the same manner as if you were a United States person as defined under the Code. In addition, if you are a foreign corporation, you may be subject to a branch profits tax equal to 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) of your earnings and profits for the taxable year, including earnings and profits from an investment in the notes, that are effectively connected with the conduct by you of a trade or business in the United States.

 

Sale, Exchange, Redemption or Other Disposition of the Notes. Any gain or income realized on the sale, exchange, redemption or other disposition of the notes generally will not be subject to U.S. Federal income tax unless:

 

    that gain or income is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States by you (and, in the case of an applicable tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by you),

 

    you are an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of that disposition, and certain other conditions are present, or

 

    the gain represents accrued interest, in which case the rules for taxation of interest would apply.

 

If you are a holder subject to U.S. Federal income tax under the first bullet point, you will be taxed on a net income basis in the same manner as if you were a United States person as defined under the Code. In addition, if you are a foreign corporation, you may be subject to a branch profits tax as explained above. Holders subject to U.S. Federal income tax under the second bullet point will be taxed on the net gain at a 30% rate.

 

U.S. Federal Estate Tax

 

Your estate will not be subject to U.S. Federal estate tax on notes beneficially owned by you at the time of your death, provided that (1) interest on the notes is exempt from U.S. Federal withholding tax under the portfolio interest exemption (without regard to the certification requirement) described in the first paragraph of “—Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders—U.S. Federal Withholding Tax” above and (2) interest on such notes would not have been, if received at the time of your death, effectively connected with the conduct by you of a trade or business in the United States.

 

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

 

U.S. Holders

 

Information reporting will apply to payments of principal and interest made by us on, or the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of, the notes with respect to certain noncorporate U.S. holders, and backup withholding, currently at a rate of 28%, may apply unless the recipient of such payment provides the appropriate intermediary with a taxpayer identification number, certified under penalties of perjury, as well as certain other information or otherwise establishes an exemption from backup withholding. Any amount withheld under the backup withholding rules is allowable as a credit against the U.S. holder’s U.S. Federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely provided to the IRS.

 

Non-U.S. Holders

 

Payments to non-U.S. holders of interest on a note and amounts withheld from such payments, if any, generally will be reported to the IRS and you. Backup withholding will not apply to payments of principal and interest on the notes if you certify as to your non-U.S. holder status on an IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form) under penalties of perjury or you otherwise qualify for an exemption (provided that neither we nor our agent know or have reason to know that you are a United States person or that the conditions of any other exemptions are not in fact satisfied).

 

The payment of the proceeds of the disposition of notes to or through the U.S. office of a U.S. or foreign broker will be subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless you provide the certification

 

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described above or you otherwise qualify for an exemption. The proceeds of a disposition effected outside the United States by a non-U.S. holder to or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting. However, if such broker is a United States person, a controlled foreign corporation, a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income from all sources for certain periods is effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States, or a foreign partnership that is engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the United States or that has one or more partners that are United States persons who in the aggregate hold more than 50% of the income or capital interests in the partnership, information reporting requirements will apply unless such broker has documentary evidence in its files of the holder’s non-U.S. status and has no actual knowledge or reason to know to the contrary or unless the holder otherwise qualifies for an exemption. Any amount withheld under the backup withholding rules is allowable as a credit against your U.S. Federal income tax liability, if any, provided the required information or appropriate claim for refund is provided to the IRS.

 

 

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UNDERWRITING

 

We and the underwriters for the offering named below have entered into an underwriting agreement with respect to the notes. Subject to certain conditions, each underwriter has severally agreed to purchase the principal amount of notes indicated in the following table.

 

Underwriters


   Principal
Amount of
Notes


Banc of America Securities LLC

   $     

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. 

      

Goldman, Sachs & Co. 

      

Lehman Brothers Inc. 

      

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC 

      

ABN AMRO Incorporated

      

BNP Paribas Securities Corp.

      

Calyon Securities (USA) Inc.

      

Fortis Securities LLC

      

Greenwich Capital Markets, Inc.

      

SunTrust Capital Markets, Inc. 

      

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

      

Barclays Capital Inc.

      

BMO Capital Markets Corp. 

      

BOSC, Inc.

      

Comerica Securities, Inc. 

      

DZ Financial Markets LLC

      

HVB Capital Markets, Inc.

      

Piper Jaffray & Co.

      

TD Securities (USA) LLC 

      

Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc. 

      
    

Total

   $ 500,000,000
    

 

The underwriters are committed to take and pay for all of the notes being offered, if any are taken.

 

Notes sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any notes sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price of up to         % of the principal amount of notes. Any such securities dealers may resell any notes purchased from the underwriters to certain other brokers or dealers at a discount from the initial public offering price of up to         % of the principal amount of notes. If all the notes are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms.

 

The notes are a new issue of securities with no established trading market. We have been advised by the underwriters that the underwriters intend to make a market in the notes but are not obligated to do so and may discontinue market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the notes.

 

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell notes in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of notes than they are required to purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the notes while the offering is in progress.

 

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The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased notes sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

 

These activities by the underwriters, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the notes. As a result, the price of the notes may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time. These transactions may be effected in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

 

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a Relevant Member State), each underwriter has represented and agreed that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the Relevant Implementation Date) it has not made and will not make an offer of notes to the public in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the notes which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of notes to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:

 

(a) to legal entities which are authorised or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorised or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities;

 

(b) to any legal entity which has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts; or

 

(c) in any other circumstances which do not require the publication by the Issuer of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

 

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of notes to the public” in relation to any notes in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the notes, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State and the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.

 

Each Underwriter has represented and agreed that:

 

(a) it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) to persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in which section 21 of FSMA does not apply to the company; and

 

(b) it has complied with, and will comply with, all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the notes in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

 

The notes may not be offered or sold by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the notes may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or

 

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the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to notes which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

 

The notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan (the Securities and Exchange Law) and each underwriter has agreed that it will not offer or sell any notes, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

 

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the notes may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the notes be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

 

Where the notes are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is: (a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or (b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest in that trust shall not be transferable for 6 months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the notes under Section 275 except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is given for the transfer; or (3) by operation of law.

 

We estimate that our share of the total expenses of the offering, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $250,000. The underwriters have also agreed to reimburse us for up to $150,000 in expenses incurred by us in connection with this offering.

 

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

The underwriters have from time to time provided, and in the future may provide, certain investment banking and financial advisory services to us and our affiliates, for which they have received, and in the future would receive, customary fees. Each of Banc of America Securities LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Lehman Brothers Inc. and Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC may act as an underwriter for our pending public offering of preferred stock and will receive customary fees in connection therewith. Each of Banc of America Securities LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Lehman Brothers Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Calyon Securities (USA) Inc. may act as an underwriter for our pending public offering of and common stock and will receive customary fees in connection therewith. In addition, affiliates of each of the underwriters listed in the table are lenders under our existing revolving bank credit facility. Amounts outstanding under our existing revolving bank credit facility will be repaid in connection with this offering and the concurrent offerings of preferred stock and common stock. An affiliate of Lehman Brothers Inc. is a participant in a drilling business with us. We have each contributed approximately $25 million to the venture.

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission utilizing a “shelf” registration process or continuous offering process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement containing specific information about the terms of the securities being offered. That prospectus supplement may include additional risk factors or other special considerations applicable to those securities. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information 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 that prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC.

 

We incorporate by reference in this prospectus the following documents filed with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”):

 

    our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005;

 

    our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2006; and

 

    our current reports on Form 8-K filed on November 1, 2005, January 10, 2006, January 18, 2006, January 26, 2006, January 30, 2006 (two reports of the same date), February 1, 2006, February 3, 2006, February 8, 2006, February 10, 2006, February 15, 2006 (two reports of the same date), February 21, 2006, February 24, 2006, February 28, 2006, March 8, 2006, March 22, 2006, April 7, 2006, April 21, 2006, May 2, 2006, May 8, 2006, May 31, 2006, June 6, 2006, June 8, 2006 (two reports of the same date) and June 15, 2006 (three reports of the same date) (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any such current report on Form 8-K).

 

We also incorporate by reference any future filings made by us with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any such current report on Form 8-K that is filed in the future and is not deemed filed under the Exchange Act), until the underwriters have sold all of the notes.

 

The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information as well as the information included in this prospectus.

 

You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC public reference room located at:

 

100 F Street, N.E.

Room 1580

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room and its copy charges. Our SEC filings are also available to the public on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov and

 

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through the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005, on which our shares of common stock are traded.

 

During the course of the offering and prior to sale, we invite each offeree of the notes to ask us questions concerning the terms and conditions of the offering and to obtain any additional information necessary to verify the accuracy of the information in this prospectus which is material to the offering to the extent that we possess such information or can acquire it without unreasonable effort or expense. You may obtain a copy of any or all of the documents summarized in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, without charge, by request directed to us at the following address and telephone number:

 

Jennifer M. Grigsby

Corporate Secretary

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

6100 North Western Avenue

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118

Telephone: (405) 879-9225

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus contains or incorporates by reference “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. They include statements regarding oil and natural gas reserve estimates, planned capital expenditures, the drilling of oil and natural gas wells and future acquisitions, expectations of closing and the impact of the pending committed acquisitions as described in this prospectus, expected oil and natural gas production, cash flow and anticipated liquidity, business strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations and expected future expenses. Statements concerning the fair values of derivative contracts and their estimated contribution to our future results of operations are based upon market information as of a specific date. These market prices are subject to significant volatility.

 

Although we believe the expectations and forecasts reflected in these and other forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance they will prove to have been correct. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results are described under “Risk Factors” and include:

 

    the volatility of oil and natural gas prices;

 

    our level of indebtedness;

 

    the strength and financial resources of our competitors;

 

    the availability of capital on an economic basis to fund reserve replacement costs;

 

    uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil and natural gas reserves, projecting future rates of production and the timing of development expenditures;

 

    our ability to replace reserves and sustain production;

 

    uncertainties in evaluating oil and natural gas reserves of acquired properties and associated potential liabilities;

 

    the effect of oil and natural gas prices on our borrowing ability;

 

    unsuccessful exploration and development drilling;

 

    declines in the values of our oil and natural gas properties resulting in ceiling test write-downs;

 

    lower prices realized on oil and natural gas sales and collateral required to secure hedging liabilities resulting from our commodities price risk management activities;

 

    adverse effects of governmental and environmental regulation;

 

    losses possible from pending or future litigation;

 

    drilling and operating risks; and

 

    uncertainties and difficulties associated with the integration and operation of our recently acquired properties.

 

We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus, and we undertake no obligation to update this information. We urge you to carefully review and consider the disclosures made in this prospectus and our reports filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference herein that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the issuance of the notes and certain other legal matters will be passed upon for us by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., Houston, Texas. The underwriters are being represented by Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, New York, New York. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP will rely upon Commercial Law Group, P.C., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as to all matters of Oklahoma law.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

The financial statements of Columbia Energy Resources, LLC as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 and for the year ended December 31, 2004 and the four months ended December 31, 2003, incorporated in this prospectus by reference from the current report on Form 8-K of Chesapeake Energy Corporation filed with the SEC on November 1, 2005, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

Estimates of the oil and gas reserves of Chesapeake Energy Corporation and related future net cash flows and the present values thereof, included in Chesapeake’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, were based in part upon reserve reports prepared by Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services, Lee Keeling and Associates, Inc., Ryder Scott Company, L.P., LaRoche Petroleum Consultants, Ltd., H.J. Gruy and Associates, Inc. and Miller and Lents, Ltd., independent petroleum engineers. We have incorporated these estimates in reliance on the authority of each such firm as experts in such matters.

 

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$500,000,000

 

LOGO

 

LOGO

LOGO

 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

 

            % Senior Notes due 2013

 


PROSPECTUS

                        , 2006


 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

Banc of America Securities LLC

Deutsche Bank Securities

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Lehman Brothers

Wachovia Securities


Senior Co-Managers

ABN AMRO Incorporated   BNP PARIBAS   Calyon Securities (USA)
Fortis Securities   RBS Greenwich Capital   SunTrust Robinson Humphrey
    Wells Fargo Securities    

Co-Managers

Barclays Capital   BMO Capital Markets   BOSC, Inc.
Comerica Securities   DZ Bank Financial Markets LLC   HVB Capital Markets, Inc.
Piper Jaffray   TD Securities   Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc.

 



Table of Contents

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

 

The following table sets forth all expenses payable by Chesapeake Energy Corporation (sometimes referred to as Chesapeake in this Part II of the registration statement) in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities. All the amounts shown are estimates, except the registration fee.

 

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee

   $ 53,500

Fees and expenses of accountants

     75,000

Fees and expenses of legal counsel

     75,000

Printing expenses

     50,000

Miscellaneous

     —  
    

Total

   $ 253,500
    

 

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

Section 1031 of the Oklahoma General Corporation Act, under which Chesapeake is incorporated, authorizes the indemnification of directors and officers under certain circumstances. Article VIII of the Certificate of Incorporation of Chesapeake and Article VI of the Bylaws of Chesapeake also provide for indemnification of directors and officers under certain circumstances. These provisions, together with Chesapeake’s indemnification obligations under individual indemnity agreements with its directors and officers, may be sufficiently broad to indemnify such persons for liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), as amended. In addition, Chesapeake maintains insurance, which insures its directors and officers against certain liabilities.

 

The Oklahoma General Corporation Act provides for indemnification of each of Chesapeake’s officers and directors against (a) expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought by reason of such person being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of Chesapeake, or of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise at the request of Chesapeake, other than an action by or in the right of Chesapeake. To be entitled to indemnification, the individual must have acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of Chesapeake, and with respect to any criminal action, the person seeking indemnification had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful and (b) expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of any action or suit by or in the right of Chesapeake brought by reason of the person seeking indemnification being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of Chesapeake, or any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise at the request of Chesapeake, provided the actions were in good faith and were reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of Chesapeake, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which the individual shall have been adjudged liable to Chesapeake, unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action was decided has determined that the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court deems proper. Article VIII of Chesapeake’s Certificate of Incorporation provides for indemnification of Chesapeake’s director and officers. The Oklahoma General Corporation Act also permits Chesapeake to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of Chesapeake’s directors and officers against any liability arising out of their status as such, whether or not Chesapeake would have the power to indemnify them against such liability. These provisions may be sufficiently broad to indemnify such persons for liabilities arising under the Securities Act.

 

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Chesapeake has entered into indemnity agreements with each of its directors and executive officers. Under each indemnity agreement, Chesapeake will pay on behalf of the indemnitee any amount which he is or becomes legally obligated to pay because of (a) any claim or claims from time to time threatened or made against him by any person because of any act or omission or neglect or breach of duty, including any actual or alleged error or misstatement or misleading statement, which he commits or suffers while acting in his capacity as a director and/or officer of Chesapeake or an affiliate or (b) being a party, or being threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending or contemplated action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he is or was an officer, director, employee or agent of Chesapeake or an affiliate or is or was serving at the request of Chesapeake as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. The payments which Chesapeake would be obligated to make under an indemnification agreement could include damages, charges, judgments, fines, penalties, settlements and costs, cost of investigation and cost of defense of legal, equitable or criminal actions, claims or proceedings and appeals therefrom, and costs of attachment, supersedeas, bail, surety or other bonds. Chesapeake also provides liability insurance for each of its directors and executive officers.

 

Item 16. Exhibits.

 

(a) Exhibits.

 

The following exhibits are filed herewith pursuant to the requirements of Item 601 of Regulation S-K:

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description


  1.1*   

Form of Underwriting Agreement.

  4.1*   

Form of Indenture.

  5.1*   

Opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. as to the legality of the securities being registered.

12   

Computation of Ratios of Earnings to Combined Fixed Charges and Preferred Dividends. Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 12 to Chesapeake’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2006.

23.1*   

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

23.2*   

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

23.3*   

Consent of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc.

23.4*   

Consent of Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services.

23.5*   

Consent of Lee Keeling and Associates, Inc.

23.6*   

Consent of Ryder Scott Company, L.P.

23.7*   

Consent of Laroche Petroleum Consultants, Ltd.

23.8*   

Consent of H.J. Gruy and Associates, Inc.

23.9*   

Consent of Miller and Lents, Ltd.

23.10*   

Consent of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1*   

Power of Attorney (included in the signature page of this Registration Statement).

25.1*   

Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility and Qualification respecting the Indenture.


* Filed herewith.

 

(b) Financial Statement Schedules. Incorporated herein by reference to Item 8 of Chesapeake’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.

 

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Item 17. Undertakings.

 

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 Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

 

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

 

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) do not apply if information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by registrants 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 purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(5) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of each Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, each Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by a Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of a 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, that Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the 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 of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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

 

(A) Each prospectus filed by a 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

 

(B) 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 the prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oklahoma City, State of Oklahoma on June 26, 2006.

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION
By:   /S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON        
    Aubrey K. McClendon
    Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer

 

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Aubrey K. McClendon and Marcus C. Rowland, and each of them, each of whom may act without joinder of the other, to execute in the name of each such person who is then an officer or director of the company and to file any amendments to this registration statement necessary or advisable to enable the company to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the registration of the securities which are the subject of this registration statement, which amendments may make such changes in the registration statement as such attorney may deem appropriate. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature


  

Capacity


 

Date


/S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON        


Aubrey K. McClendon

  

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        


Marcus C. Rowland

  

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MICHAEL A. JOHNSON        


Michael A. Johnson

  

Senior Vice President—Accounting, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    FRANK KEATING        


Frank Keating

  

Director

  June 26, 2006

/S/    BREENE M. KERR        


Breene M. Kerr

  

Director

  June 26, 2006

/S/    CHARLES T. MAXWELL        


Charles T. Maxwell

  

Director

  June 26, 2006

/S/    DON NICKLES        


Don Nickles

  

Director

  June 26, 2006

/S/    FREDERICK B. WHITTEMORE        


Frederick B. Whittemore

  

Director

  June 26, 2006

/S/    RICHARD K. DAVIDSON        


Richard K. Davidson

  

Director

  June 26, 2006

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, each Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oklahoma City, State of Oklahoma on June 26, 2006.

 

CHESAPEAKE EAGLE CANADA CORP.

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY LOUISIANA CORPORATION

CHESAPEAKE OPERATING, INC.

CHESAPEAKE SOUTH TEXAS CORP.

HODGES HOLDING COMPANY, INC.

HODGES OILFIELD COMPANY

HODGES TRUCKING COMPANY

NOMAC DRILLING CORPORATION

W.W. REALTY, INC.

By:

  /S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        
   
Name:   Marcus C. Rowland
Title:  

Executive Vice President—

Finance and Chief Financial Officer

 

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Aubrey K. McClendon and Marcus C. Rowland, and each of them, each of whom may act without joinder of the other, to execute in the name of each such person who is then an officer or director of the company and to file any amendments to this registration statement necessary or advisable to enable the company to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the registration of the securities which are the subject of this registration statement, which amendments may make such changes in the registration statement as such attorney may deem appropriate. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature


  

Capacity


 

Date


/S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON


Aubrey K. McClendon

  

Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND


Marcus C. Rowland

  

Executive Vice President— Finance and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  June 26, 2006

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, each Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oklahoma City, State of Oklahoma on June 26, 2006.

 

CARMEN ACQUISITION, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ACQUISITION, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE APPALACHIA, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE LAND COMPANY, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ORC, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ROYALTY, L.L.C.

GOTHIC PRODUCTION, L.L.C.

HAWG HAULING & DISPOSAL, LLC

MC MINERAL COMPANY, L.L.C.

By:

  /S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        
   
Name:   Marcus C. Rowland
Title:  

Executive Vice President—

Finance and Chief Financial Officer

 

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Aubrey K. McClendon and Marcus C. Rowland, and each of them, each of whom may act without joinder of the other, to execute in the name of each such person who is then an officer or manager of the company and to file any amendments to this registration statement necessary or advisable to enable the company to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the registration of the securities which are the subject of this registration statement, which amendments may make such changes in the registration statement as such attorney may deem appropriate. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature


  

Capacity


 

Date


/S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON        


Aubrey K. McClendon

  

Chief Executive Officer and Manager (Principal Executive Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND


Marcus C. Rowland

  

Executive Vice President— Finance and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  June 26, 2006

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, each Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oklahoma City, State of Oklahoma on June 26, 2006.

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY MARKETING, INC.

By:

  /S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        
   
Name:   Marcus C. Rowland
Title:  

Executive Vice President—

Finance and Chief Financial Officer

 

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Aubrey K. McClendon and Marcus C. Rowland, and each of them, each of whom may act without joinder of the other, to execute in the name of each such person who is then an officer or director of the company and to file any amendments to this registration statement necessary or advisable to enable the company to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the registration of the securities which are the subject of this registration statement, which amendments may make such changes in the registration statement as such attorney may deem appropriate. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature


  

Capacity


 

Date


/S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON        


Aubrey K. McClendon

  

Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        


Marcus C. Rowland

  

Executive Vice President— Finance and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  June 26, 2006

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, each Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oklahoma City, State of Oklahoma on June 26, 2006.

 

MAYFIELD PROCESSING, L.L.C.

By:

  /S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        
   
Name:   Marcus C. Rowland
Title:  

Executive Vice President—

Finance and Chief Financial Officer

 

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Aubrey K. McClendon and Marcus C. Rowland, and each of them, each of whom may act without joinder of the other, to execute in the name of each such person who is then an officer or director of the company and to file any amendments to this registration statement necessary or advisable to enable the company to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the registration of the securities which are the subject of this registration statement, which amendments may make such changes in the registration statement as such attorney may deem appropriate. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature


  

Capacity


 

Date


/S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON        


Aubrey K. McClendon

  

Chief Executive Officer and Manager (Principal Executive Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        


Marcus C. Rowland

  

Executive Vice President— Finance and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  June 26, 2006

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, each Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oklahoma City, State of Oklahoma on June 26, 2006.

 

CHESAPEAKE EXPLORATION LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

CHESAPEAKE LOUISIANA, L.P.

CHESAPEAKE SIGMA, L.P.

By:

 

Chesapeake Operating, Inc., as general partner of each respective entity

By:

 

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        

   
Name:   Marcus C. Rowland
Title:  

Executive Vice President—Finance and

Chief Financial Officer

 

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Aubrey K. McClendon and Marcus C. Rowland, and each of them, each of whom may act without joinder of the other, to execute in the name of each such person who is then an officer or director of the company and to file any amendments to this registration statement necessary or advisable to enable the company to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the registration of the securities which are the subject of this registration statement, which amendments may make such changes in the registration statement as such attorney may deem appropriate. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature


  

Capacity


 

Date


/S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON        


Aubrey K. McClendon

  

Chief Executive Officer and Director of Chesapeake Operating, Inc. (Principal Executive Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        


Marcus C. Rowland

  

Executive Vice President—Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Chesapeake Operating, Inc. (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  June 26, 2006

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, each Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Oklahoma City, State of Oklahoma on June 26, 2006.

 

MIDCON COMPRESSION, L.P.

By:

 

Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc., as general partner

By:

  /S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        
   
Name:   Marcus C. Rowland
Title:  

Executive Vice President—

Finance and Chief Financial Officer

 

Each person whose signature appears below authorizes Aubrey K. McClendon and Marcus C. Rowland, and each of them, each of whom may act without joinder of the other, to execute in the name of each such person who is then an officer or director of the company and to file any amendments to this registration statement necessary or advisable to enable the company to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the registration of the securities which are the subject of this registration statement, which amendments may make such changes in the registration statement as such attorney may deem appropriate. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature


  

Capacity


 

Date


/S/    AUBREY K. MCCLENDON        


Aubrey K. McClendon

  

Chief Executive Officer and Director of Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc. (Principal Executive Officer)

  June 26, 2006

/S/    MARCUS C. ROWLAND        


Marcus C. Rowland

  

Executive Vice President— Finance and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  June 26, 2006

 

II-11

EX-1.1 2 dex11.htm FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT Form of Underwriting Agreement

EXHIBIT 1.1

 

$ [            ]

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION

 

[            ]% Senior Notes due 2013

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

June [    ], 2006

 

BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC

 

As Representative (the “Representative”) of the Several Underwriters

c/o Banc of America Securities LLC

9 West 57th Street, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10019

 

Dear Sirs:

 

1. Introductory. Chesapeake Energy Corporation, an Oklahoma corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters”) $[            ] principal amount of the Company’s [            ]% Senior Notes due 2013 (the “Offered Securities”). The Offered Securities will be unconditionally guaranteed (the “Guarantees”) on a senior basis by each existing domestic subsidiary other than Nomac 100 Corp. and certain de minimus subsidiaries of the Company and one of its foreign subsidiaries, and by subsequently acquired or designated Restricted Subsidiaries (as defined in the Indenture referred to below) of the Company in accordance with the terms of the Indenture (collectively, the “Subsidiary Guarantors”). The Offered Securities are to be issued under an indenture dated as of [            ], 2006 (the “Indenture”), among the Company and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”). The Company hereby agrees with the Underwriters as follows:

 

2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the several Underwriters that:

 

(a) A registration statement (No. 333-[•]), including all materials incorporated by reference therein and a prospectus, relating to the Offered Securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and has become effective. Such registration statement, including all materials incorporated by reference therein and any prospectus or prospectus supplement deemed or retroactively deemed to be part thereof that has not been superceded or modified, is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”. “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means the Registration Statement as of the date and time of its filing and effectiveness which time shall be considered the “effective date” of the Registration Statement. For purposes of the previous sentence, information contained in a form of prospectus or prospectus supplement that is deemed retroactively to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B (“Rule 430B”) under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) shall be considered to be included in the Registration Statement as of the time


specified in Rule 430B. “Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any basic prospectus or prospectus supplement deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. For purposes of the preceding sentence, information contained in a form of prospectus (including a prospectus supplement) that is deemed retroactively to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B shall be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus as of the actual time that form of prospectus (including a prospectus supplement) is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) (“Rule 424(b)”) under the Act. “Prospectus” means the Statutory Prospectus that discloses the public offering price and other final terms of the Offered Securities and otherwise satisfies Section 10(a) of the Act. “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Offered Securities in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g). “General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule B to this Agreement. “Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not a General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. “Applicable Time” means :00 [a/p]m (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement.

 

(b) On its effective date, the Registration Statement conformed in all respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission (the “Rules and Regulations”) and did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and on the date of this Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform in all respects to the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and neither of such documents will include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except that the foregoing does not apply to statements in or omissions from any of such documents based upon written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representative, if any, specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by an Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof. The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus (the “Company Filed Documents”), when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects with the requirements of the Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), as applicable, and the Rules and Regulations.

 

(c) The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement”, as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, that initially became effective within three years of the date of this Agreement, and as of the determination date applicable to the Registration Statement (and any amendment thereof) and the offering contemplated hereby, the Company is a “well-known seasoned issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act). If immediately prior to the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the Offered Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will prior to the Renewal Deadline file, if it has not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Offered Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representative. If the Company is no longer eligible to file an automatic shelf registration statement, the Company will prior to the Renewal Deadline, if it has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the Offered Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representative, and will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Deadline. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Offered Securities to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the Offered Securities. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf registration statement, as the case may be.

 

2


(d) The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) objecting to use of the automatic shelf registration statement form. If at any time when Offered Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters the Company receives from the Commission a notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) or otherwise ceases to be eligible to use the automatic shelf registration statement form, the Company will (i) promptly notify the Representative, (ii) promptly file a new registration statement or post-effective amendment on the proper form relating to the Offered Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Representative, (iii) use its best efforts to cause such registration statement or post-effective amendment to be declared effective as soon as practicable, and (iv) promptly notify the Representative of such effectiveness. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Offered Securities to continue as contemplated in the registration statement that was the subject of the Rule 401(g)(2) notice or for which the Company has otherwise become ineligible. References herein to the registration statement relating to the Offered Securities shall include such new registration statement or post-effective amendment, as the case may be.

 

(e) The Company has paid or shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Offered Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r).

 

(f) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) at the date of this Agreement, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, including (x) the Company or any other subsidiary in the preceding three years not having been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or having been made the subject of a judicial or administrative decree or order as described in Rule 405 and (y) the Company in the preceding three years not having been the subject of a bankruptcy petition or insolvency or similar proceeding, not having had a registration statement be the subject of a proceeding under Section 8 of the Act and not being the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Act in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities, all as described in Rule 405.

 

(g) As of the Applicable Time, neither (i) the General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time, the Statutory Prospectus and the information set out in Schedule C hereto all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (ii) any individual Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any prospectus included in the Registration Statement or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.

 

(h) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Offered Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representative as described in the next sentence, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, (i) the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify the Representative and (ii) the Company has promptly amended or will promptly amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission. The

 

3


foregoing two sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.

 

(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is an existing corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Oklahoma, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package; and the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not reasonably be expected to individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), business, prospects, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (“Material Adverse Effect”).

 

(j) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package; and each subsidiary of the Company is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification; except where the failure to be so qualified would not reasonably be expected to individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or similar equity interests of each subsidiary of the Company has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable; and the capital stock or similar equity interests of each subsidiary owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, is owned free from liens, encumbrances and defects.

 

(k) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor; the Guarantees have been duly authorized by each Subsidiary Guarantor; the Offered Securities have been duly authorized; when the Offered Securities are delivered and paid for pursuant to this Agreement, such Offered Securities will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will conform to the description thereof contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Indenture and, in the case of the Company, such Offered Securities, and in the case of the Subsidiary Guarantors, such Guarantees, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor, as applicable, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.

 

(l) Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with this offering.

 

(m) No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities by the Company, except such as have been obtained and made under the Act and such as may be required under state securities laws.

 

(n) None of the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Indenture, the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities and compliance with the terms and provisions hereof and thereof, will result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any statute, rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the

 

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Company or any subsidiary of the Company or any of their properties, or any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any such subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or any such subsidiary is bound or to which any of the properties of the Company or any such subsidiary is subject, or the charter or by-laws (or similar organizational documents) of the Company or any such subsidiary, and the Company has full power and authority to authorize, issue and sell the Offered Securities as contemplated by this Agreement.

 

(o) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

(p) Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real properties and all other properties and assets owned by them, including, without limitation, all oil and gas producing properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free from liens, encumbrances and defects that would materially affect the value thereof or materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them; and, except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the Company and its subsidiaries hold any leased real or personal property, including, without limitation, all oil and gas producing properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, under valid and enforceable leases with no exceptions that would materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them.

 

(q) The Company and its subsidiaries possess adequate certificates, authorities or permits issued by appropriate governmental agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them and have not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authority or permit that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected to individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(r) No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent that might have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(s) The Company and its subsidiaries own, possess or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate trademarks, trade names and other rights to inventions, know-how, patents, copyrights, confidential information and other intellectual property (collectively, “intellectual property rights”) necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, or presently employed by them, and have not received any notice of infringement of, or conflict with, asserted rights of others with respect to any intellectual property rights that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected to individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(t) Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any statute, rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, “environmental laws”), owns or operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is subject to any environmental laws, is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any environmental laws, or is subject to any claim relating to any environmental laws which violation, contamination, liability or claim would reasonably be expected to individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company is not aware of any pending investigation which might lead to such a claim.

 

(u) Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no pending actions, suits or proceedings against or affecting the Company, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected to individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect, or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company or the Subsidiary Guarantors

 

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to perform its obligations under this Agreement or the Indenture, or which are otherwise material in the context of the sale of the Offered Securities; and no such actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated.

 

(v) The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the General Disclosure Package present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates shown and their results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States applied on a consistent basis.

 

(w) Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, since the date of the latest audited financial statements incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package, there has been no material adverse change, nor any development or event involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, and, except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

 

(x) The Company is not, and at no time during which a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with the sales will it be, and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Offered Securities and the application of proceeds thereof as described in the General Disclosure Package, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

(y) The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and files reports with the Commission on the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system.

 

(z) The statistical and market related data and forward looking statements included in the General Disclosure Package, are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects and represents its good faith estimates that are made on the basis of data derived from such sources.

 

(aa) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any liability for any prohibited transaction or accumulated funding deficiency (within the meaning of Section 412 of the Internal Revenue Code) or any complete or partial withdrawal liability (within the meaning of Sections 4203 and 4205 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), respectively), with respect to any pension, profit sharing or other plan which is subject to ERISA, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries makes or ever has made a contribution and in which any employee of the Company or any subsidiary is or has ever been a participant. With respect to such plans, the Company and each of its subsidiaries is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable provisions of ERISA.

 

(bb) The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act); such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the Company by others within the Company or any subsidiary, and such disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably effective to perform the functions for which they were established subject to the limitations of any such control system; the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the board of directors of the Company have been advised of: (A) any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; and (B) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the

 

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Company’s internal controls; any material weaknesses in internal controls have been identified for the Company’s auditors; and since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses. The Company made available to the Underwriters or their counsel for review true and complete copies of all minutes or draft minutes of meetings, or resolutions adopted by written consent, of the board of directors of the Company and each subsidiary and each committee of each such board in the past three years, and all agendas for each such meeting for which minutes or draft minutes do not exist.

 

(cc) All information on (or hyperlinked from) the Company’s website at www.chkenergy.com qualifies for the safe-harbor related to historical information in Rule 433(e)(2) under the Act, and the Company does not maintain or support any website other than www.chkenergy.com.

 

(dd) The Company has not received any written comments from the Commission staff in connection with the Company’s reports under the Exchange Act that remain unresolved.

 

In addition, any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and delivered to the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.

 

3. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of Offered Securities. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters, and the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of [            ]% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued interest from June [            ], 2006 to the Closing Date, the respective principal amounts of Offered Securities set forth opposite the names of the Underwriters in Schedule A hereto.

 

The Company will deliver against payment of the purchase price the Offered Securities in the form of one or more permanent global securities in definitive form (the “Global Securities”) deposited with the Trustee as custodian for The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. Interests in any Global Securities will be held only in book-entry form through DTC, except in the limited circumstances described in the Prospectus. Payment for the Offered Securities shall be made by the Purchasers in Federal (same day) funds by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to the Representative drawn to the order of Chesapeake Energy Corporation at the office of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP at 10:00 A.M. (New York time), on June [            ], 2006, or at such other time not later than seven full business days thereafter as the Representative and the Company determine, such time being herein referred to as the “Closing Date”, against delivery to the Trustee as custodian for DTC of the Global Securities representing all of the Offered Securities.

 

4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Offered Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.

 

5. Certain Agreements of the Company. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:

 

(a) The Company will file each Statutory Prospectus with the Commission pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 424(b)(2) (or, if applicable and if consented to by the Representative, subparagraph (5), such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) not later than the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement. The Company will also prepare a final term sheet, containing solely the terms of the Offered Securities, in the form set out in Schedule C, and file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act within the time required by such Rule and file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act.

 

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(b) The Company will advise the Representative promptly of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or any Statutory Prospectus and will not undertake any such amendment or supplement if the Representative reasonably objects in writing thereto; and the Company will also advise the Representative promptly of the filing of any such amendment or supplement and of the institution by the Commission of any stop order proceedings in respect of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof and will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and to obtain as soon as possible its lifting, if issued.

 

(c) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is required to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act) in connection with sales by any Underwriter or dealer, any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Registration Statement or the Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company promptly will notify the Representative of such event and will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, at its own expense, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or an amendment which will effect such compliance. Neither the Representative’s consent to, nor the Underwriters’ delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the conditions set forth in Section 6 hereof.

 

(d) As soon as practicable, but not later than 16 months, after the date of this Agreement, the Company will make generally available to its securityholders an earnings statement covering a period of at least 12 months beginning after the later of (i) the effective date of the registration statement relating to the Offered Securities, (ii) the effective date of the most recent post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement to become effective prior to the date of this Agreement and (iii) the date of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission prior to the date of this Agreement, which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act.

 

(e) The Company will furnish to the Representative copies of the Registration Statement in the form it became effective (including all exhibits) and of all amendments thereto, any related preliminary prospectus, any related preliminary prospectus supplement, and, so long as a prospectus relating to the Offered Securities is (or but for the exemption in Rule 172 would be required to be) delivered under the Act in connection with sales by any Underwriter or dealer, the Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such documents, in each case in such quantities as the Representative requests. The Prospectus shall be so furnished on or prior to 3:00 p.m., New York time, on the business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement. All other documents shall be so furnished as soon as available. The Company will pay the expenses of printing and distributing to the Underwriters all such documents.

 

(f) The Company will arrange for the qualification of the Offered Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative designates and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution.

 

(g) The Company will pay all expenses incidental to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, for any filing fees and other expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel) incurred in connection with qualification of the Offered Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative designates and the printing of memoranda relating thereto, and for expenses incurred in distributing preliminary prospectuses and the Prospectus (including any amendments and supplements thereto) to the Underwriters and for expenses incurred for preparing, printing and distributing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses to investors or prospective investors[; provided that the Underwriters (acting collectively) will reimburse the Company for up to $150,000 of expenses incurred by the Company in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement.]

 

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(h) For a period of 60 days after the date of this Agreement, neither the Company nor its subsidiaries will, without the prior written consent of the Representative, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities registered under the Securities Act or eligible for trading pursuant to Rule 144A, issued or guaranteed by the Company or its subsidiaries and having a maturity of more than one year from the date of issue, except issuances of exchangeable securities of the size and type previously described to the Representative; provided that the Company may offer and sell one or more series of senior notes, the proceeds of which are used to repurchase or redeem outstanding senior notes of the Company.

 

(i) The Company will pay the fees applicable to the Registration Statement in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities within the time required by Rule 456 under the Act (without reliance on subsection (b)(1)(i) thereof) and in compliance with Rule 457(r) under the Act.

 

6. Free Writing Prospectuses. (a) The Company represents and agrees that (other than the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereto), unless it obtains the prior consent of the Representative, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that (other than one or more term sheets relating to the Offered Securities containing customary information and conveyed to purchasers of Offered Securities), unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and the Representative, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Offered Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and the Representative is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required, legending and record keeping.

 

7. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Offered Securities will be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor herein, to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor made pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions precedent:

 

(a) The Representative shall have received a letter (the “Initial Comfort Letter”), dated on or prior to the date of this Agreement, of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which comfort letter shall address, without limitation, the various financial disclosures, if any, set forth in the Registration Statement and the General Disclosure Package.

 

(b) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with the Act and Section 5(a) of this Agreement. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Underwriter, shall be contemplated by the Commission.

 

(c) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred (i) any change, or any development or event involving a prospective change, in the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as one enterprise which, in the judgment of the Representative, is material and adverse and makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with completion of the public offering or the sale of and payment for the Offered Securities; (ii) any downgrading in the rating of any debt securities of the Company by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Act), or any public announcement that any such

 

9


organization has under surveillance or review its rating of any debt securities of the Company (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading, and no implication of a possible downgrading, of such rating) or any announcement that the Company has been placed on negative outlook; (iii) any change in U.S. or international financial, political or economic conditions or currency exchange rates or exchange controls as would, in the judgment of a majority in interest of the Underwriters including the Representative, be likely to prejudice materially the success of the proposed issue, sale or distribution of the Offered Securities, whether in the primary market or in respect of dealings in the secondary market; (iv) any material suspension or material limitation of trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, or any setting of minimum prices for trading on such exchange, or any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market; (v) any banking moratorium declared by U.S. Federal or New York authorities; (vi) any major disruption of settlements of securities or clearance services in the United States; or (vii) any attack on, outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United States, any declaration of war by Congress or any other national or international calamity or emergency if, in the judgment of the Representative, the effect of any such attack, outbreak, escalation, act, declaration, calamity or emergency makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with completion of the public offering or the sale of and payment for the Offered Securities.

 

(d) The Representative shall have received an opinion, dated such Closing Date, of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel for the Company, that:

 

(i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is an existing corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Oklahoma, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package.

 

(ii) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its property and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package; except where the failure to be so qualified would not reasonably be expected to individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and the capital stock or similar equity interests of each subsidiary owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, is owned free from liens, encumbrances and defects.

 

(iii) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor; the Guarantees have been duly authorized by each Subsidiary Guarantor; the Offered Securities have been duly authorized; when the Offered Securities are delivered and paid for pursuant to this Agreement on the Closing Date, such Offered Securities will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will conform to the description thereof contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Indenture; and such Offered Securities will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles;

 

(iv) No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing with, any governmental agency or body or any court is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in connection with the issuance or sale of the Offered Securities by the Company, except such as have been obtained and made under the Act and such as may be required under state securities laws.

 

(v) None of the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Indenture, the issuance and sale of the Offered Securities and compliance with the terms

 

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and provisions hereof and thereof will result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, (1) any statute, rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or any of their properties which is, in the experience of such counsel, customarily applicable to securities offerings or (2) any agreement or instrument filed or referenced as an exhibit to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, or to any report on Form 8-K or Form 10-Q filed since December 31, 2005, to which the Company or any such subsidiary is party or by which the Company or any such subsidiary is bound or to which any of the properties of the Company or any such subsidiary is subject, or (3) the charter or by-laws (or similar organizational documents) of the Company or any such subsidiary, and the Company has full power and authority to authorize, issue and sell the Offered Securities as contemplated by this Agreement except in the case of clause (2) for such breaches or violations that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(vi) The statements under the captions “Description of Notes” and “Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” in the Prospectus, insofar as such statements purport to describe or summarize the legal matters and documents therein, fairly present in all material respects such legal matters and documents.

 

(vii) Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no pending actions, suits or proceedings against or affecting the Company, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect, or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor to perform its obligations under this Agreement or the Indenture, or which are otherwise material in the context of the sale of the Offered Securities; and no such actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or, to such counsel’s knowledge, contemplated.

 

(viii) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

(ix) The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act, the Prospectus was filed with the Commission pursuant to the subparagraph of Rule 424(b) specified in such opinion on the date specified therein in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424 and in compliance with Rule 430B, and, to the best of the knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or contemplated under the Act, and the Registration Statement, as of its effective date and as of the date of this Agreement and the Prospectus as of the Applicable Time, and any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its date, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations; each of the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, at the time it became effective or was filed with the Commission (or the time of filing of an amendment, if so amended), as the case may be, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act or Exchange Act, as the case may be, and the Rules and Regulations; the descriptions in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus of statutes, legal and governmental proceedings and contracts and other documents are accurate and fairly present the information required to be shown; and such counsel do not know of any legal or governmental proceedings required to be described in the Prospectus which are not described as required or of any contracts or documents of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which are not described and filed as required.

 

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It is understood and agreed that certain of the opinions set forth in paragraphs (i), (ii), (iii), (v) (with respect to conflicts with charters, by-laws or similar organizational documents and with respect to certain of the documents filed as exhibits to the filings described in such paragraph) and (viii) (with respect to due authorization) may be given by the Commercial Law Group, P.C., and certain opinions in paragraphs (vii) and (ix) may be given by Henry Hood, Esq.

 

In addition, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. shall state that they have participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company, representatives of the independent public accountants of the Company, general counsel of the Company, representatives of the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, at which conferences the Registration Statement and the Prospectus were discussed. Such counsel shall further state that, although they have made certain additional inquiries and investigations in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, they have not verified, are not passing on and do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any documents incorporated by reference therein, based on the participation described above in the course of acting as counsel to the Company in this transaction, no information has come to their attention that has caused such counsel to believe that the Registration Statement, at the time it became effective, or the Prospectus, at the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (other than the financial statements and schedules and other financial data and the oil and gas reserve data, in each case contained or incorporated by reference (including the notes thereto and auditor’s report thereon) therein, as to which such counsel need not express any comment or belief) contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; such counsel shall also state that they have no reason to believe that the documents specified in a schedule to such counsel’s letter, consisting of those included in the General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time and as of the Closing Date, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

(e) The Representative shall have received from Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to the incorporation of the Company, the validity of the Offered Securities delivered on the Closing Date, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and other related matters as the Representative may require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters. In rendering such opinion, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP may rely as to the incorporation of the Company and all other matters governed by Oklahoma law upon the opinion of Commercial Law Group, P.C. referred to above.

 

(f) The Representative shall have received a certificate, dated the Closing Date, of the President or any Vice President and a principal financial or accounting officer of the Company in which such officers, on behalf of the Company, shall state that the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct, that the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date, that no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are contemplated by the Commission and that, subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statements included or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and the General Disclosure Package, there has been no material adverse change, nor any development or event involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole except as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement and the General Disclosure Package or as described in such certificate.

 

(g) The Representative shall have received a letter (the “Bring-Down Comfort Letter”), dated the Closing Date, of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations thereunder, (ii) stating, as of the date

 

12


of the Bring-Down Comfort Letter (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the Registration Statement and the General Disclosure Package, as of a date not more than three business days prior to the date of the Bring-Down Comfort Letter), that the conclusions and findings of such accountants with respect to the financial information and other matters covered by the Initial Comfort Letter are accurate, (iii) confirming in all material respects the conclusions and findings set forth in the Initial Comfort Letter and (iv) otherwise in form and substance satisfactory in all respects to the Representative and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

 

(h) The Representative shall have received (i) a copy of the certificate or articles of incorporation, including all amendments thereto, of the Company, certified as of a recent date by the Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma, (ii) a certificate of good standing for the Company, dated as of a recent date, from such Secretary of State and (iii) a certificate, dated as of a recent date, of the Secretary of State of each state in which the Company is qualified to do business as a foreign corporation under the laws of such state.

 

(i) The Representative shall have received (i) a copy of the certificate or articles of incorporation (or similar organizational document), including all amendments thereto, of each of the Company’s subsidiaries, certified as of a recent date by the Secretary of State of the state in which such subsidiary is organized, (ii) a certificate of good standing for each of the Company’s subsidiaries, certified as of a recent date by the Secretary of State of the state in which such subsidiary is organized, and (iii) a certificate, dated as of a recent date, of the Secretary of State of each state in which each such subsidiary is qualified to do business as a foreign corporation (or similar entity) under the laws of each such state.

 

(j) The Representative shall have received a letter dated on or prior to the Closing Date, of Ernst & Young LLP in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and Ernst & Young LLP.

 

The Company will furnish the Representative with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents as the Representative reasonably requests. The Representative may in its sole discretion waive on behalf of the Underwriters compliance with any conditions to the obligations of the Underwriters hereunder.

 

8. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement, each Statutory Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any related preliminary prospectus or preliminary prospectus supplement, or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in or omission or alleged omission from any of such documents in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in subsection (b) below.

 

(b) Each Underwriter will severally and not jointly indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15

 

13


of the Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement, each Statutory Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any related preliminary prospectus or preliminary prospectus supplement, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representative specifically for use therein, and will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: (i) the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the second paragraph under the caption “Underwriting” and (ii) paragraph [•] under the caption “Underwriting”.

 

(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under subsection (a) or (b) above, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have under subsection (a) or (b) above except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided further that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under subsection (a) or (b) above. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, if such indemnified party shall have been advised by counsel that there are one or more defenses available to it that are in conflict with those available to the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party shall not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party), the reasonable fees and expenses of such indemnified party’s counsel shall be borne by the indemnifying party. In no event shall the indemnifying party be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (together with appropriate local counsel) at any time for any indemnified party in connection with any one action or separate but substantially similar or related actions arising in the same jurisdiction out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened action in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such action and does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

 

(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Offered Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses,

 

14


claims, damages or liabilities as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters from the Company under this Agreement. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Offered Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

 

(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act or the Exchange Act; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each director of the Company, to each officer of the Company who has signed the Registration Statement and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act or the Exchange Act.

 

9. Default of Underwriters. If any Underwriter or Underwriters default in their obligations to purchase Offered Securities hereunder the aggregate principal amount of Offered Securities that such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed 10% of the total principal amount of Offered Securities, the Representative may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Offered Securities by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by the Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated severally, in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder, to purchase the Offered Securities that such defaulting Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. If any Underwriter or Underwriters so default and the aggregate principal amount of Offered Securities with respect to which such default or defaults occur exceeds 10% of the total principal amount of Offered Securities and arrangements satisfactory to the Representative and the Company for the purchase of such Offered Securities by other persons are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement will terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except as provided in Section 10. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section. Nothing herein will relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

 

10. Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any of their respective representatives, officers or directors or any controlling person, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Securities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9 or if for any reason the purchase of the Offered Securities by the Underwriters is not consummated, the Company shall remain responsible for the expenses to be paid or reimbursed by it pursuant to Section 5 and the respective obligations of the Company and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8 shall remain in effect, and if any Offered Securities have been

 

15


purchased hereunder the representations and warranties in Section 2 and all obligations under Section 5 shall also remain in effect. If the purchase of the Offered Securities by the Underwriters is not consummated for any reason other than solely because of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9 or the occurrence of any event specified in clause (iii), (iv) (other than any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market), (v), (vi) or (vii) of Section 7(c), the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel) reasonably incurred by them in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities.

 

11. Research Independence. In addition, the Company acknowledges that the Underwriters’ research analysts and research departments are required to be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and that such Underwriters’ research analysts may hold and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company and/or the offering that differ from the views of its investment bankers. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views expressed by their independent research analysts and research departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or advice communicated to the Company by such Underwriters’ investment banking divisions. The Company acknowledges that each of the Underwriters is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the companies which may be the subject of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

12. No Fiduciary Duty. The Company acknowledges and agrees that in connection with this offering, the sale of the Offered Securities or any other services the Underwriters may be deemed to be providing hereunder, notwithstanding any preexisting relationship, advisory or otherwise, between the parties or any oral representations or assurances previously or subsequently made by the Underwriters: (i) no fiduciary or agency relationship between the Company and any other person, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, exists; (ii) the Underwriters are not acting as advisors, expert or otherwise, to the Company, including, without limitation, with respect to the determination of the public offering price of the Offered Securities, and such relationship between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, is entirely and solely commercial, based on arms-length negotiations; (iii) any duties and obligations that the Underwriters may have to the Company shall be limited to those duties and obligations specifically stated herein; and (iv) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may have interests that differ from those of the Company. The Company hereby waives any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering.

 

13. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and, if sent to the Underwriters, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to the Underwriters, c/o Banc of America Securities LLC, 9 West 57th Street, 40th Floor, New York, NY 10019, Attention: [            ] or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to it at Chesapeake Energy Corporation, 6100 North Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118, Attention: Corporate Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8 will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to such Underwriter.

 

14. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.

 

15. Representation of Underwriters. The Representative will act for the several Underwriters in connection with this financing, and any action under this Agreement taken by the Representative will be binding upon all the Underwriters.

 

16


16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.

 

17. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflicts of laws. The Company hereby submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

Each of the Underwriters and the Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its stockholders and affiliates) waives all right to trial by jury in any action, proceeding or counterclaim (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement.

 

17


If the foregoing is in accordance with the Representative’s understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to us one of the counterparts hereof, whereupon it will become a binding agreement between the Company and several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.

 

   

Very truly yours,

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION

            By:    
               

Name:

Title:

       

CHESAPEAKE EAGLE CANADA CORP.

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY LOUISIANA CORPORATION

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY MARKETING, INC.

CHESAPEAKE OPERATING, INC.

CHESAPEAKE SOUTH TEXAS CORP.

HODGES HOLDING COMPANY, INC.

HODGES OILFIELD COMPANY

HODGES TRUCKING COMPANY

NOMAC DRILLING CORPORATION

W.W. REALTY, INC.

CARMEN ACQUISITION, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ACQUISITION, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE APPALACHIA, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE LAND COMPANY, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ORC, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ROYALTY, L.L.C.

GOTHIC PRODUCTION, L.L.C.

HAWG HAULING & DISPOSAL, LLC

MC MINERAL COMPANY, L.L.C.

MAYFIELD PROCESSING, L.L.C.

       

By:

   
       

Name:

   
       

Title:

   

 

CHESAPEAKE EXPLORATION LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

CHESAPEAKE LOUISIANA, L.P.

CHESAPEAKE SIGMA, L.P.

By:

 

Chesapeake Operating, Inc., as general partner of each respective entity

By:

   
   
Name:    
Title:    

MIDCON COMPRESSION, L.P.

By:

 

Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc., as general partner

By:

   
   
Name:    
Title:    

 

The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted

as of the date first above written.

 

BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC

 

Acting on behalf of itself

and as the Representative of

the several Underwriters.

 

By:

 

BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC

   

By:

   
       

Name:

Title:

 

18


SCHEDULE A

 

Underwriter


   Principal
Amount
of
Offered
Securities


 

Banc of America Securities LLC

   [             ]

[Other Underwriters]

   [             ]
        
        
        
        
        
    

Total

   [             ]
    

 

19


SCHEDULE B

 

None.

 

20


SCHEDULE C

 

[Term Sheet]

 

21

EX-4.1 3 dex41.htm FORM OF INDENTURE Form of Indenture

EXHIBIT 4.1

 


 

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION

 

as Issuer,

 

THE SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS,

 

as Guarantors,

 

AND

 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,

 

as Trustee

 


 

INDENTURE

 

DATED AS OF [            ], 2006

 


 

[            ]% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2013

 


 



CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE

 

TIA SECTION


   INDENTURE SECTION

310

   (a)(1)    7.10
     (a)(2)    7.10
     (a)(3)    N.A.
     (a)(4)    N.A.
     (a)(5)    7.08
     (b)    7.08; 7.10
     (c)    N.A.

311

   (a)    7.11
     (b)    7.11
     (c)    N.A.

312

   (a)    2.05
     (b)    12.03
     (c)    12.03

313

   (a)    7.06
     (b)(1)    N.A.
     (b)(2)    7.06
     (c)    7.06; 12.02
     (d)    7.06

314

   (a)    4.02; 4.03; 12.02
     (b)    N.A.
     (c)(1)    12.04
     (c)(2)    12.04
     (c)(3)    N.A.
     (d)    N.A.
     (e)    12.05
     (f)    N.A.

315

   (a)    7.01(b)
     (b)    7.05; 12.02
     (c)    7.01(a)
     (d)    7.01(c)
     (e)    6.11

316

   (a)(last sentence)    2.09
     (a)(1)(A)    6.05
     (a)(1)(B)    6.02; 6.04; 9.02
     (a)(2)    N.A.
     (b)    6.07
     (c)    N.A.

317

   (a)(1)    6.08
     (a)(2)    6.09
     (b)    2.04

318

   (a)    12.01

318

   (c)    12.01

N.A. means Not Applicable

 

NOTE: This Cross-Reference table shall not, for any purpose, be deemed part of this Indenture.

 

ii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Pages

ARTICLE One

    

DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

    

SECTION 1.01. Definitions

   1

SECTION 1.02. Other Definitions

   13

SECTION 1.03. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act

   13

SECTION 1.04. Rules of Construction

   14

ARTICLE Two

    

THE SECURITIES

    

SECTION 2.01. Form and Dating

   14

SECTION 2.02. Execution and Authentication

   15

SECTION 2.03. Registrar and Paying Agent

   15

SECTION 2.04. Paying Agent To Hold Money in Trust

   16

SECTION 2.05. Holder Lists

   16

SECTION 2.06. Transfer and Exchange

   16

SECTION 2.07. Replacement Securities

   16

SECTION 2.08. Outstanding Securities

   17

SECTION 2.09. Temporary Securities

   17

SECTION 2.10. Cancelation

   17

SECTION 2.11. Defaulted Interest

   17

SECTION 2.12. CUSIP Numbers

   18

SECTION 2.13. Issuance of Additional Securities

   18

ARTICLE Three

    

REDEMPTION

    

SECTION 3.01. Notice to Trustee

   18

SECTION 3.02. Selection of Securities to Be Redeemed

   19

SECTION 3.03. Notice of Redemption

   19

SECTION 3.04. Effect of Notice of Redemption

   20

SECTION 3.05. Deposit of Redemption Price

   20

SECTION 3.06. Securities Redeemed in Part

   20

SECTION 3.07. Optional Redemption at Make-Whole Price

   20

ARTICLE Four

    

COVENANTS

    

SECTION 4.01. Payment of Securities

   21

SECTION 4.02. SEC Reports

   21

SECTION 4.03. Compliance Certificates

   21

SECTION 4.04. Maintenance of Office or Agency

   22

 

iii


SECTION 4.05. Corporate Existence

   23

SECTION 4.06. Waiver of Stay, Extension or Usury Laws

   23

SECTION 4.07. Payment of Taxes and Other Claims

   23

SECTION 4.08. Maintenance of Properties and Insurance

   23

SECTION 4.09. Limitation on Liens Securing Indebtedness

   24

SECTION 4.10. Limitation on Sale/Leaseback Transactions

   24

ARTICLE Five

    

SUCCESSOR CORPORATION

    

SECTION 5.01. When Company May Merge, etc

   26

SECTION 5.02. Successor Corporation Substituted

   27

ARTICLE Six

    

DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

    

SECTION 6.01. Events of Default

   27

SECTION 6.02. Acceleration

   29

SECTION 6.03. Other Remedies

   30

SECTION 6.04. Waiver of Past Defaults

   30

SECTION 6.05. Control by Majority

   30

SECTION 6.06. Limitation on Remedies

   30

SECTION 6.07. Rights of Holders to Receive Payment

   31

SECTION 6.08. Collection Suit by Trustee

   31

SECTION 6.09. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim

   31

SECTION 6.10. Priorities

   32

SECTION 6.11. Undertaking for Costs

   32

ARTICLE Seven

    

TRUSTEE

    

SECTION 7.01. Duties of Trustee

   32

SECTION 7.02. Rights of Trustee

   33

SECTION 7.03. Individual Rights of Trustee

   34

SECTION 7.04. Trustee's Disclaimer

   34

SECTION 7.05. Notice of Defaults

   35

SECTION 7.06. Reports by Trustee to Holders

   35

SECTION 7.07. Compensation and Indemnity

   35

SECTION 7.08. Replacement of Trustee

   36

SECTION 7.09. Successor Trustee by Merger, etc

   37

SECTION 7.10. Eligibility; Disqualification

   37

SECTION 7.11. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company

   37

ARTICLE Eight

    

DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE

    

SECTION 8.01. Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance

   37

SECTION 8.02. Legal Defeasance and Discharge

   38

SECTION 8.03. Covenant Defeasance

   38

 

iv


SECTION 8.04.

  Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance    38

SECTION 8.05.

  Deposited Money and U.S. Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions    40

SECTION 8.06.

  Repayment to Company    40

SECTION 8.07.

  Reinstatement    41

ARTICLE Nine

    

AMENDMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS AND WAIVERS

    

SECTION 9.01.

  Without Consent of Holders    41

SECTION 9.02.

  With Consent of Holders    42

SECTION 9.03.

  Compliance with Trust Indenture Act    43

SECTION 9.04.

  Revocation and Effect of Consents    43

SECTION 9.05.

  Notation on or Exchange of Senior Notes    44

SECTION 9.06.

  Trustee Protected    44

ARTICLE Ten

    

GUARANTEES

    

SECTION 10.01.

  Unconditional Guarantee    45

SECTION 10.02.

  Subsidiary Guarantors May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms    45

SECTION 10.03.

  Addition of Subsidiary Guarantors    46

SECTION 10.04.

  Release of a Subsidiary Guarantor    46

SECTION 10.05.

  Limitation of Subsidiary Guarantor's Liability    47

SECTION 10.06.

  Contribution    47

SECTION 10.07.

  [Intentionally Omitted.]    48

SECTION 10.08.

  Severability    48

ARTICLE Eleven

    

MISCELLANEOUS

    

SECTION 11.01.

  Trust Indenture Act Controls    48

SECTION 11.02.

  Notices    48

SECTION 11.03.

  Communication by Holders with Other Holders    49

SECTION 11.04.

  Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent    49

SECTION 11.05.

  Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion    49

SECTION 11.06.

  Rules by Trustee and Agents    50

SECTION 11.07.

  Legal Holidays    50

SECTION 11.08.

  Governing Law    50

SECTION 11.09.

  No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements    50

SECTION 11.10.

  No Recourse Against Others    50

SECTION 11.11.

  Successors    50

SECTION 11.12.

  Duplicate Originals    50

SECTION 11.13.

  Severability    50

SIGNATURES

   66

APPENDIX

   A-1

 

v


EXHIBIT 1 TO THE APPENDIX - FORM OF SECURITY

  B-1

NOTE: This Table of Contents shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be a part of this Indenture.

 

vi


INDENTURE, dated as of [            ], 2006, among CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION, an Oklahoma corporation (the “Company”), the SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS listed as signatories hereto and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., a national banking association, as Trustee.

 

Each party agrees as follows for the benefit of the other parties and for the equal and ratable benefit of the holders of the Company [    ]% Senior Notes due 2013:

 

ARTICLE ONE

 

DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

 

SECTION 1.01. Definitions.

 

“Additional Securities” means [    ]% Senior Notes due 2013 issued from time to time after the Issue Date under the terms of this Indenture (other than pursuant to Section 2.06, 2.07, 2.09 or 3.06 of this Indenture).

 

“Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” or “ACNTA” means (without duplication), as of the date of determination, (a) the sum of (i) discounted future net revenue from proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines before any state or federal income taxes, as estimated by petroleum engineers (which may include the Company’s internal engineers) in a reserve report prepared as of the end of the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year, as increased by, as of the date of determination, the discounted future net revenue of (A) estimated proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries attributable to any acquisition consummated since the date of such year-end reserve report, and (B) estimated proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries attributable to extensions, discoveries and other additions and upward revisions of estimates of proved oil and gas reserves due to exploration, development or exploitation, production or other activities conducted or otherwise occurring since the date of such year-end reserve report, which, in the case of sub-clauses (A) and (B), would, in accordance with standard industry practice, result in such increases as calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in such year-end reserve report), and decreased by, as of the date of determination, the discounted future net revenue of (C) estimated proved oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries produced or disposed of since the date of such year-end reserve report and (D) reductions in the estimated oil and gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries since the date of such year-end reserve report attributable to downward revisions of estimates of proved oil and gas reserves due to exploration, development or exploitation, production or other activities conducted or otherwise occurring since the date of such year-end reserve report which, in the case of sub-clauses (C) and (D), would, in accordance with standard industry practice, result in such decreases as calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in such year-end reserve report); provided that, in the case of each of the determinations made pursuant to clauses (A) through (D), such increases and decreases shall be as estimated by the Company’s engineers, (ii) the capitalized costs that


are attributable to oil and gas properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries to which no proved oil and gas reserves are attributable, based on the Company’s books and records as of a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements, (iii) the Net Working Capital on a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements and (iv) the greater of (I) the net book value on a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements and (II) the appraised value, as estimated by independent appraisers, of other tangible assets (including Investments in unconsolidated Subsidiaries) of the Company and its Subsidiaries, as of a date no earlier than the date of the Company’s latest audited financial statements, minus (b) the sum of (i) minority interests, (ii) any gas balancing liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries reflected as a long-term liability in the Company’s latest annual or quarterly financial statements, (iii) the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices utilized in the Company’s year-end reserve report), attributable to reserves which are required to be delivered to third parties to fully satisfy the obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to Volumetric Production Payments on the schedules specified with respect thereto, (iv) the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines, attributable to reserves subject to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments which, based on the estimates of production included in determining the discounted future net revenue specified in (a) (i) above (utilizing the same prices utilized in the Company’s year-end reserve report), would be necessary to fully satisfy the payment obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments on the schedules specified with respect thereto and (v) the discounted future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the same prices utilized in the Company’s year-end reserve report), attributable to reserves subject to participation interests, overriding royalty interests or other interests of third parties, pursuant to participation, partnership, vendor financing or other agreements then in effect, or which otherwise are required to be delivered to third parties. If the Company changes its method of accounting from the full cost method to the successful efforts method or a similar method of accounting, Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets will continue to be calculated as if the Company were still using the full cost method of accounting.

 

“Adjusted Net Assets of a Subsidiary Guarantor” at any date shall mean the lesser of (i) the amount by which the fair value of the property of such Subsidiary Guarantor exceeds the total amount of liabilities, including, without limitation, contingent liabilities (after giving effect to all other fixed and contingent liabilities incurred or assumed on such date), but excluding liabilities under the Guarantee of such Subsidiary Guarantor at such date and (ii) the amount by which the present fair saleable value of the assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor at such date exceeds the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of such Subsidiary Guarantor on its debts (after giving effect to all other fixed and contingent liabilities incurred or assumed on such date and after giving effect to any collection from any Subsidiary of such Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such Subsidiary under the Guarantee),

 

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excluding debt in respect of the Guarantee, as they become absolute and matured.

 

“Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of Voting Stock, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.

 

“Agent” means any Registrar, Paying Agent or co-registrar.

 

“Attributable Indebtedness” means, with respect to any particular lease under which any Person is at the time liable and at any date as of which the amount thereof is to be determined, the present value of the total net amount of rent required to be paid by such Person under the lease during the primary term thereof, without giving effect to any renewals at the option of the lessee, discounted from the respective due dates thereof to such date at the rate of interest per annum implicit in the terms of the lease. As used in the preceding sentence, the “net amount of rent” under any lease for any such period shall mean the sum of rental and other payments required to be paid with respect to such period by the lessee thereunder excluding any amounts required to be paid by such lessee on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges. In the case of any lease which is terminable by the lessee upon payment of a penalty, such net amount of rent shall also include the amount of such penalty, but no rent shall be considered as required to be paid under such lease subsequent to the first date upon which it may be so terminated.

 

“Average Life” means, as of the date of determination, with respect to any Indebtedness, the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the product of (x) the number of years from such date to the date of each successive scheduled principal payment of such Indebtedness multiplied by (y) the amount of such principal payment by (ii) the sum of all such principal payments.

 

“Board of Directors” means, with respect to any Person, the Board of Directors of such Person or any committee of the Board of Directors of such Person duly authorized to act on behalf of the Board of Directors of such Person.

 

“Board Resolution” means, with respect to any Person, a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of such Person to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors or the managing partner(s) of such Person and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification, and delivered to the Trustee.

 

“Business Day” means any day on which the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. is open for trading and which is not a Legal Holiday.

 

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“Capital Stock” means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares, interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock or partnership or limited liability company interests and any and all warrants, options and rights with respect thereto (whether or not currently exercisable), including each class of common stock and preferred stock of such Person.

 

“Capitalized Lease Obligations” of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under a lease of property, real or personal, that is required to be capitalized for financial reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

“Company” means the party named as such above, until a successor replaces such Person in accordance with the terms of this Indenture, and thereafter means such successor.

 

“Credit Facilities” means, one or more debt facilities (including, without limitation, the Company’s existing credit facility) or commercial paper facilities, in each case with banks, investment banks, insurance companies, mutual funds and/or other institutional lenders providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, receivables financing (including through the sale of receivables to such lenders or to special purpose entities formed to borrow from (or sell receivables to) such lenders against such receivables) or letters of credit, in each case, as amended, extended, restated, renewed, refunded, replaced or refinanced (in each case with Credit Facilities), supplemented or otherwise modified (in whole or in part and without limitation as to amount, terms, conditions, covenants and other provisions) from time to time.

 

“Currency Hedge Obligations” means, at any time as to the Company and its Subsidiaries, the obligations of any such Person at such time that were incurred in the ordinary course of business pursuant to any foreign currency exchange agreement, option or futures contract or other similar agreement or arrangement designed to protect against or manage such Person’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

“Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time would be, an Event of Default.

 

“De Minimis Guaranteed Amount” means a principal amount of Indebtedness that does not exceed $5,000,000.

 

“Disqualified Stock” means any Capital Stock of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company which, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event or with the passage of time, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof, in whole or in part, on or prior to the Maturity Date or which is exchangeable or convertible into debt securities of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, except to the extent that

 

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such exchange or conversion rights cannot be exercised prior to the Maturity Date.

 

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

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.

 

“Existing Notes” means the Company’s outstanding (a) 7.50% Senior Notes due 2013, (b) 7.50% Senior Notes due 2014, (c) 7.00% Senior Notes due 2014, (d) 7.75% Senior Notes due 2015, (e) 6.375% Senior Notes due 2015, (f) 6.875% Senior Notes due 2016, (g) 6.625% Senior Notes due 2016, (h) 6.5% Senior Notes due 2017, (i) 6.25% Senior Notes due 2018, (j) 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020 and (k) 2.75% Contingence Convertible Senior Notes due 2035.

 

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles as in effect in the United States of America as of the Issue Date.

 

“Guarantee” means, individually and collectively, the guarantees given by the Subsidiary Guarantors pursuant to Article Ten hereof.

 

“Holder” means a Person in whose name a Security is registered on the Registrar’s books.

 

“Indebtedness” means, without duplication, with respect to any Person, (a) all obligations of such Person (i) in respect of borrowed money (whether or not the recourse of the lender is to the whole of the assets of such Person or only to a portion thereof), (ii) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments, (iii) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property or services (other than accounts payable or other obligations arising in the ordinary course of business), (iv) evidenced by bankers’ acceptances or similar instruments issued or accepted by banks, (v) for the payment of money relating to a Capitalized Lease Obligation, or (vi) evidenced by a letter of credit or a reimbursement obligation of such Person with respect to any letter of credit; (b) all net obligations of such Person under Interest Rate Hedging Agreements, Oil and Gas Hedging Contracts and Currency Hedge Obligations, except to the extent such net obligations are taken into account in the determination of future net revenues from proved oil and gas reserves for purposes of the calculation of Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets; (c) all liabilities of others of the kind described in the preceding clauses (a) or (b) that such Person has guaranteed or that are otherwise its legal liability (including, with respect to any Production Payment, any warranties or guaranties of production or payment by such Person with respect to such Production Payment but excluding other contractual obligations of such Person with respect to such Production Payment); (d) Indebtedness (as otherwise defined in this definition) of another Person secured by a Lien on any asset of such Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by such Person, the amount of such obligations being deemed to be the lesser of (1) the full amount of such obligations so secured, and (2) the fair

 

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market value of such asset, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of such Person, which determination shall be evidenced by a Board Resolution, (e) with respect to such Person, the liquidation preference or any mandatory redemption payment obligations in respect of Disqualified Stock; (f) the aggregate preference in respect of amounts payable on the issued and outstanding shares of Preferred Stock of any of such Person’s Subsidiaries in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up (excluding any such preference attributable to such shares of Preferred Stock that are owned by such Person or any of its Subsidiaries; provided, that if such Person is the Company, such exclusion shall be for such preference attributable to such shares of Preferred Stock that are owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries); and (g) any and all deferrals, renewals, extensions, refinancings and refundings (whether direct or indirect) of, or amendments, modifications or supplements to, any liability of the kind described in any of the preceding clauses (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) or this clause (g), whether or not between or among the same parties. Subject to clause (c) of the preceding sentence, neither Dollar-Denominated Production Payments nor Volumetric Production Payments shall be deemed to be Indebtedness.

 

“Indenture” means this Indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

“Interest Rate Hedging Agreements” means, with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries, the obligations of such Persons under (i) interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements and interest rate collar agreements and (ii) other agreements or arrangements designed to protect any such Person or any of its Subsidiaries against fluctuations in interest rates.

 

“Investment” of any Person means (i) all investments by such Person in any other Person in the form of loans, advances or capital contributions, (ii) all guarantees of Indebtedness or other obligations of any other Person by such Person, (iii) all purchases (or other acquisitions for consideration) by such Person of assets, Indebtedness, Capital Stock or other securities of any other Person and (iv) all other items that would be classified as investments (including, without limitation, purchases of assets outside the ordinary course of business) or advances on a balance sheet of such Person prepared in accordance with GAAP.

 

“Issue Date” means [            ], 2006.

 

“Lien” means, with respect to any Person, any mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, easement, restriction, covenant, right-of-way, charge or adverse claim affecting title or resulting in an encumbrance against real or personal property of such Person, or a security interest of any kind (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, any option, right of first refusal or other similar agreement to sell, in each case securing obligations of such Person and any filing of or agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent statute or statutes) of any jurisdiction).

 

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“Make-Whole Amount” with respect to a Security means an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (i) the present value of the remaining interest, premium and principal payments due on such Security (excluding any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the redemption date) as if such Security were redeemed on the Maturity Date, computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate plus 50 basis points, over (ii) the outstanding principal amount of such Security. As used herein, “Treasury Rate” is defined as the yield to maturity (calculated on a semi-annual bond equivalent basis) at the time of the computation of United States Treasury securities with a constant maturity (as compiled by and published in the most recent Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15 (519), which has become publicly available at least two Business Days prior to the date of the redemption notice or, if such Statistical Release is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar market data) most nearly equal to the then remaining maturity of the Securities assuming redemption of the Securities on the Maturity Date; provided, however, that if the Make-Whole Average Life of such Security is not equal to the constant maturity of the United States Treasury security for which a weekly average yield is given, the Treasury Rate shall be obtained by linear interpolation (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth of a year) from the weekly average yields of United States Treasury securities for which such yields are given, except that if the Make-Whole Average Life of such Securities is less than one year, the weekly average yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year shall be used. As used herein, “Make-Whole Average Life” means the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) between the date of redemption and the Maturity Date.

 

“Make-Whole Price” means the sum of the outstanding principal amount of the Securities to be redeemed plus the Make-Whole Amount of such Securities.

 

“Maturity Date” means [            ], 2013.

 

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

 

“Net Available Proceeds” means, with respect to any Sale/Leaseback Transaction of any Person, cash proceeds received (including any cash proceeds received by way of deferred payment of principal pursuant to a note or installment receivable or otherwise, but only as and when received, and excluding any other consideration until such time as such consideration is converted into cash) therefrom, in each case net of all legal, title and recording tax expenses, commissions and other fees and expenses incurred, and all federal, state or local taxes required to be accrued as a liability as a consequence of such Sale/Leaseback Transaction, and in each case net of all Indebtedness which is secured by such assets, in accordance with the terms of any Lien upon or with respect to such assets, or which must, by its terms or in order to obtain a necessary consent to such Sale/Leaseback Transaction or by applicable law, be repaid out of the proceeds from such Sale/Leaseback Transaction and which is actually so repaid.

 

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“Net Working Capital” means (i) all current assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, minus (ii) all current liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries, except current liabilities included in Indebtedness.

 

“Officer” means, with respect to any Person, the Chairman of the Board, the President, any Vice President, the Chief Financial Officer or the Treasurer of such Person.

 

“Officers’ Certificate” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by two Officers or by an Officer and either the Secretary, or an Assistant Secretary or Assistant Treasurer of such Person. One of the Officers signing an Officers’ Certificate given pursuant to Section 4.03(a) shall be the principal executive, financial or accounting officer of the Person delivering such certificate.

 

“Oil and Gas Business” means the business of the exploration for, and exploitation, development, production, processing (but not refining), marketing, storage and transportation of, hydrocarbons, and other related energy and natural resource businesses (including oil and gas services businesses related to the foregoing).

 

“Oil and Gas Hedging Contracts” means any oil and gas purchase or hedging agreement, and other agreement or arrangement, in each case, that is designed to provide protection against price fluctuations of oil, gas or other commodities.

 

“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion from legal counsel. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company (or any Subsidiary Guarantor, if applicable).

 

“Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness” means Indebtedness of the Company, the net proceeds of which are used to renew, extend, refinance, refund or repurchase outstanding Indebtedness of the Company, provided that (i) if the Indebtedness (including the Securities) being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased is pari passu with or subordinated in right of payment to the Securities, then such Indebtedness is pari passu or subordinated in right of payment to, as the case may be, the Securities at least to the same extent as the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased, (ii) such Indebtedness is scheduled to mature no earlier than the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased, and (iii) such Indebtedness has an Average Life at the time such Indebtedness is incurred that is equal to or greater than the Average Life of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased; provided, further, that such Indebtedness (to the extent that such Indebtedness constitutes Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness) is in an aggregate principal amount (or, if such Indebtedness is issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, the aggregate amount of gross proceeds therefrom is) not in excess of the aggregate principal amount then outstanding of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased (or if the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased was issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, then not in excess of the

 

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amount of liability in respect thereof determined in accordance with GAAP).

 

“Permitted Financial Investments” means the following kinds of instruments if, in the case of instruments referred to in clauses (i)-(iv) below, on the date of purchase or other acquisition of any such instrument by the Company or any Subsidiary, the remaining term to maturity is not more than one year; (i) readily marketable obligations issued or unconditionally guaranteed as to principal of and interest thereon by the United States of America or by any agency or authority controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the United States of America; (ii) repurchase obligations for instruments of the type described in clause (i) for which delivery of the instrument is made against payment; (iii) obligations (including, but not limited to, demand or time deposits, bankers’ acceptances and certificates of deposit) issued by a depositary institution or trust company incorporated or doing business under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia or a branch or subsidiary of any such depositary institution or trust company operating outside the United States, provided, that such depositary institution or trust company has, at the time of the Company’s or such Subsidiary’s investment therein or contractual commitment providing for such investment, capital surplus or undivided profits (as of the date of such institution’s most recently published financial statements) in excess of $500,000,000; (iv) commercial paper issued by any corporation, if such commercial paper has, at the time of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s investment therein or contractual commitment providing for such investment, credit ratings of A-1 (or higher) by S&P and P-1 (or higher) by Moody’s; and (v) money market mutual or similar funds having assets in excess of $500,000,000.

 

“Permitted Liens” means (i) Liens existing on the Issue Date; (ii) Liens securing Indebtedness under Credit Facilities; (iii) Liens now or hereafter securing any Interest Rate Hedging Agreements so long as the related Indebtedness (a) constitutes the Existing Notes or the Securities (or any Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof) or (b) is, or is permitted to be under this Indenture, secured by a Lien on the same property securing such interest rate hedging obligations; (iv) Liens securing Permitted Company Refinancing Indebtedness or Permitted Subsidiary Refinancing Indebtedness; provided, that such Liens extend to or cover only the property or assets currently securing the Indebtedness being refinanced and that the Indebtedness being refinanced was not incurred under the Credit Facilities; (v) Liens for taxes, assessments and governmental charges not yet delinquent or being contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been established to the extent required by GAAP; (vi) mechanics’, worker’s, materialmen’s, operators’ or similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business; (vii) Liens in connection with worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance or other social security, old age pension or public liability obligations; (viii) Liens, deposits or pledges to secure the performance of bids, tenders, contracts (other than contracts for the payment of money), leases, public or statutory obligations, surety, stay, appeal, indemnity, performance or other similar bonds, or other similar obligations arising in the ordinary course of business; (ix) survey exceptions, encumbrances, easements or reservations of, or rights of others for, rights of way, zoning or other restrictions as to the use

 

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of real properties, and minor defects in title which, in the case of any of the foregoing, were not incurred or created to secure the payment of borrowed money or the deferred purchase price of property or services, and in the aggregate do not materially adversely affect the value of such properties or materially impair use for the purposes of which such properties are held by the Company or any Subsidiaries; (x) Liens on, or related to, properties to secure all or part of the costs incurred in the ordinary course of business of exploration, drilling, development or operation thereof; (xi) Liens on pipeline or pipeline facilities which arise out of operation of law; (xii) judgment and attachment Liens not giving rise to an Event of Default or Liens created by or existing from any litigation or legal proceeding that are currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been made; (xiii) (a) Liens upon any property of any Person existing at the time of acquisition thereof by the Company or a Subsidiary, (b) Liens upon any property of a Person existing at the time such Person is merged or consolidated with the Company or any Subsidiary or existing at the time of the sale or transfer of any such property of such Person to the Company or any Subsidiary, or (c) Liens upon any property of a Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary; provided, that in each case such Lien has not been created in contemplation of such sale, merger, consolidation, transfer or acquisition, and provided, further, that in each such case no such Lien shall extend to or cover any property of the Company or any Subsidiary other than the property being acquired and improvements thereon; (xiv) Liens on deposits to secure public or statutory obligations or in lieu of surety or appeal bonds entered into in the ordinary course of business; (xv) Liens in favor of collecting or payor banks having a right of setoff, revocation, refund or chargeback with respect to money or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary on deposit with or in possession of such bank; (xvi) purchase money security interests granted in connection with the acquisition of assets in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices, provided, that (A) such Liens attach only to the property so acquired with the purchase money indebtedness secured thereby and (B) such Liens secure only Indebtedness that is not in excess of 100% of the purchase price of such assets; (xvii) Liens reserved in oil and gas mineral leases for bonus or rental payments and for compliance with the terms of such leases; (xviii) Liens arising under partnership agreements, oil and gas leases, farm-out agreements, division orders, contracts for the sale, purchase, exchange, transportation or processing (but not refining) of oil, gas or other hydrocarbons, unitization and pooling declarations and agreements, development agreements, operating agreements, area of mutual interest agreements, and other similar agreements which are customary in the Oil and Gas Business; (xix) Liens securing obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under Currency Hedge Obligations or Oil and Gas Hedging Contracts; (xx) Liens to secure Dollar-Denominated Production Payments and Volumetric Production Payments; and (xxi) Liens securing other Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount which, together with all other Indebtedness outstanding on the date of such incurrence and secured by Liens pursuant to this clause (xxi), does not exceed 15% of Adjusted Consolidated Tangible Net Assets.

 

“Permitted Subsidiary Refinancing Indebtedness” means Indebtedness of any Subsidiary, the net proceeds of which are used to renew, extend, refinance, refund or repurchase outstanding Indebtedness

 

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of such Subsidiary, provided that (i) if the Indebtedness (including the Guarantees) being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased is pari passu with or subordinated in right of payment to the Guarantees, then such Indebtedness is pari passu with or subordinated in right of payment to, as the case may be, the Guarantees at least to the same extent as the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased, (ii) such Indebtedness is scheduled to mature no earlier than the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased, and (iii) such Indebtedness has an Average Life at the time such Indebtedness is incurred that is equal to or greater than the Average Life of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased; provided, further, that such Indebtedness (to the extent that such Indebtedness constitutes Permitted Subsidiary Refinancing Indebtedness) is in an aggregate principal amount (or, if such Indebtedness is issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, the aggregate amount of gross proceeds therefrom is) not in excess of the aggregate principal amount then outstanding of the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased (or if the Indebtedness being renewed, extended, refinanced, refunded or repurchased was issued at a price less than the principal amount thereof, then not in excess of the amount of liability in respect thereof determined in accordance with GAAP).

 

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, estate, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

 

“Preferred Stock,” as applied to the Capital Stock of any corporation, means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated), which is preferred as to the payment of dividends, or upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of such corporation, over shares of Capital Stock of any other class of such corporation.

 

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

 

“pro forma” means, with respect to any calculation made or required to be made pursuant to the terms of this Indenture, a calculation in accordance with Article Eleven of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act.

 

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

 

“Sale/Leaseback Transaction” means with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any arrangement with any Person providing for the leasing by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any principal property, acquired or placed into service more than 180 days prior to such arrangement, whereby such property has been or is to be sold or transferred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to such Person.

 

“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

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“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

“Senior Indebtedness” means any Indebtedness of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor (whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter incurred), unless such Indebtedness is contractually subordinate or junior in right of payment of principal, premium and interest to the Securities or the Guarantees, respectively.

 

“Subordinated Indebtedness of a Subsidiary Guarantor” means any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary Guarantor (whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter incurred) which is contractually subordinate or junior in right of payment of principal, premium and interest to the Guarantees.

 

“Subordinated Indebtedness of the Company” means any Indebtedness of the Company (whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter incurred) which is contractually subordinate or junior in right of payment of principal, premium and interest to the Securities.

 

“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company. A “subsidiary” of any Person means (i) a corporation a majority of whose Voting Stock is at the time, directly or indirectly, owned by such Person, by one or more subsidiaries of such Person or by such Person and one or more subsidiaries of such Person, (ii) a partnership in which such Person or a subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if such Person or its subsidiary is entitled to receive more than 50 percent of the assets of such partnership upon its dissolution, or (iii) any other Person (other than a corporation or partnership) in which such Person, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination thereof, has (x) at least a majority ownership interest or (y) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

 

“Subsidiary Guarantor” means (i) each of the domestic Subsidiaries on the Issue Date other than Nomac 100 Corp. and subsidiaries that are not guarantors of other Indebtedness of the Company in excess of a De Minimus Guaranteed Amount; (ii) Chesapeake Eagle Canada Corp., a Canadian Subsidiary; (iii) each of the other Subsidiaries that becomes a guarantor of the Securities in compliance with the provisions of Article Ten of this Indenture and (iv) each of the Subsidiaries executing a supplemental indenture in which such Subsidiary agrees to be bound by the terms of this Indenture.

 

“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code Sections 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture, except as provided in Section 9.03.

 

“Trust Officer” means any officer or assistant officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee assigned by the Trustee to administer its corporate trust matters and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

 

“Trustee” means the party named as such above until a successor replaces it in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture and thereafter means the successor.

 

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“U.S. Government Securities” means securities that are (i) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (ii) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America, which, in either case under clauses (i) or (ii) are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.

 

“U.S. Legal Tender” means such coin or currency of the United States as at the time of payment shall be legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

 

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

 

“Voting Stock” means, with respect to any Person, securities of any class or classes of Capital Stock in such Person entitling the holders thereof (whether at all times or only so long as no senior class of stock has voting power by reason of contingency) to vote in the election of members of the Board of Directors or other governing body of such Person.

 

SECTION 1.02. Other Definitions.

 

Other terms used in this Indenture are defined in the Appendix or in the Section indicated below:

 

Term


   Defined in Section

“Appendix”

   2.01

“Bankruptcy Law”

   6.01

“Covenant Defeasance”

   8.03

“Custodian”

   6.01

“Event of Default”

   6.01

“Excess Proceeds”

   4.10

“Funding Guarantor”

   10.06

“incur”

   4.09

“Legal Defeasance”

   8.02

“Legal Holiday”

   11.07

“Net Proceeds Offer”

   4.10

“Net Proceeds Offer Triggering Event”

   4.10

“Net Proceeds Payment Date”

   4.10

“Offer Notice”

   4.10

“Paying Agent”

   2.03

“Payment Default”

   6.01

“Registrar”

   2.03

 

SECTION 1.03. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act. Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms, if used in this Indenture, have the following meanings:

 

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“Commission” means the SEC.

 

“indenture securities” means the Securities and the Guarantees.

 

“indenture security holder” means a Holder.

 

“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture.

 

“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee.

 

“obligor” on the indenture securities means the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and any other obligor on the Securities or the Guarantees.

 

All other TIA terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule have the meanings assigned to them therein.

 

SECTION 1.04. Rules of Construction.

 

Unless the context otherwise requires:

 

(1) a term has the meaning assigned to it;

 

(2) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;

 

(3) “or” is not exclusive;

 

(4) words in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural include the singular;

 

(5) any gender used in this Indenture shall be deemed to include the neuter, masculine or feminine genders;

 

(6) provisions apply to successive events and transactions; and

 

(7) “herein,” “hereof” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other Subdivision.

 

ARTICLE TWO

 

THE SECURITIES

 

SECTION 2.01. Form and Dating. Provisions relating to the Securities are set forth in the Appendix attached hereto (the “Appendix”) which is hereby incorporated in and expressly made part of this Indenture. The Securities and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit 1 to the Appendix which is hereby incorporated in and expressly made a part of this Indenture. The Securities may have notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule, agreements to which

 

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the Company is subject, if any, or usage (provided that any such notation, legend or endorsement is in a form acceptable to the Company and to the Trustee). Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. The terms of the Securities set forth in the Appendix and Exhibit 1 are part of the terms of this Indenture.

 

SECTION 2.02. Execution and Authentication. Two Officers shall sign the Securities for the Company by manual or facsimile signature.

 

If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Trustee authenticates the Security, the Security shall be valid nevertheless.

 

A Security shall not be valid until an authorized signatory of the Trustee manually signs the certificate of authentication on the Security. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture.

 

On the Issue Date, the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver $[            ] million of Securities and, at any time and from time to time thereafter, the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver Securities for original issue in an aggregate principal amount specified in such order, in each case upon a written order of the Company signed by two Officers or by an Officer and either an Assistant Treasurer or an Assistant Secretary of the Company. Such order shall specify the amount of the Securities to be authenticated and the date on which the original issue of Securities is to be authenticated.

 

The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent reasonably acceptable to the Company to authenticate the Securities. Unless limited by the terms of such appointment, an authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights with respect to the Company as any Registrar, Paying Agent or agent for service of notices and demands.

 

SECTION 2.03. Registrar and Paying Agent. The Company shall maintain an office or agency where Securities may be presented for registration of transfer or for exchange (the “Registrar”) and an office or agency where Securities may be presented for payment (the “Paying Agent”). The Registrar shall keep a register of the Securities and of their transfer and exchange. The Company may have one or more co-registrars and one or more additional paying agents. The term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent.

 

The Company shall enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any Registrar, Paying Agent or co-registrar not a party to this Indenture, which shall incorporate the terms of the TIA. The agreement shall implement the provisions of this Indenture that relate to such agent. The Company shall notify the Trustee of the name and address of any such agent and shall furnish the Trustee with an executed counterpart of any such agency agreement. If the Company fails to maintain a Registrar or Paying Agent, the Trustee shall act as such and shall be entitled to appropriate compensation therefor pursuant to Section 7.07. The Company or any wholly owned Subsidiary

 

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incorporated or organized within The United States of America may act as Paying Agent, Registrar, co-registrar or transfer agent.

 

The Company initially appoints the Trustee as Registrar and Paying Agent in connection with the Securities.

 

SECTION 2.04. Paying Agent To Hold Money in Trust. Prior to 11:00 a.m., New York time, each due date of the principal and interest on any Security, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay such principal and interest when so becoming due. The Company shall require each Paying Agent (other than the Trustee) to agree in writing that the Paying Agent shall hold in trust for the benefit of Holders or the Trustee all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of or interest on the Securities and shall notify the Trustee of any default by the Company in making any such payment. If the Company or a Subsidiary acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate the money held by it as Paying Agent and hold it as a separate trust fund. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee and to account for any funds disbursed by the Paying Agent. Upon complying with this Section, the Paying Agent shall have no further liability for the money delivered to the Trustee.

 

SECTION 2.05. Holder Lists. The Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Holders. If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee, in writing at least five Business Days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, a list in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of Holders.

 

SECTION 2.06. Transfer and Exchange. The Securities shall be issued in registered form and shall be transferable only upon the surrender of a Security for registration of transfer. When a Security is presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer, the Registrar shall register the transfer as requested if the requirements of this Indenture and Section 8-401(a) of the Uniform Commercial Code are met. When Securities are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Securities of other denominations, the Registrar shall make the exchange as requested if the same requirements are met.

 

SECTION 2.07. Replacement Securities. If a mutilated Security is surrendered to the Registrar or if the Holder of a Security claims that the Security has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken, the Company shall issue and the Trustee shall authenticate a replacement Security if the requirements of Section 8-405 of the Uniform Commercial Code are met and the Holder satisfies any other reasonable requirements of the Trustee. If required by the Trustee or the Company, such Holder shall furnish an indemnity bond sufficient in the judgment of the Company and the Trustee to protect the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar and any co-registrar from any loss which any of them may suffer if a Security is replaced. The Company and the Trustee may charge the Holder for their expenses in replacing a Security.

 

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Every replacement Security is an additional obligation of the Company.

 

SECTION 2.08. Outstanding Securities. Securities outstanding at any time are all Securities authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancelation and those described in this Section as not outstanding. A Security does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Security.

 

If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.07, it ceases to be outstanding unless the Trustee and the Company receive proof satisfactory to them that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser.

 

If the Paying Agent segregates and holds in trust, in accordance with this Indenture, on a redemption date or maturity date money sufficient to pay all principal and interest payable on that date with respect to the Securities (or portions thereof) to be redeemed or maturing, as the case may be, then on and after that date such Securities (or portions thereof) cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.

 

SECTION 2.09. Temporary Securities. Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary Securities. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate definitive Securities and deliver them in exchange for temporary Securities.

 

SECTION 2.10. Cancelation. The Company at any time may deliver Securities to the Trustee for cancelation. The Registrar and the Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee and no one else shall cancel and dispose of (subject to the record retention requirements of the Exchange Act) all Securities surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange, payment or cancelation in its customary manner and upon request shall deliver a certificate of such disposal to the Company unless the Company directs the Trustee to deliver canceled Securities to the Company. The Company may not issue new Securities to replace Securities it has redeemed, paid or delivered to the Trustee for cancelation.

 

SECTION 2.11. Defaulted Interest. If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on the Securities, the Company shall pay defaulted interest (plus interest on such defaulted interest to the extent lawful) in any lawful manner. The Company may pay the defaulted interest to the persons who are Holders on a subsequent special record date. The Company shall fix or cause to be fixed any such special record date and payment date to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee and shall promptly mail to each Holder a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of defaulted interest to be paid.

 

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SECTION 2.12. CUSIP Numbers. The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use) and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided, however, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company shall notify the Trustee of any change in the CUSIP numbers.

 

SECTION 2.13. Issuance of Additional Securities. The Company shall be entitled to issue Additional Securities under this Indenture which shall have identical terms as the Securities issued on the Issue Date, other than with respect to the date of issuance and issue price. The Securities issued on the Issue Date and any Additional Securities shall be treated as a single class for all purposes under this Indenture.

 

With respect to any Additional Securities, the Company shall set forth in a resolution of the Board of Directors and an Officers’ Certificate, a copy of each which shall be delivered to the Trustee, the following information:

 

(1) the aggregate principal amount of such Additional Securities to be authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture; and

 

(2) the issue price, the issue date and the CUSIP number of such Additional Securities; provided, however, that no Additional Securities may be issued at a price that would cause such Additional Securities to have “original issue discount” within the meaning of Section 1273 of the Code.

 

Additional Securities may be issued with the same CUSIP number as the Securities issued on the Issue Date if, and only if, the Company shall have provided the Trustee with an opinion of nationally recognized counsel, reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, to the effect that such Additional Securities will be fungible with the Securities issued on the Issue Date for all United States federal income tax purposes.

 

ARTICLE THREE

 

REDEMPTION

 

SECTION 3.01. Notice to Trustee. If the Company elects to redeem Securities pursuant to the make-whole redemption provisions of Paragraph 5 of the Securities, it shall furnish to the Trustee and the Registrar, at least 45 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date (unless the Trustee consents to a shorter period in writing), an Officers’ Certificate setting forth the redemption date, the principal amount of Securities to be redeemed and the redemption price, including the detail of the calculation of the Make-Whole Price.

 

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SECTION 3.02. Selection of Securities to Be Redeemed. If less than all of the Securities are to be redeemed at any time, the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed pro rata, by lot or, if the Securities are listed on any securities exchange, by any other method that the Trustee considers fair and appropriate and that complies with the requirements of such exchange; provided, however, that no Securities with a principal amount of $1,000 or less will be redeemed in part. The Trustee shall make the selection from outstanding Securities not previously called for redemption not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the redemption date. Securities and portions of them it selects shall be in amounts of $1,000 or whole multiples of $1,000. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities called for redemption. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of the Securities or portions of Securities selected for redemption.

 

SECTION 3.03. Notice of Redemption. (a) At least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Company shall mail a notice of redemption by first-class mail to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed at such Holder’s registered address.

 

The notice shall identify the Securities to be redeemed and shall state:

 

(1) the redemption date;

 

(2) the redemption price;

 

(3) the aggregate principal amount of Securities being redeemed;

 

(4) the name and address of the Paying Agent;

 

(5) that Securities called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent at the address specified in such notice to collect the redemption price;

 

(6) that, unless the Company defaults in the payment of the redemption price or accrued interest, interest on Securities called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date and the only remaining right of the Holders is to receive payment of the redemption prices in respect of the Securities upon surrender to the Paying Agent of the Securities;

 

(7) if any Security is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Security to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date, upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion will be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancelation of the Security or Securities being redeemed; and

 

(8) the CUSIP number of the Securities.

 

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(b) At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption required in Section 3.03(a) in the Company’s name and at the Company’s expense; provided, however, that the Company shall deliver to the Trustee, at least 45 days prior to the redemption date (unless the Trustee consents to a shorter notice period in writing), an Officers’ Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice as provided in Section 3.03(a).

 

SECTION 3.04. Effect of Notice of Redemption. Once notice of redemption is mailed in accordance with Section 3.03, Securities called for redemption become due and payable on the redemption date at the redemption price. Upon surrender to the Paying Agent, such Securities shall be paid at the redemption price, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date (subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the related interest payment date). Failure to give notice or any defect in the notice to any Holder shall not affect the validity of the notice to any other Holder.

 

SECTION 3.05. Deposit of Redemption Price. Prior to 11:00 a.m., New York time, on the redemption date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent (or if the Company or a Subsidiary is the Paying Agent, shall segregate and hold in trust) funds available on the redemption date sufficient to pay the redemption price of, and accrued and unpaid interest on, the Securities to be redeemed on that date. The Paying Agent shall promptly return to the Company any money so deposited which is not required for that purpose upon the written request of the Company, except with respect to monies owed as obligations to the Trustee pursuant to Article Seven.

 

If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon redemption because of the failure of the Company to comply with the preceding paragraph, interest will continue to be payable on the unpaid principal and premium, if any, including from the redemption date until such principal and premium, if any, is paid, and, to the extent lawful, on any interest not paid on such unpaid principal, in each case at the rate provided in the Securities and in Section 4.01 hereof.

 

SECTION 3.06. Securities Redeemed in Part. Upon surrender of a Security that is to be redeemed in part, the Company shall issue and the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder, at the expense of the Company, a new Security equal in aggregate amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered.

 

SECTION 3.07. Optional Redemption at Make-Whole Price. At any time prior to the Maturity Date, the Company may, at its option, redeem all or any portion of the Securities at the Make-Whole Price plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Securities so redeemed to the date of redemption.

 

Any redemption pursuant to this Section 3.07 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3.01 through 3.06 hereof.

 

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ARTICLE FOUR

 

COVENANTS

 

SECTION 4.01. Payment of Securities. The Company shall pay the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, the Securities on the dates and in the manner provided in the Securities and this Indenture. Principal, premium and interest shall be considered paid on the date due if the Trustee or Paying Agent holds on that date money deposited by the Company designated for and sufficient to pay all principal, premium and interest then due.

 

The Company shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal, and premium, if any, at the rate borne by the Securities to the extent lawful; and it shall pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest (without regard to any applicable grace period) at the same rate to the extent lawful.

 

SECTION 4.02. SEC Reports. (a) The Company, within 15 days after it files the same with the SEC, shall deliver to Holders, copies of the annual reports and the information, documents and other reports (or copies of any such portions of any of the foregoing as the SEC may by rules and regulations prescribe) that the Company is required to file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Notwithstanding that the Company may not be required to remain subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the Company shall file with the SEC and provide Holders with such annual reports and such information, documents and other reports specified in Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor shall also comply with the provisions of TIA Section 314(a).

 

(b) The Company may request the Trustee on behalf of the Company at the Company’s expense to mail the foregoing to Holders. In such case, the Company shall provide the Trustee with a sufficient number of copies of all reports and other documents and information that the Trustee may be required to deliver to Holders under this Section.

 

SECTION 4.03. Compliance Certificates. (a) The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officers’ Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit J hereto, stating that a review of the activities of the Company and the Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officers with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to each such Officer signing such certificate, that, to the best of such Officer’s knowledge, the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and is not in default in the performance or

 

21


observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which such Officer may have knowledge and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto) and that to the best of such Officer’s knowledge, after reasonable inquiry, no event has occurred and remains in existence by reason of which payments on account of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Securities are prohibited or, if such event has occurred, a description of the event and what action the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors are taking or propose to take with respect thereto. Such Officers’ Certificate shall comply with TIA Section 314(a)(4). The Company hereby represents that, as of the Issue Date, its fiscal year ends December 31, and hereby covenants that it shall notify the Trustee at least 30 days in advance of any change in its fiscal year.

 

(b) So long as not contrary to the then current recommendations of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the year-end financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 4.02 shall be accompanied by a written statement of the Company’s independent public accountants (which shall be a firm of established national reputation) that in making the examination necessary for certification of such financial statements nothing has come to their attention that would lead them to believe that the Company has violated any provisions of Section 4.07 of this Indenture (to the extent such provision relates to accounting matters) or, if any such violation has occurred, specifying the nature and period of existence thereof. Where such financial statements are not accompanied by such a written statement, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officers’ Certificate stating that any such written statement would be contrary to the then current recommendations of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

 

(c) The Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors will, so long as any of the Securities are outstanding, deliver to the Trustee forthwith upon any Officer becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default or default in the performance of any covenant, agreement or condition contained in this Indenture, an Officers’ Certificate specifying such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor proposes to take with respect thereto.

 

SECTION 4.04. Maintenance of Office or Agency. The Company will maintain in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, an office or agency where Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange or for presentation for payment and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities and this Indenture may be served. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the address of the Trustee set forth in Section 11.02. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such surrenders, presentations, notices and demands may be made or served at the corporate trust office of the Trustee.

 

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Subject to Section 2.03, the Company may also from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies where the Securities may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an office or agency in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency.

 

SECTION 4.05. Corporate Existence. The Company will do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence and the corporate, partnership or other existence of each Subsidiary and all rights (charter and statutory) and franchises of the Company and the Subsidiaries; provided, that the Company shall not be required to preserve the corporate existence of any Subsidiary, or any such right or franchise, if the Company shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Company and that the loss thereof is not disadvantageous in any material respect to the Holders.

 

SECTION 4.06. Waiver of Stay, Extension or Usury Laws. The Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor covenants (to the extent that each may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension, or usury law or other law, which would prohibit or forgive the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor from paying all or any portion of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities as contemplated herein, wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, or which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) each of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.

 

SECTION 4.07. Payment of Taxes and Other Claims. The Company shall pay or discharge or cause to be paid or discharged, before the same shall become delinquent, (a) all taxes, assessments and governmental charges levied or imposed upon the Company or any Subsidiary or upon the income, profits or property of the Company or any Subsidiary and (b) all lawful claims for labor, materials and supplies which, if unpaid, might by law become a Lien upon the property of the Company or any Subsidiary; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to pay or discharge or cause to be paid or discharged any such tax, assessment, charge or claim whose amount, applicability or validity is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings.

 

SECTION 4.08. Maintenance of Properties and Insurance. (a) The Company shall cause all properties used or held for use in the conduct of its business or the business of any Subsidiary to be maintained and kept in good condition, repair and working order (ordinary wear and

 

23


tear excepted) and supplied with all necessary equipment and shall cause to be made all necessary repairs, renewals, replacements, betterments and improvements thereof, all as in the judgment of the Company may be necessary so that the business carried on in connection therewith may be properly and advantageously conducted at all times; provided, however, that nothing in this Section shall prevent the Company from discontinuing the operation or maintenance of any such property, or disposing of it, if such discontinuance or disposal is, in the judgment of the Company, desirable in the conduct of its business and not disadvantageous in any material respect to the Holders.

 

(b) The Company shall provide or cause to be provided, for itself and each of its Subsidiaries, insurance (including appropriate self-insurance) against loss or damage of the kinds that, in the reasonable, good faith opinion of the Company, are adequate and appropriate for the conduct of the business of the Company and such Subsidiaries in a prudent manner, with reputable insurers or with the government of the United States or an agency or instrumentality thereof, in such amounts, with such deductibles, and by such methods as shall be customary, in the reasonable, good faith opinion of the Company, for corporations similarly situated in the industry.

 

SECTION 4.09. Limitation on Liens Securing Indebtedness. The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, create, incur or assume any Indebtedness secured by any Liens (other than Permitted Liens) upon any of the properties of the Company or any Subsidiary, unless the Securities or a Guarantee are equally and ratably secured; provided, that if such Indebtedness is expressly subordinated to the Securities or a Guarantee, the Lien securing such Indebtedness will be subordinated and junior to the Lien securing the Securities or such Guarantee.

 

SECTION 4.10. Limitation on Sale/Leaseback Transactions. (a) The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, enter into any Sale/Leaseback Transaction with any Person (other than the Company or any other Subsidiary) unless (i) the Company or such Subsidiary, as the case may be, would be entitled to incur secured Indebtedness in a principal amount equal to the Attributable Indebtedness with respect to such Sale/Leaseback Transaction in accordance with Section 4.09 or (ii) the Company or such Subsidiary receives proceeds from such Sale/Leaseback Transaction at least equal to the fair market value thereof (as determined in good faith by the Company’s Board of Directors, whose determination in good faith, evidenced by a resolution of such Board shall be conclusive) and such proceeds are applied in accordance with paragraphs (b) to (g) hereof.

 

(b) The Company may apply Net Available Proceeds from such Sale/Leaseback Transaction, within 365 days after receipt of Net Available Proceeds from the Sale/Leaseback Transaction, to: (i) the repayment of Indebtedness of the Company or a Subsidiary under Credit Facilities or other Senior Indebtedness, including any mandatory redemption or repurchase or make-whole redemption of the Existing Notes or the Securities; (ii) make an Investment in assets used in the Oil and Gas Business; or (iii) develop by drilling the Company’s oil and gas reserves.

 

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(c) If, upon completion of the 365-day period referred to above, any portion of the Net Available Proceeds shall not have been applied by the Company as described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) of the immediately preceding paragraph and such remaining Net Available Proceeds, together with any remaining net cash proceeds from any prior Sale/Leaseback Transaction (such aggregate constituting “Excess Proceeds”), exceed $40,000,000, then the Company will be obligated to make an offer (the “Net Proceeds Offer”) to purchase the Securities and any other Senior Indebtedness in respect of which such an offer to purchase is required to be made concurrently with the Net Proceeds Offer having an aggregate principal amount equal to the Excess Proceeds (such purchase to be made on a pro rata basis if the amount available for such repurchase is less than the principal amount of the Securities and other Senior Indebtedness tendered in such Net Proceeds Offer) at a purchase price of 100% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Securities and other Senior Indebtedness so repurchased to the date of repurchase. Upon the completion of the Net Proceeds Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds will be reset to zero.

 

(d) Within 15 days after the Company becomes obligated to make a Net Proceeds Offer (a “Net Proceeds Offer Triggering Event”), the Company (with notice to the Trustee and the Paying Agent), or the Trustee at the Company’s request and expense, will mail or cause to be mailed to all Holders on the date of the Net Proceeds Offer Triggering Event a notice prepared by the Company (the “Offer Notice”) of the occurrence of such Net Proceeds Offer Triggering Event and of the Holders’ rights arising as a result thereof. The Offer Notice will contain all instructions and materials necessary to enable Holders to tender their Securities to the Company. The Offer Notice, which shall govern the terms of the Net Proceeds Offer, shall state: (1) that the Net Proceeds Offer is being made pursuant to this Section 4.10; (2) the purchase price and the Net Proceeds Payment Date; (3) that any Security not tendered will continue to accrue interest at the stated rate; (4) that any Security accepted for payment pursuant to the Net Proceeds Offer shall cease to accrue interest on the Net Proceeds Payment Date; (5) that Holders electing to have a Security purchased pursuant to any Net Proceeds Offer will be required to surrender the Security, with the form entitled “Option of Holder to Elect Purchase” on the reverse of the Security completed, to the Company, a depositary, if appointed by the Company, or a Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice prior to termination of the Net Proceeds Offer; (6) that Holders will be entitled to withdraw their election if the Company, depositary or Paying Agent, as the case may be, receives, not later than the expiration of the Net Proceeds Offer, or such longer period as may be required by law, a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of the Holder, the principal amount of the Security the Holder delivered for purchase and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing its election to have the Security purchased; and (7) that Holders whose Securities are purchased only in part will be issued Securities equal in principal amount to the unpurchased portion of the Securities surrendered. The Net Proceeds Offer shall be deemed to have commenced upon the mailing of the Offer Notice and shall terminate 20 Business Days after its commencement, unless a longer offering period is required by law.

 

(e) Promptly after the termination of the Net Proceeds Offer (“the Net Proceeds Payment Date”), the Company shall, to the

 

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extent permitted by applicable law, (i) accept for payment Securities or portions thereof tendered pursuant to the Offer Notice, (ii) if the Company appoints a depositary or Paying Agent, deposit with such depositary or Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the purchase price of all Securities or portions thereof so tendered and (iii) deliver to the Trustee Securities so accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating the Securities or portions thereof tendered to the Company. The depositary, the Company or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, shall promptly mail to the Holders of Securities so accepted payment in an amount equal to the purchase price (representing those funds received pursuant to clause (ii) of this Section 4.10(c)), and the Trustee shall promptly authenticate and mail to each such Holder a new Security equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the Security surrendered; provided that each such new Security will be in a principal amount of $1,000 or an integral multiple thereof. The Company will publicly announce the results of the Net Proceeds Offer on or as soon as practicable after the Net Proceeds Payment Date. For purposes of this Section 4.10, the Trustee shall act as the Paying Agent.

 

(f) The Company will comply with Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the provisions of Regulation 14E and any other tender offer rules under the Exchange Act and any other federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations which may then be applicable to any Net Proceeds Offer.

 

(g) During the period between any Sale/Leaseback Transaction and the application of the Net Available Proceeds therefrom in accordance with this covenant, all Net Available Proceeds shall be maintained in a segregated account and shall be invested in Permitted Financial Investments.

 

ARTICLE FIVE

 

SUCCESSOR CORPORATION

 

SECTION 5.01. When Company May Merge, etc. The Company shall not consolidate with or merge with or into any Person or sell, convey, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to any Person, unless:

 

(1) the Company survives such merger or the Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or that acquires by sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, or which leases, all or substantially all of the assets of the Company is a corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, or Canada or any province thereof, and expressly assumes, by supplemental indenture, the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, all the Securities and the performance of every other covenant and obligation of the Company under this Indenture provided, that unless the successor Person is a corporation, a corporate co-issuer of the Securities shall be added hereto

 

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by the execution and delivery of a supplemental indenture by such co-issuer; and

 

(2) immediately before and after giving effect to such transaction no Default or Event of Default exists.

 

In connection with any consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, lease, transfer or other disposition contemplated by this Section 5.01, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officers’ Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and such supplemental indenture comply with this Indenture.

 

SECTION 5.02. Successor Corporation Substituted. Upon any consolidation, merger, lease, conveyance or transfer in accordance with Section 5.01, the Trustee shall be notified by the Company and the successor Person, and the successor Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or to which such lease, conveyance or transfer is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor had been named as the Company herein and thereafter (except in the case of a lease) the predecessor corporation will be relieved of all further obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.

 

ARTICLE SIX

 

DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

 

SECTION 6.01. Events of Default. An “Event of Default” occurs upon:

 

(1) default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in the payment of principal of, or premium, if any, on the Securities when due and payable at maturity, upon repurchase pursuant to Section 4.10, upon acceleration or otherwise;

 

(2) default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in the payment of any installment of interest on the Securities when due and payable and continuance of such default for 30 days;

 

(3) default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in the deposit of any make-whole redemption payment, when and as due and payable pursuant to Article Three;

 

(4) default on any other Indebtedness of the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Subsidiary if either (A) such default results in the acceleration of the maturity of any such Indebtedness having a principal amount of $50,000,000 or more individually or, taken together with the principal amount of any other such Indebtedness the maturity of which has been so accelerated,

 

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in the aggregate, or (B) such default results from the failure to pay when due principal of, premium, if any, or interest on, any such Indebtedness, after giving effect to any applicable grace period (a “Payment Default”), having a principal amount of $50,000,000 or more individually or, taken together with the principal amount of any other Indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default, in the aggregate; provided that if any such default is cured or waived or any such acceleration is rescinded, or such Indebtedness is repaid, within a period of 30 days from the continuation of such default beyond any applicable grace period or the occurrence of such acceleration, as the case may be, such Event of Default and any consequent acceleration of the Securities shall be rescinded, so long as any such rescission does not conflict with any judgment or decree or applicable provision of law;

 

(5) default in the performance, or breach of, the covenant set forth in Article Five, or in the performance, or breach of, any other covenant or agreement of the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in this Indenture and failure to remedy such default within a period of 45 days after written notice thereof from the Trustee or Holders of 25% of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities;

 

(6) the entry by a court of one or more judgments or orders for the payment of money against the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Subsidiary in an aggregate amount in excess of $50,000,000 (net of applicable insurance coverage by a third party insurer which is acknowledged in writing by such insurer) that has not been vacated, discharged, satisfied or stayed pending appeal within 60 days from the entry thereof;

 

(7) a Guarantee by a Subsidiary Guarantor shall cease to be in full force and effect (other than a release of a Guarantee in accordance with Section 10.04) or any Subsidiary Guarantor shall deny or disaffirm its obligations with respect thereto;

 

(8) the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:

 

(A) commences a voluntary case or proceeding,

 

(B) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case or proceeding,

 

(C) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property,

 

(D) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or

 

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(E) admits in writing that it generally is unable to pay its debts as the same become due; or

 

(9) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:

 

(A) is for relief (with respect to the petition commencing such case) against the Company or any Subsidiary in an involuntary case or proceeding,

 

(B) appoints a Custodian of the Company or any Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of its property, or

 

(C) orders the liquidation of the Company or any Subsidiary, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 days.

 

The term “Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.

 

SECTION 6.02. Acceleration. If an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default specified in clauses (8) or (9)) under Section 6.01 occurs and is continuing, then and in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities may declare the unpaid principal of and premium, if any, or the Net Proceeds Offer purchase price if the Event of Default includes failure to pay the Net Proceeds Offer purchase price, and accrued and unpaid interest on, all the Securities then outstanding to be due and payable, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee, if given by Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal, premium, if any, and accrued and unpaid interest shall become immediately due and payable, notwithstanding anything contained in this Indenture or the Securities to the contrary. If an Event of Default specified in clauses 8 or 9 above occurs, all unpaid principal of, and premium, if any, and accrued and unpaid interest on, the Securities then outstanding will become due and payable, without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.

 

The Holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities, by written notice to the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Trustee, may rescind and annul a declaration of acceleration and its consequences if (1) the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor has paid or deposited with such Trustee a sum sufficient to pay (A) all overdue installments of interest on all the Securities, (B) the principal of, and premium, if any, on any Securities that have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest thereon at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in the Securities, (C) to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful, interest on the defaulted interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in the Securities, and (D) all money paid or advanced by the Trustee thereunder and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel; (2) all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of the

 

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principal of any Securities that have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in this Indenture; and (3) the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction. No such rescission will affect any subsequent Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

 

SECTION 6.03. Other Remedies. If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may, but is not obligated to, pursue, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, any available remedy by proceeding at law or in equity to collect the payment of principal or interest on the Securities or to enforce the performance of any provision of the Securities or this Indenture. If an Event of Default specified under clauses (8) or (9) of Section 6.01 occurs with respect to the Company at a time when the Company is the Paying Agent, the Trustee shall automatically assume the duties of Paying Agent.

 

The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Securities or does not produce any of them in the proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Holder in exercising any right or remedy accruing upon an Event of Default shall not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of or acquiescence in the Event of Default. No remedy is exclusive of any other remedy. All available remedies are cumulative.

 

SECTION 6.04. Waiver of Past Defaults. Subject to Sections 6.07 and 9.02, the Holders of at least a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities by notice to the Trustee may waive an existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences, except a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal or interest on the Securities, including any make-whole redemption payments or Net Proceeds Offer payments.

 

SECTION 6.05. Control by Majority. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on such Trustee, provided that (1) such direction is not in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture and (2) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by such Trustee that is not inconsistent with such direction.

 

SECTION 6.06. Limitation on Remedies. No Holder of any of the Securities will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee or pursue any remedy under this Indenture, unless:

 

(1) such Holder has previously given notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default,

 

(2) the Holders of not less than 25% of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities have made written request to such Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee under this Indenture,

 

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(3) such Holder or Holders have offered to such Trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request,

 

(4) such Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any proceeding, and

 

(5) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to such Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities.

 

A Holder may not use this Indenture to prejudice the rights of another Holder or to obtain a preference or priority over other Holders.

 

SECTION 6.07. Rights of Holders to Receive Payment. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, the Holder of any Securities will have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and interest on such Securities on the stated maturity therefor and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such right may not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.

 

SECTION 6.08. Collection Suit by Trustee. If an Event of Default in payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest specified in Section 6.01(1), (2) or (3) occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may recover judgment in its own name and as trustee of an express trust against the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor for the whole amount of principal, premium, if any, and interest remaining unpaid with respect to the Securities, and interest on overdue principal and premium, if any, and, to the extent lawful, interest on overdue interest, and such further amounts as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation and expenses of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.

 

SECTION 6.09. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim. (a) The Trustee may file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee and the Holders allowed in any judicial proceedings relative to the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors, their creditors or their property and may collect and receive any money or securities or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same.

 

(b) Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.

 

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SECTION 6.10. Priorities. If the Trustee collects any money pursuant to this Article Six, it shall pay out the money in the following order:

 

First: to the Trustee for amounts due under Section 7.07;

 

Second: to Holders for amounts due and unpaid on the Securities for principal and interest, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on the Securities for principal and interest, respectively; and

 

Third: to the Company.

 

The Trustee may fix a record date and payment date for any payment to Holders pursuant to this Section 6.10.

 

SECTION 6.11. Undertaking for Costs. In any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, a court in its discretion may require the filing by any party litigant in the suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of the suit, and the court in its discretion may assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in the suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by the party litigant. This Section 6.11 does not apply to a suit by the Trustee, a suit by a Holder pursuant to Section 6.07, or a suit by Holders of more than 10% in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities.

 

ARTICLE SEVEN

 

TRUSTEE

 

SECTION 7.01. Duties of Trustee. (a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in such exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

 

(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:

 

(1) The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth (or incorporated by reference) in this Indenture and no others.

 

(2) In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture. However, in the case of certificates or opinions specifically required by any provision hereof to be furnished to it, the Trustee shall examine such

 

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certificates and opinions to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture.

 

(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:

 

(1) This paragraph (c) does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section.

 

(2) The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by an officer of the Trustee, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.

 

(3) The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to action it takes or omits to take in good faith in accordance with a direction received by it pursuant to Section 6.05, and the Trustee shall be entitled from time to time to request such a direction.

 

(d) Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this Section.

 

(e) The Trustee shall be under no obligation and may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any right, duty or power hereunder unless it receives indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense. No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if it shall have reasonable grounds to believe that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.

 

(f) The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

 

SECTION 7.02. Rights of Trustee. Subject to Section 7.01:

 

(a) The Trustee may conclusively rely on and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Company, personally or by agent or attorney, to the extent reasonably required by such inquiry or investigation at the expense of the Company

 

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and shall incur no liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation.

 

(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officers’ Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such certificate or opinion.

 

(c) The Trustee may act through agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care.

 

(d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers.

 

(e) The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and reliance thereon.

 

(f) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.

 

(g) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Trust Officer has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities and this Indenture.

 

(h) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.

 

(i) The Trustee may request that the Company deliver a certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture.

 

SECTION 7.03. Individual Rights of Trustee. The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company or its Subsidiaries or Affiliates with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. However, the Trustee must comply with Sections 7.10 and 7.11.

 

SECTION 7.04. Trustee’s Disclaimer. The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities, it shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the Securities or any prospectus, offering or

 

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solicitation documents, and it shall not be responsible for any statement in the Securities other than its certificate of authentication.

 

SECTION 7.05. Notice of Defaults. If a Default occurs and is continuing and if it is known to the Trustee, the Trustee shall mail to each Holder pursuant to Section 11.02 a notice of the Default within 90 days after it occurs. Except in the case of a Default in any payment on any Security, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as the board of directors, executive committee or a trust committee of officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of Holders.

 

SECTION 7.06. Reports by Trustee to Holders. Within 60 days after each April 1, beginning with the April 1 following the date of this Indenture, the Trustee shall mail to each Holder a brief report dated as of such April 1 that complies with TIA Section 313(a), but only if such report is required in any year under TIA Section 313(a). The Trustee also shall comply with TIA Sections 313(b) and 313(c). A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to Holders shall be filed with the SEC and each stock exchange on which the Securities are listed. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing when the Securities become listed on any national securities exchange or of any delisting thereof.

 

SECTION 7.07. Compensation and Indemnity. The Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors jointly and severally agree to pay the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for its services (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust). The Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors jointly and severally agree to reimburse the Trustee upon request for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, disbursements and advances incurred by it. Such expenses shall include when applicable the reasonable compensation and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.

 

The Trustee shall not be under any obligation to institute any suit, or take any remedial action under this Indenture, or to enter any appearance or in any way defend any suit in which it may be a defendant, or to take any steps in the execution of the trusts created hereby or thereby or in the enforcement of any rights and powers under this Indenture, until it shall be indemnified to its satisfaction against any and all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any provisions of this Indenture, including compensation for services, costs, expenses, outlays, counsel fees and other disbursements, and against all liability (including fees and expenses incurred by the Trustee pursuant to the penultimate paragraph of Section 7.08) not due to its negligence or willful misconduct. The Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors jointly and severally agree to indemnify the Trustee against any loss, liability, claim, damage or expenses incurred by it arising out of or in connection with the acceptance and administration of the trust and its duties hereunder as Trustee, Registrar and/or Paying Agent, including the costs and expenses of enforcing this Indenture against the Company (including with respect to this Section 7.07) and of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the

 

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exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder. The Trustee shall notify the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors of any claim of which a Trust Officer has received written notice for which it may seek indemnity; however, unless the position of the Company is prejudiced by such failure, the failure of the Trustee to promptly notify the Company shall not limit its right to indemnification. The Company shall defend each such claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may retain separate counsel and the Company shall reimburse the Trustee for the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent.

 

Neither the Company nor the Subsidiary Guarantors shall be obligated to reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee through the Trustee’s own negligence or willful misconduct. To secure the payment obligations of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors in this Section, the Trustee shall have a claim prior to that of the Holders of the Securities on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of and interest on particular Securities. The Trustee’s right to receive payment of any amounts due under this Section 7.07 shall not be subordinate to any other liability or Indebtedness of the Company.

 

When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after the occurrence of any Event of Default specified in Sections 6.01(8) or (9), the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.

 

The benefits of this section shall survive termination of this Indenture and resignation or removal of the Trustee.

 

SECTION 7.08. Replacement of Trustee. The Trustee may resign by so notifying the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities may remove the Trustee by so notifying the Trustee, in writing. The Company may remove the Trustee if:

 

(1) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10;

 

(2) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent;

 

(3) a receiver or other public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or

 

(4) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting as Trustee hereunder.

 

If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company.

 

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A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors. Immediately after that and upon payment of its charges hereunder, the retiring Trustee shall transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee, subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.07, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall mail notice of its succession to each Holder.

 

If a successor Trustee does not take office within 30 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities may petition, at the expense of the Company, any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

 

If the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10, any Holder may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee. Any successor Trustee shall comply with TIA Section 310(a)(5).

 

SECTION 7.09. Successor Trustee by Merger, etc. If the Trustee consolidates, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust assets to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act shall be the successor Trustee; provided such corporation or association shall be otherwise eligible and qualified under this Article and shall notify the Company of its successor hereunder.

 

SECTION 7.10. Eligibility; Disqualification. This Indenture shall always have a Trustee which satisfies the requirements of TIA Section 310(a)(1). The Trustee shall always have a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall also comply with TIA Section 310(b).

 

SECTION 7.11. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company. The Trustee shall comply with TIA Section 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA Section 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA Section 311(a) to the extent indicated therein.

 

ARTICLE EIGHT

 

DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE

 

SECTION 8.01. Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

 

The Company may, at the option of its Board of Directors evidenced by a resolution set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, at any time, with respect to the Securities, elect to exercise its rights pursuant to either Section 8.02 or 8.03 with respect to all outstanding Securities upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Article Eight.

 

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SECTION 8.02. Legal Defeasance and Discharge. Upon the Company’s exercise under Section 8.01 of the option applicable to this Section 8.02, the Company shall be deemed to have been discharged from its obligations with respect to all outstanding Securities on the date all conditions set forth below are satisfied (hereinafter, “Legal Defeasance”). For this purpose, such Legal Defeasance means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by the outstanding Securities, which shall thereafter be deemed to be “outstanding” only for the purposes of Section 8.05 and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in (a) and (b) below, and to have satisfied all its other obligations under such Securities and this Indenture (and the Trustee, on demand of and at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder: (a) the rights of Holders of outstanding Securities to receive solely from the trust fund described in Section 8.04, and as more fully set forth in such Section, payments in respect of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Securities when such payments are due, (b) the Company’s obligations with respect to such Securities under Sections 2.03, 2.04, 2.06, 2.07, 2.09 and 4.04, (c) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith (including, but not limited to, Section 7.07) and (d) this Article Eight. Subject to compliance with this Article Eight, the Company may exercise its option under this Section 8.02 notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 8.03 with respect to the Securities.

 

SECTION 8.03. Covenant Defeasance. Upon the Company’s exercise under Section 8.01 of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, the Company shall be released from its obligations under the covenants contained in the second sentence of Section 4.02, Sections 4.03, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09 and 4.10 and Article Five with respect to the outstanding Securities on and after the date the conditions set forth below are satisfied (hereinafter, “Covenant Defeasance”), and the Securities shall thereafter be deemed not “outstanding” for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with such covenants, but shall continue to be deemed “outstanding” for all other purposes hereunder (it being understood that such Securities shall not be deemed outstanding for accounting purposes). For this purpose, such Covenant Defeasance means that, with respect to the outstanding Securities, the Company may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such covenant or by reason of any reference in any such covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a Default or an Event of Default under Section 6.01(5), but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities shall be unaffected thereby. In addition, upon the Company’s exercise under Section 8.01 of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, Sections 6.01(4) through 6.01(9) shall not constitute Events of Default.

 

SECTION 8.04. Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance. The following shall be the conditions to application of either Section 8.02 or Section 8.03 to the outstanding Securities:

 

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(a) The Company shall irrevocably have deposited or cause to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 7.10 who shall agree to comply with the provisions of this Article Eight applicable to it) as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, (a) cash in U.S. Legal Tender in an amount, or (b) U.S. Government Securities which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than one day before the due date of any payment, cash in U.S. Legal Tender in an amount, or (c) a combination thereof, in such amounts, as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge and which shall be applied by the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) to pay and discharge the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the outstanding Securities on the Maturity Date or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be, of such principal or installment of principal, premium, if any, or interest and in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and of such Securities; provided that the Trustee shall have been irrevocably instructed to apply such money or the proceeds of such U.S. Government Securities to said payments with respect to the Securities.

 

(b) In the case of an election under Section 8.02, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel confirming that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (ii) since the date hereof, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of the outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

 

(c) In the case of an election under Section 8.03, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of the outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;

 

(d) No Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or, insofar as Subsection 6.01(8) or 6.01(9) is concerned, at any time in the period ending on the 91st day after the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period);

 

(e) Such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this

 

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Indenture or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound;

 

(f) In the case of any election under Section 8.02 or 8.03, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that the deposit made by the Company pursuant to its election under Section 8.02 or 8.03 was not made by the Company with the intent of preferring the Holders over other creditors of the Company or with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of the Company or others; and

 

(g) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to either the Legal Defeasance under Section 8.02 or the Covenant Defeasance under Section 8.03 (as the case may be) have been complied with as contemplated by this Section 8.04.

 

SECTION 8.05. Deposited Money and U.S. Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions. Subject to Section 8.06, all money and U.S. Government Securities (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 8.05, the “Trustee”) pursuant to Section 8.04 in respect of the outstanding Securities shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor, if any, acting as Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Securities of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal, premium, if any, and interest, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

 

The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the cash or U.S. Government Securities deposited pursuant to Section 8.04 or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of the outstanding Securities.

 

Anything in this Article Eight to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon the Company’s request any money or U.S. Government Securities held by it as provided in Section 8.04 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee (which may be the opinion delivered under Section 8.04(a)), are in excess of the amount thereof which would then be required to be deposited to effect an equivalent Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

 

SECTION 8.06. Repayment to Company. Any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Security which is not subject to the last paragraph of Section 8.05 and has remained unclaimed for two years after such principal, and

 

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premium, if any, or interest has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company on its request (unless an abandoned property law designates another Person) or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Securities shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease; provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Company cause to be published once, in the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (national edition), notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Company.

 

SECTION 8.07. Reinstatement. If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any U.S. Legal Tender or U.S. Government Securities in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03, as the case may be, by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining, or otherwise prohibiting such application, then the Company’s obligations under this Indenture and the Securities shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.02 or 8.03 until such time as the Trustee or Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03, as the case may be; provided, however, that, if the Company makes any payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any Security following the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such payment from the money held by the Trustee or Paying Agent. In the event the Company’s obligations under this Indenture and the Securities are revived and reinstated pursuant to this Section 8.07, then the obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor under its Guarantee and this Indenture that were released pursuant to Section 10.04 as a result of the Company’s exercise of its rights under this Article Eight shall be revived and reinstated as though such release had not occurred.

 

ARTICLE NINE

 

AMENDMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS AND WAIVERS

 

SECTION 9.01. Without Consent of Holders.

 

The Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities without notice to or consent of any Holder:

 

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

 

(2) to comply with Section 5.01 or 10.02;

 

(3) to reflect the addition or release of any Subsidiary Guarantor, as provided for by this Indenture;

 

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(4) to comply with any requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA; or

 

(5) to make any change that would provide any additional benefit or rights to the Holders or that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder in any material respect.

 

Upon the request of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, accompanied by a Board Resolution of the Company and of each Subsidiary Guarantor authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the documents described in Section 9.06, the Trustee shall join with the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors in the execution of any supplemental indenture authorized or permitted by the terms of this Indenture and make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained. After an amendment or waiver under this Section becomes effective, the Company shall mail to the Holders of each Security affected thereby a notice briefly describing the amendment or waiver. Any failure of the Company to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.

 

SECTION 9.02. With Consent of Holders. Except as provided below in this Section 9.02, the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Trustee may amend this Indenture or the Securities with the written consent (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for Securities or a solicitation of consents in respect of Securities, provided that in each case such offer or solicitation is made to all Holders of then outstanding Securities on equal terms) of the Holders of at least a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities.

 

Upon the request of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, accompanied by a Board Resolution of the Company and each Subsidiary Guarantor authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of the Holders as aforesaid, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the Opinion of Counsel described in Section 9.06, the Trustee shall join with the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors in the execution of such supplemental indenture.

 

It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof.

 

The Holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Securities may waive compliance in a particular instance by the Company or the Subsidiary Guarantors with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities (including waivers obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for Securities or a solicitation of consents in respect of Securities, provided that in each case such offer or solicitation is made to all Holders of the then outstanding

 

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Securities on equal terms). However, without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment or waiver under this Section may not:

 

(1) reduce the percentage of principal amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver of any provision of this Indenture or the Securities;

 

(2) reduce the rate or change the time for payment of interest, including default interest, on the Securities;

 

(3) reduce the principal amount of any Security or change the Maturity Date of the Securities;

 

(4) reduce the redemption price, including premium, if any, payable upon the redemption of any Security or change the time at which any Security may be redeemed;

 

(5) reduce the repurchase price payable upon the repurchase of any Security in connection with a Net Proceeds Offer, or change the time at which any Security may or shall be repurchased thereunder;

 

(6) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Securities;

 

(7) make any Security payable in money other than that stated in the Security;

 

(8) impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of principal of, premium, if any, or principal on any Security pursuant to Sections 6.07 or 6.08, except as limited by Section 6.06; or

 

(9) make any change in Section 6.04 or Section 6.07 or in this sentence of this Section 9.02.

 

The right of any Holder to participate in any consent required or sought pursuant to any provision of this Indenture (and the obligation of the Company to obtain any such consent otherwise required from such Holder) may be subject to the requirement that such Holder shall have been the Holder of record of any Securities with respect to which such consent is required or sought as of a date identified by the Trustee in a notice furnished to Holders in accordance with the terms of this Indenture.

 

SECTION 9.03. Compliance with Trust Indenture Act. Every amendment to or supplement of this Indenture or the Securities shall comply with the TIA as then in effect.

 

SECTION 9.04. Revocation and Effect of Consents. A consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver by a Holder of a Security shall bind the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Security.

 

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However, until an amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective, any such Holder or subsequent Holder may revoke the consent as to its Security or portion of a Security. For such revocation to be effective, the Trustee must receive the notice of revocation before the date the amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective.

 

The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to consent to any amendment or waiver. If the Company elects to fix a record date for such purpose, the record date shall be fixed at (i) the later of 30 days prior to the first solicitation of such consent or the date of the most recent list of Holders furnished to the Trustee prior to such solicitation pursuant to Section 2.05, or (ii) such other date as the Company shall designate. If a record date is fixed, then notwithstanding the provisions of the immediately preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only those Persons, shall be entitled to consent to such amendment or waiver or to revoke any consent previously given, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No consent shall be valid or effective for more than 90 days after such record date unless consent from the Holders of the principal amount of Securities required hereunder for such amendment or waiver to be effective also shall have been given and not revoked within such 90-day period.

 

After an amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective, it shall bind every Holder unless it makes a change described in any of clauses (1) through (9) of Section 9.02. In that case the amendment, supplement or waiver shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security.

 

SECTION 9.05. Notation on or Exchange of Senior Notes. If an amendment, supplement or waiver changes the terms of a Security, the Trustee may require the Holder of the Security to deliver it to the Trustee. The Trustee may place an appropriate notation on the Security about the changed terms and return it to the Holder. Alternatively, if the Company or the Trustee so determines, the Company in exchange for the Security shall issue and the Trustee shall authenticate a new Security that reflects the changed terms.

 

SECTION 9.06. Trustee Protected. The Trustee shall sign any amendment or supplement or waiver authorized pursuant to this Article if the amendment or supplement or waiver does not adversely affect the rights of the Trustee. If it does adversely affect the rights of the Trustee, the Trustee may but need not sign it. In signing such amendment or supplement or waiver the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to Article Seven) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating that such amendment or supplement or waiver is authorized or permitted by and complies with this Indenture. The Company may not sign an amendment or supplement until the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors approve it.

 

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ARTICLE TEN

 

GUARANTEES

 

SECTION 10.01. Unconditional Guarantee. Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby, jointly and severally, fully and unconditionally guarantees, as principal obligor and not only as surety (such guarantee to be referred to herein as the “Guarantee”), to each Holder and to the Trustee the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Securities and all other amounts due and payable under this Indenture and the Securities by the Company whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption, repurchase or otherwise, including, without limitation, interest on the overdue principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Securities, to the extent lawful, all in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof; subject, however, to the limitations set forth in Section 10.05.

 

Failing payment when due of any amount so guaranteed for whatever reason, the Subsidiary Guarantors will be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby agrees that its obligations hereunder shall be unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Securities or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Securities with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Company, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor. Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company, any right to require a proceeding first against the Company, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever and covenants that this Guarantee will not be discharged except by complete performance of the obligations contained in the Securities, this Indenture and in this Guarantee. If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor, or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor, any amount paid by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor to the Trustee or such Holder, this Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, shall be reinstated in full force and effect. Each Subsidiary Guarantor agrees it shall not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations guaranteed hereby. Each Subsidiary Guarantor further agrees that, as between each Subsidiary Guarantor, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on the other hand, (x) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article Six for the purposes of this Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (y) in the event of any acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article Six, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) shall forthwith become due and payable by each Subsidiary Guarantor for the purpose of this Guarantee.

 

SECTION 10.02. Subsidiary Guarantors May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms. (a) Subject to paragraph (b) of this Section 10.02, no

 

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Subsidiary Guarantor may consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not such Subsidiary Guarantor is the surviving Person) another Person unless (i) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than such Subsidiary Guarantor) assumes all the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor under this Indenture and the Securities pursuant to a supplemental indenture, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee and (ii) immediately after such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists. In connection with any consolidation or merger contemplated by this Section 10.02, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officers’ Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and such supplemental indenture comply with this Indenture. This Section 10.02(a) will not prohibit a merger between Subsidiary Guarantors or a merger between the Company and a Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

(b) In the event of a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor or a sale or other disposition of all of the Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor, in any case by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, then such Subsidiary Guarantor (in the event of a sale or other disposition, by way of such a merger, consolidation or otherwise, of all of the Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor) or the Person acquiring the assets (in the event of a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor) will be released and relieved of any obligations under its Guarantees.

 

SECTION 10.03. Addition of Subsidiary Guarantors. (a) The Company agrees to cause each domestic Subsidiary that shall become a Subsidiary after the Issue Date and that guarantees any other Indebtedness of the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor in excess of a De Minimis Guaranteed Amount to execute and deliver a supplemental indenture pursuant to which such Subsidiary shall guarantee the payment of the Securities pursuant to the terms hereof within 180 days after the later of (i) the date that Subsidiary becomes a domestic Subsidiary and (ii) the date that Subsidiary guarantees such other Indebtedness; provided that no guarantee shall be required if the Subsidiary merges into the Company or an existing Subsidiary Guarantor and the surviving entity remains a Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

(b) Any Person that was not a Subsidiary Guarantor on the Issue Date may become a Subsidiary Guarantor by executing and delivering to the Trustee (i) a supplemental indenture in form and substance satisfactory to the Trustee, which subjects such Person to the provisions (including the representations and warranties) of this Indenture as a Subsidiary Guarantor and (ii) an Opinion of Counsel and Officers’ Certificate to the effect that such supplemental indenture has been duly authorized and executed by such Person and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of such Person (subject to such customary exceptions concerning creditors’ rights and equitable principles as may be acceptable to the Trustee in its discretion and provided that no opinion need be rendered concerning the enforceability of the Guarantee).

 

SECTION 10.04. Release of a Subsidiary Guarantor. Upon (i) the sale or disposition of a Subsidiary Guarantor (or all or substantially

 

46


all of its assets) or (ii) the cessation by a Subsidiary Guarantor to guarantee any other Indebtedness of the Company or any other Subsidiary Guarantor other than a De Minimis Guaranteed Amount, in each case which is otherwise in compliance with the terms of this Indenture, including but not limited to the provisions of Section 10.02, such Subsidiary Guarantor shall be deemed released from all of its Guarantee and related obligations in this Indenture without any further action by the Trustee, the Company or such Subsidiary Guarantor. Subject to Section 8.07, upon the Company’s election, in compliance with the conditions set forth in Article Eight hereof, to exercise its rights pursuant to either Section 8.02 or 8.03 with respect to all outstanding Securities, each Subsidiary Guarantor shall be deemed released from all of its Guarantee and related obligations in this Indenture without any further action by the Trustee, the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor. The Trustee shall deliver an appropriate instrument evidencing such release upon receipt of a request by the Company accompanied by an Officers’ Certificate and, in the case of the release of a Subsidiary Guarantor pursuant to clause (i) of the first sentence of this Section 10.04, an Opinion of Counsel certifying that such sale or other disposition was made by the Company in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture. Any Subsidiary Guarantor not so released remains liable for the full amount of principal of and interest on the Securities as provided in this Article Ten.

 

SECTION 10.05. Limitation of Subsidiary Guarantor’s Liability. Each Subsidiary Guarantor, and by its acceptance hereof each Holder, hereby confirms that it is the intention of all such parties that the guarantee by such Subsidiary Guarantor pursuant to its Guarantee not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance for purposes of any federal, state or foreign law. To effectuate the foregoing intention, the Holders and each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby irrevocably agree that the obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor under the Guarantee shall be limited to the maximum amount as will, after giving effect to all other contingent and fixed liabilities of such Subsidiary Guarantor and after giving effect to any collections from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Subsidiary Guarantor under its Guarantee or pursuant to Section 10.06, result in the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor under the Guarantee not constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under federal, state or foreign law. This Section 10.05 is for the benefit of the creditors of each Subsidiary Guarantor, and, for purposes of applicable fraudulent transfer and fraudulent conveyance law, any Indebtedness of a Subsidiary Guarantor pursuant to Credit Facilities shall be deemed to have been incurred prior to the incurrence by such Subsidiary Guarantor of its liability under the Guarantee.

 

SECTION 10.06. Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution among the Subsidiary Guarantors, the Subsidiary Guarantors agree, inter se, that in the event any payment or distribution is made by any Subsidiary Guarantor (a “Funding Guarantor”) under the Guarantee, such Funding Guarantor shall be entitled to a contribution from each other Subsidiary Guarantor in a pro rata amount based on the Adjusted Net Assets of each Subsidiary Guarantor (including the Funding Guarantor) for all payments, damages and expenses incurred by the Funding Guarantor in discharging the

 

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Company’s obligations with respect to the Securities or any other Subsidiary Guarantor’s obligations with respect to the Guarantee.

 

SECTION 10.07. [Intentionally Omitted.]

 

SECTION 10.08. Severability. In case any provision of this Guarantee shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that portion of such provision that is not invalid, illegal or unenforceable shall remain in effect, and the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

 

ARTICLE ELEVEN

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

SECTION 11.01. Trust Indenture Act Controls. Whether prior to or following the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA, if any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies, or conflicts with the duties imposed by operation of TIA Section 318(c) upon an indenture qualified under the TIA, the imposed duties shall control under this Indenture.

 

SECTION 11.02. Notices. Any notice or communication shall be sufficiently given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by certified or registered mail (return receipt requested), facsimile, telecopier or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, addressed as follows:

 

If to the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor:

 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

6100 North Western Avenue

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118

 

Attention: Treasurer

Fax: (405) 879-9572

 

If to the Trustee:

 

The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.

2 N. LaSalle Street

Suite 1020

Chicago, IL 60602

 

Attention: Corporate Trust Administration

Fax: (312) 827-8542

 

The Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

 

All notices and communications shall be deemed to have been duly given: at the time delivered by hand, if personally delivered; five Business Days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, if mailed; when receipt acknowledged, if faxed or telecopied; and the

 

48


next Business Day after timely delivery to the courier, if sent by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery.

 

Any notice or communication mailed to a Holder shall be mailed by first-class mail to the address for such Holder appearing on the registration books of the Registrar and shall be sufficiently given to such Holder if so mailed within the time prescribed. Failure to mail a notice or communication to a Holder or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders.

 

If a notice or communication is mailed in the manner provided above, it is duly given, whether or not the addressee receives it. If the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor mails notice or communications to Holders, it shall mail a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.

 

SECTION 11.03. Communication by Holders with Other Holders. Holders may communicate pursuant to TIA Section 312(b) with other Holders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities. The Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA Section 312(c).

 

SECTION 11.04. Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent. Upon any request or application by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company or such Subsidiary Guarantor, as the case may be, shall furnish to the Trustee:

 

(1) an Officers’ Certificate (which shall include the statements set forth in Section 11.05) stating that, in the opinion of the signers, the conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and

 

(2) an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, such conditions precedent have been complied with.

 

SECTION 11.05. Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion. Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture shall include:

 

(1) a statement that each person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;

 

(2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

 

(3) a statement that, in the opinion of each such person, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and

 

49


(4) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of each such person, such covenant or condition has been complied with.

 

SECTION 11.06. Rules by Trustee and Agents. The Trustee may make reasonable rules for actions taken by, or meetings or consents of, Holders. The Registrar or Paying Agent may make reasonable rules for its functions.

 

SECTION 11.07. Legal Holidays. A “Legal Holiday” is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a day on which banks and trust companies in the City of New York are not required by law or executive order to be open. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at the place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, without additional interest.

 

SECTION 11.08. Governing Law. THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES AND THE GUARANTEES SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WOULD REQUIRE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION REGARDING THE VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES.

 

SECTION 11.09. No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements. This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Subsidiary. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.

 

SECTION 11.10. No Recourse Against Others. All liability described in Paragraph 22 of the Securities of any director, officer, employee or stockholder, as such, of the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors or the Trustee is waived and released.

 

SECTION 11.11. Successors. All agreements of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors in this Indenture, the Securities and the Guarantees shall bind their respective successors. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.

 

SECTION 11.12. Duplicate Originals. The parties may sign any number of copies of this Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same instrument.

 

SECTION 11.13. Severability. In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Securities shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and a Holder shall have no claim therefor against any party hereto.

 

50


SIGNATURES

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION,
    By:    
       

Name:  Martha A. Burger

Title:    Treasurer and Senior Vice

            President—Human Resources

 

 

SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS:

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY LOUISIANA CORPORATION

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY MARKETING, INC.

CHESAPEAKE OPERATING, INC.

CHESAPEAKE SOUTH TEXAS CORP.

HODGES HOLDING COMPANY, INC.

HODGES OILFIELD COMPANY

HODGES TRUCKING COMPANY

NOMAC DRILLING CORPORATION

W.W. REALTY, INC.

CARMEN ACQUISITION, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ACQUISITION, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE APPALACHIA, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE LAND COMPANY, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ORC, L.L.C.

CHESAPEAKE ROYALTY, L.L.C.

GOTHIC PRODUCTION, L.L.C.

HAWG HAULING & DISPOSAL, LLC

MAYFIELD PROCESSING L.L.C.

MC MINERAL COMPANY, L.L.C.

    By:    
       

Name:  Martha A. Burger

Title:    Treasurer and Senior Vice

            President—Human Resources

 

51


CHESAPEAKE EXPLORATION LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

CHESAPEAKE LOUISIANA, L.P.

    By   Chesapeake Operating, Inc., as general partner of each respective entity
    By:    
       

Name:  Martha A. Burger

Title:    Treasurer and Senior Vice

            President—Human Resources

 

 

MIDCON COMPRESSION, L.P.,
    By   Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc., as general partner
    By:    
       

Name:  Martha A. Burger

Title:    Treasurer and Senior Vice

            President—Human Resources

 

 

 

 

52


THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,
as Trustee

 

    By:    
       
        Name: [                                ]
        Title:   Authorized Signatory

 

53


APPENDIX

 

PROVISIONS RELATING TO SECURITIES

 

1. Definitions

 

1.1 Definitions

 

For the purposes of this Appendix the following terms shall have the meanings indicated below:

 

“Depository” means The Depository Trust Company, its nominees and their respective successors.

 

“Securities” means (1) $[            ] million aggregate principal amount of [     ]% Senior Notes due 2013 issued on the Issue Date and (2) Additional Securities, if any, issued in one or more transactions.

 

“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

“Securities Custodian” means the custodian with respect to a Global Security (as appointed by the Depository), or any successor Person thereto and shall initially be the Trustee.

 

1.2 Other Definitions

 

Term


   Defined in
Section:


 

“Agent Members”

   2.1 (b)

“Global Security”

   2.1 (a)

 

2. The Securities.

 

2.1 (a) Form and Dating. Securities shall be issued initially in the form of one or more permanent global Securities in definitive, fully registered form without interest coupons with the global securities legend set forth in Exhibit 1 hereto (each, a “Global Security”), which shall be deposited on behalf of the purchasers of the Securities represented thereby with the Trustee, at its principal corporate trust office, as Securities Custodian, and registered in the name of the Depository or a nominee of the Depository, duly executed by the Company and authenticated by the Trustee as hereinafter provided. The aggregate principal amount of the Global Securities may from time to time be increased or decreased by adjustments made on the records of the Trustee and the Depository or its nominee as hereinafter provided.

 

(b) Book-Entry Provisions. This Section 2.1(b) shall apply only to a Global Security deposited with or on behalf of the Depository.

 

The Company shall execute and the Trustee shall, in accordance with this Section 2.1(b), authenticate and deliver initially one or more Global Securities that (a) shall be registered in the name of the Depository for such Global Security or Global Securities or the nominee of such Depository and (b) shall be delivered by the Trustee to such Depository or pursuant to such Depository’s instructions or held by the Trustee as Securities Custodian.

 

54


Members of, or participants in, the Depository (“Agent Members”) shall have no rights under this Indenture with respect to any Global Security held on their behalf by the Depository or by the Trustee as Securities Custodian or under such Global Security, and the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be entitled to treat the Depository as the absolute owner of such Global Security for all purposes whatsoever. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depository or impair, as between the Depository and its Agent Members, the operation of customary practices of such Depository governing the exercise of the rights of a holder of a beneficial interest in any Global Security.

 

(c) Certificated Securities. Except as provided in this Section 2.1 or Section 2.3 or 2.4, owners of beneficial interests in Global Securities shall not be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated Securities.

 

2.2 Authentication. The Trustee shall authenticate and deliver: (1) on the Issue Date, an aggregate principal amount of $[            ]million [     ]% Senior Notes due 2013 and (2) from time to time after the Issue Date, any Additional Securities for an original issue in an aggregate principal amount specified in the written order of the Company pursuant to Section 2.02 of the Indenture. Such order shall specify the amount of the Securities to be authenticated and the date on which the original issue of Securities is to be authenticated.

 

2.3 Transfer and Exchange.

 

(a) Transfer and Exchange of Global Securities. (i) The transfer and exchange of Global Securities or beneficial interests therein shall be effected through the Depository, in accordance with this Indenture and the procedures of the Depository therefor. A transferor of a beneficial interest in a Global Security shall deliver to the Registrar a written order given in accordance with the Depository’s procedures containing information regarding the participant account of the Depository to be credited with a beneficial interest in the Global Security. The Registrar shall, in accordance with such instructions instruct the Depository to credit to the account of the Person specified in such instructions a beneficial interest in the Global Security and to debit the account of the Person making the transfer the beneficial interest in the Global Security being transferred.

 

(ii) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Appendix (other than the provisions set forth in Section 2.4), a Global Security may not be transferred as a whole except by the Depository to a nominee of the Depository or by a nominee of the Depository to the Depository or another nominee of the Depository or by the Depository or any such nominee to a successor Depository or a nominee of such successor Depository.

 

55


(b) Cancellation or Adjustment of Global Security. At such time as all beneficial interests in a Global Security have either been exchanged for certificated Securities, redeemed, purchased or canceled, such Global Security shall be returned to the Depository for cancelation or retained and canceled by the Trustee. At any time prior to such cancelation, if any beneficial interest in a Global Security is exchanged for certificated Securities, redeemed, purchased or canceled, the principal amount of Securities represented by such Global Security shall be reduced and an adjustment shall be made on the books and records of the Trustee (if it is then the Securities Custodian for such Global Security) with respect to such Global Security, by the Trustee or the Securities Custodian, to reflect such reduction.

 

(c) Obligations with Respect to Transfers and Exchanges of Securities.

 

(i) To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate certificated Securities and Global Securities at the Registrar’s or co-registrar’s request.

 

(ii) No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax, assessments, or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer taxes, assessments or similar governmental charge payable upon exchange or transfer pursuant to Section 3.06 of the Indenture).

 

(iii) The Registrar or co-registrar shall not be required to register the transfer of or exchange of any Security for a period beginning 15 Business Days before the mailing of a notice of an offer to repurchase or redeem Securities or 15 Business Days before an interest payment date.

 

(iv) Prior to the due presentation for registration of transfer of any Security, the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar or any co-registrar may deem and treat the person in whose name a Security is registered as the absolute owner of such Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and interest on such Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such Security is overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Registrar or any co-registrar shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

 

(v) All Securities issued upon any transfer or exchange pursuant to the terms of this Indenture shall evidence the same debt and shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as the Securities surrendered upon such transfer or exchange.

 

(d) No Obligation of the Trustee.

 

(i) The Trustee shall have no responsibility or obligation to any beneficial owner of a Global Security, Agent

 

56


Member or other Person with respect to the accuracy of the records of the Depository or its nominee or of any Agent Member, with respect to any ownership interest in the Securities or with respect to the delivery to any Agent Member, beneficial owner or other Person (other than the Depository) of any notice (including any notice of redemption) or the payment of any amount, under or with respect to such Securities. All notices and communications to be given to the Holders and all payments to be made to Holders under the Securities shall be given or made only to or upon the order of the registered Holders (which shall be the Depository or its nominee in the case of a Global Security). The rights of beneficial owners in any Global Security shall be exercised only through the Depository subject to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depository. The Trustee may rely and shall be fully protected in relying upon information furnished by the Depository with respect to its Agent Member and any beneficial owners.

 

(ii) The Trustee shall have no obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or under applicable law with respect to any transfer of any interest in any Security (including any transfers between or among Agent Members or beneficial owners in any Global Security) other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or evidence as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly required by, the terms of this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine substantial compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.

 

2.4 Certificated Securities.

 

(a) A Global Security deposited with the Depository or with the Trustee as Securities Custodian pursuant to Section 2.1 shall be transferred to the beneficial owners thereof in the form of certificated Securities in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such Global Security, in exchange for such Global Security, only if such transfer complies with Section 2.3 and (i) the Depository notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depository for such Global Security or if at any time such Depository ceases to be a “clearing agency” registered under the Exchange Act and a successor depositary is not appointed by the Company within 90 days of such notice or (ii) an event of default has occurred and is continuing or (iii) the Company, in its sole discretion, notifies the Trustee in writing that it elects to cause the issuance of certificated Securities under this Indenture.

 

(b) Any Global Security that is transferable to the beneficial owners thereof pursuant to this Section shall be surrendered by the Depository to the Trustee located at its principal corporate trust office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, to be so transferred, in whole or from time to time in part, without charge, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, upon such transfer of each portion of such Global Security, an equal aggregate principal amount of certificated Securities of authorized denominations. Any portion of a Global Security transferred pursuant to this Section shall be executed, authenticated and delivered only in denominations of $1,000 principal amount and any integral multiple thereof and registered in such names as the Depository shall direct.

 

57


(c) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.4(b), the registered Holder of a Global Security shall be entitled to grant proxies and otherwise authorize any Person, including Agent Members and Persons that may hold interests through Agent Members, to take any action which a Holder is entitled to take under this Indenture or the Securities.

 

(d) In the event of the occurrence of any of the events specified in Section 2.4(a), the Company shall promptly make available to the Trustee a reasonable supply of certificated Securities in definitive, fully registered form without interest coupons.

 

58


EXHIBIT 1

to

APPENDIX

 

[FACE OF SECURITY]

[Global Securities Legend]

 

UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), NEW YORK, NEW YORK, TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO., OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC) ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

 

TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT NOT IN PART, TO NOMINEES OF DTC OR TO A SUCCESSOR THEREOF OR SUCH SUCCESSOR’S NOMINEE AND TRANSFERS OF PORTIONS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH IN THE INDENTURE REFERRED TO ON THE REVERSE HEREOF.


No.   CUSIP NO.
$   ISIN NO.

 

[     ]% Senior Notes due 2013

 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation, an Oklahoma corporation, promises to pay to CEDE & CO., or registered assigns, the principal sum of                                          Dollars on [                 ], 2013.

 

Interest Payment Dates: [            ] and [            ] (commencing [            ], 20061)

 

Record Dates: [            ] and [            ]

 

Additional provisions of this Security are set forth on the other side of this Security.

 

Dated:                         

 

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION,

by

   
   

Name:

Title:

 

 

 

by

   
   

Name:

Title:

 

TRUSTEE’S CERTIFICATE OF

AUTHENTICATION

 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,

AS TRUSTEE, CERTIFIES THAT

THIS IS ONE OF THE SECURITIES

REFERRED TO IN THE INDENTURE.

 

by

   
    Authorized Signatory

 


1   Or such later date as is appropriate in the case of Additional Securities.


[REVERSE SIDE OF SECURITY]

 

[     ]% Senior Note due 2013

 

1. Interest

 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation, an Oklahoma corporation (such corporation, and its successors and assigns under the Indenture hereinafter referred to, being herein called the “Company”), promises to pay interest on the principal amount of this Security at the rate per annum shown above. The Company will pay interest semiannually on [            ] and [            ] of each year, commencing [            ], 2006. Interest on the Securities will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from [            ], 2006. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.

 

2. Method of Payment

 

The Company will pay interest on the Securities (except defaulted interest) to the Persons who are registered holders of Securities at the close of business on the [            ] or [            ] next preceding the interest payment date even if Securities are canceled after the record date and on or before the interest payment date. Holders must surrender Securities to a Paying Agent to collect principal payments. The Company will pay principal and interest in money of the United States that at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts. Payments in respect of the Securities represented by a Global Security (including principal, premium and interest) will be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts specified by The Depository Trust Company. The Company will make all payments in respect of a certificated Security (including principal, premium and interest) by mailing a check to the registered address of each Holder thereof; provided, however, that payments on a certificated Security will be made by wire transfer to a U.S. dollar account maintained by the payee with a bank in the United States if such Holder elects payment by wire transfer by giving written notice to the Trustee or the Paying Agent to such effect designating such account no later than 30 days immediately preceding the relevant due date for payment (or such other date as the Trustee may accept in its discretion).

 

3. Paying Agent and Registrar

 

Initially, The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., a national banking association (the “Trustee”), will act as Paying Agent and Registrar. The Company may appoint and change any Paying Agent, Registrar or co-registrar without notice. The Company or any of its domestically incorporated Wholly Owned Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent, Registrar or co-registrar.

 

4. Indenture

 

The Company issued the Securities under an Indenture dated as of [            ], 2006 (“Indenture”), among the Company, the Subsidiary


Guarantors and the Trustee. The terms of the Securities include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. §§ 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of the Indenture (the “Act”). Terms defined in the Indenture and not defined herein have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Indenture. The Securities are subject to all such terms, and Holders are referred to the Indenture and the Act for a statement of those terms.

 

The Company shall be entitled to issue Additional Securities pursuant to Section 2.13 of the Indenture. The Securities issued on the Issue Date and any Additional Securities will be treated as a single class for all purposes under the Indenture.

 

5. Make-Whole Price Redemption

 

At any time prior to the Maturity Date, the Company may, at its option, redeem all or any portion of the Securities at the “Make-Whole Price” (as defined in the Indenture) plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Securities so redeemed to the date of redemption. Any redemption pursuant to this paragraph 5 shall be made, to the extent applicable, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3.01 through 3.06 of the Indenture.

 

6. Notice of Redemption

 

Notice of redemption will be mailed to the Holder’s registered address at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed. If less than all Securities are to be redeemed, the Trustee shall select pro rata, by lot or, if the Securities are listed on any securities exchange, by any other method that the Trustee considers fair and appropriate and that complies with the requirements of such exchange, the Securities to be redeemed in multiples of $1,000; provided, however, that no Securities with a principal amount of $1,000 or less will be redeemed in part. Securities in denominations larger than $1,000 may be redeemed in part. On and after the redemption date, interest ceases to accrue on Securities or portions of them called for redemption (unless the Company shall default in the payment of the redemption price or accrued interest).

 

7. Net Proceeds Offer

 

In the event of certain Sale/Leaseback Transactions, the Company may be required to make a Net Proceeds Offer to purchase all or any portion of each Holder’s Securities, at 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the Net Proceeds Payment Date.

 

8. Restrictive Covenants

 

The Indenture imposes certain limitations on, among other things, the ability of the Company to merge or consolidate with any other Person or sell and lease back certain of its properties or assets and the ability of the Company or the Subsidiaries to incur


encumbrances against certain property, all subject to certain limitations described in the Indenture.

 

9. Ranking and Guarantees

 

The Securities are general senior unsecured obligations of the Company. The Company’s obligation to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest with respect to the Securities is unconditionally guaranteed on a senior basis, jointly and severally, by the Subsidiary Guarantors pursuant to Article Ten of the Indenture. Certain limitations to the obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors are set forth in further detail in the Indenture.

 

10. Denominations; Transfer; Exchange

 

The Securities are in registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 principal amount and whole multiples of $1,000. A Holder may transfer or exchange Securities in accordance with the Indenture. The Registrar may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements or transfer documents and to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the Indenture. The Registrar need not register the transfer of or exchange of any Securities selected for redemption (except, in the case of a Security to be redeemed in part, the portion of the Security not to be redeemed) or any Securities for a period of 15 Business Days before the mailing of a notice of an offer to repurchase or redeem Securities or 15 Business Days before an interest payment date.

 

11. Persons Deemed Owners

 

The registered Holder of this Security may be treated as the owner of it for all purposes.

 

12. Unclaimed Money

 

If money for the payment of principal or interest remains unclaimed for two years, the Trustee or Paying Agent shall pay the money back to the Company at its request unless an abandoned property law designates another Person. After any such payment, Holders entitled to the money must look only to the Company and not to the Trustee for payment.

 

13. Discharge and Defeasance

 

Subject to certain conditions, the Company at any time shall be entitled to terminate some or all of its obligations under the Securities and the Indenture if the Company deposits with the Trustee money or U.S. Government Securities for the payment of principal and interest on the Securities to redemption or maturity, as the case may be.

 

14. Amendment, Supplement, Waiver

 

Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture or the Securities may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority of the outstanding principal amount of


the Securities, and any past default or noncompliance with any provision may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities. Without the consent of any Holder, the Company may amend or supplement the Indenture or the Securities to, among other things, cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency or to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder in any material respect.

 

15. Successor Corporation

 

When a successor corporation assumes all the obligations of its predecessor under the Securities and the Indenture, the predecessor corporation will be released from those obligations.

 

16. Defaults and Remedies

 

An Event of Default generally is: default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor for 30 days in payment of interest on the Securities; default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in payment of principal of, or premium, if any, on the Securities; default by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor in the deposit of any optional redemption or repurchase payment when due and payable; defaults resulting in acceleration prior to maturity of certain other Indebtedness or resulting from payment defaults under certain other Indebtedness; failure by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor for 45 days after notice to comply with any of its other agreements in the Indenture; certain final judgments against the Company or Subsidiaries; a failure of any Guarantee of a Subsidiary Guarantor to be in full force and effect or denial by any Subsidiary Guarantor of its obligations with respect thereto; and certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency. Subject to certain limitations in the Indenture, if an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities may declare all the Securities to be due and payable immediately, except that in the case of an Event of Default arising from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, all outstanding Securities shall become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. Holders may not enforce the Indenture or the Securities except as provided in the Indenture. The Trustee may require indemnity satisfactory to it before it enforces the Indenture or the Securities. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities may direct the Trustee in its exercise of any trust or power. The Company must furnish an annual compliance certificate to the Trustee.

 

17. Trustee Dealings with Company and Subsidiary Guarantors

 

The Trustee under the Indenture, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors or their respective Subsidiaries or Affiliates with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee.


18. No Recourse Against Others

 

A director, officer, employee or stockholder, as such, of the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or the Trustee shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company, any Subsidiary Guarantor or the Trustee under the Securities or the Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issue of the Security.

 

19. Authentication

 

This Security shall not be valid until the Trustee or an authenticating agent signs the certificate of authentication on the other side of this Security.

 

20. Abbreviations

 

Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder or an assignee, such as: TEN COM (=tenants in common), TEN ENT (=tenants by the entireties), JT TEN (=joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common), CUST (=Custodian), and U/G/M/A (=Uniform Gifts to Minors Act).

 

21. CUSIP Numbers

 

Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Company will cause CUSIP numbers to be printed on the Securities as a convenience to Holders of the Securities. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers as printed on the Securities and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed hereon.

 

22. Governing Law

 

THIS SECURITY SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK BUT WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WOULD REQUIRE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION REGARDING THE VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES.


The Company will furnish to any Holder upon written request and without charge to the Security holder a copy of the Indenture. Requests may be made to:

 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

6100 North Western Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73118

 

Attention: Treasurer



 

ASSIGNMENT FORM

 

To assign this Security, fill in the form below:

 

I or we assign and transfer this Security to

 

 
 
(Print or type assignee’s name, address and zip code)

 

 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax I.D. No.)

 

and irrevocably appoint                                  agent to transfer this Security on the books of the Company. The agent may substitute another to act for him.

 


 

Dated:

        Your Signature:     

 


Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Security.

 

Signature Guarantee:

  

Signature must be guaranteed

 

 

Signatures must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” meeting the requirements of the Registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Security Transfer Agent Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.


SCHEDULE OF INCREASES OR DECREASES IN GLOBAL SECURITY

 

The following increases or decreases in this Global Security have been made:

 

Date of

Exchange


 

Amount of decrease in
Principal amount of this
Global Security


 

Amount of increase in
Principal amount of this
Global Security


 

Principal amount of this
Global Security following
such decrease or increase


 

Signature of authorized
officer of Trustee or
Securities Custodian



OPTION OF HOLDER TO ELECT PURCHASE

 

If you want to elect to have this Security purchased by the Company pursuant to Section 4.10 of the Indenture, check the box:

 

¨

 

If you want to elect to have only part of this Security purchased by the Company pursuant to Section 4.10 of the Indenture, state the amount in principal amount: $                            

 

Dated:

       Your Signature:     
              (Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Security.)

 

Signature Guarantee:

  

(Signature must be guaranteed)

 

Signatures must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” meeting the requirements of the Registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Security Transfer Agent Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

EX-5.1 4 dex51.htm OPINION OF VINSON & ELKINS L.L.P. Opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

Exhibit 5.1

 

[VINSON & ELKINS LETTERHEAD]

 

June 26, 2006

 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

6100 North Western Avenue

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as counsel for Chesapeake Energy Corporation, an Oklahoma corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the offer and sale, from time to time, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, of unsecured debt securities of the Company (“Debt Securities”), in one or more series.

 

We have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of (i) the Registration Statement, (ii) the form of indenture (the “Indenture”) filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and (iii) such other certificates, statutes and other instruments and documents as we considered appropriate for purposes of the opinion hereafter expressed. As to any facts material to the opinion contained herein, we have made no independent investigation of such facts and have relied, to the extent that we deem such reliance proper, upon certificates of public officials and officers or other representatives of the Company.

 

In connection with rendering the opinion set forth below, we have assumed that (i) all information contained in all documents reviewed by us is true and correct; (ii) all signatures on all documents examined by us are genuine; (iii) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and all documents submitted to us as copies conform to the originals of those documents; (iv) the Registration Statement, and any amendments thereto (including post-effective amendments), will have become effective and comply with all applicable laws; (v) the Indenture will have been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended; (vi) the Indenture, and any supplemental indenture relating to a particular series of Debt Securities, will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto in substantially the form reviewed by us; and (vii) a definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement with respect to any Debt Securities offered will have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto.

 

Based on the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, qualifications, limitations, and exceptions set forth herein, we are of the opinion that when such Debt Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture upon payment of the consideration for such Debt Securities as provided for in the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, such Debt Securities will be legally issued and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as such enforcement is subject to any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance or other law relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity.

 

We express no opinions concerning (a) the validity or enforceability of any provisions contained in the Indenture that purport to waive or not give effect to rights to notices, defenses, subrogation or other rights or benefits that cannot be effectively waived under applicable law; or (b) the enforceability of


indemnification provisions to the extent they purport to relate to liabilities resulting from or based upon negligence or any violation of federal or state securities or blue sky laws.

 

The foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New York and the federal laws of the United States of America and we are expressing no opinion as to the effect of the laws of any other jurisdiction, domestic or foreign.

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name in the prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement under the caption “Legal Matters.” In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

/s/ Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

 

Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

 

2

EX-23.1 5 dex231.htm CONSENT OF PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Chesapeake Energy Corporation of our report dated March 13, 2006 relating to the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule, management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

/s/    PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

Oklahoma City, OK

June 23, 2006

EX-23.2 6 dex232.htm CONSENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

Exhibit 23.2

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in this Registration Statement on Form S-3, and related Prospectus of Chesapeake Energy Corporation for the registration of its Senior Notes due 2013, and to the incorporation by reference therein of our report dated March 15, 2005, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Columbia Energy Resources, LLC, which appears in Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 1, 2005.

 

/s/    Ernst & Young LLP

 

June 23, 2006

Charleston, West Virginia

EX-23.3 7 dex233.htm CONSENT OF NETHERLAND, SEWELL & ASSOCIATES, INC. Consent of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc.

Exhibit 23.3

[Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. Letterhead]

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS

 

As independent oil and gas consultants, Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. hereby consents to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Chesapeake Energy Corporation to be filed on or about June 23, 2006, of information from our reserve report with respect to the oil and gas reserves of Chesapeake Energy Corporation dated February 20, 2006, and entitled “Estimate of Reserves and Future Revenue to the Chesapeake Energy Corporation Interest in Certain Oil and Gas Properties located in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas as of December 31, 2005, Based on Constant Prices and Costs in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Guidelines.” We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

NETHERLAND, SEWELL & ASSOCIATES, INC.
By:  

/s/    Frederic D. Sewell

   

Frederic D. Sewell

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

Dallas, Texas

June 23, 2006

EX-23.4 8 dex234.htm CONSENT OF SCHLUMBERGER DATA AND CONSULTING SERVICES Consent of Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services

Exhibit 23.4

 

[SCHLUMBERGER DATA AND CONSULTING SERVICES LETTERHEAD]

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS

 

As independent oil and gas consultants, Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services hereby consents to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Chesapeake Energy Corporation to be filed on or about June 23, 2006, of information from our reserve report dated March 3, 2006, entitled “Reserve and Economic Evaluation of Proved Reserves of Certain Appalachian Division Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oil and Gas Interests as of December 31, 2005.” We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

SCHLUMBERGER DATA & CONSULTING SERVICES
By:  

/S/    JOSEPH H. FRANTZ, JR. P.E.        

Name:

Title:

 

Joseph H. Frantz, Jr. P.E.

USLE-N Consulting and Solutions Services Operations Manager

 

June 23, 2006

EX-23.5 9 dex235.htm CONSENT OF LEE KEELING AND ASSOCIATES, INC. Consent of Lee Keeling and Associates, Inc.

Exhibit 23.5

[LEE KEELING AND ASSOCIATES, INC. LETTERHEAD]

 

CONSENT OF LEE KEELING AND ASSOCIATES, INC.

 

As independent oil and gas consultants, Lee Keeling and Associates, Inc. hereby consents to the incorporation by reference in the Chesapeake Energy Corporation Registration Statement on Form S-3 to be filed on or about June 23, 2006, of information from our reserve report with respect to the oil and gas reserves of Chesapeake Energy Corporation dated February 16, 2006 and entitled “Appraisal Oil and Gas Properties Interests Owned by Chesapeake Energy Corporation Selected Properties Constant Prices and Expenses Effective Date January 1, 2006.” We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

LEE KEELING AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
By:  

/s/    LeeKeeling and Associates, Inc.

 

Tulsa, Oklahoma

June 23, 2006

EX-23.6 10 dex236.htm CONSENT OF RYDER SCOTT COMPANY, L.P. Consent of Ryder Scott Company, L.P.

Exhibit 23.6

[RYDER SCOTT LETTERHEAD]

 

CONSENT OF RYDER SCOTT COMPANY, L.P.

 

As independent oil and gas consultants, Ryder Scott Company, L.P. hereby consents to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-3, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about June 21, 2006, of information from our reserve report dated February 25, 2006, entitled “Chesapeake Energy Corporation—Estimated Future Reserves and Income Attributable to Certain Leasehold Interests (SEC Parameters).” We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

 
   

/s/    Ryder Scott Company, L.P.

    RYDER SCOTT COMPANY, L.P.

 

Houston, Texas

June 21, 2006

EX-23.7 11 dex237.htm CONSENT OF LAROCHE PETROLEUM CONSULTANTS, LTD. Consent of LaRoche Petroleum Consultants, Ltd.

Exhibit 23.7

[LAROCHE PETROLEUM CONSULTANTS, LTD. LETTERHEAD]

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS

 

As independent oil and gas consultants, LaRoche Petroleum Consultants, Ltd. hereby consents to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Chesapeake Energy Corporation to be filed on or about June 23, 2006, of information from our reserve report with respect to the oil and gas reserves of Chesapeake Energy Corporation dated February 27, 2006 and entitled “Chesapeake Energy Corporation Interest in Certain Properties Located in Oklahoma as of December 31, 2005, Prepared in Accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Guidelines.” We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

LAROCHE PETROLEUM CONSULTANTS, LTD.

By:  

/s/    WILLIAM M. KAZMANN

   

Name: William M. Kazmann

Title: Partner

 

June 23, 2006

EX-23.8 12 dex238.htm CONSENT OF H.J. GRUY AND ASSOCIATES, INC. Consent of H.J. Gruy and Associates, Inc.

Exhibit 23.8

[H.J. GRUY AND ASSOCIATES, INC. LETTERHEAD]

 

CONSENT OF H.J. GRUY AND ASSOCIATES, INC.

 

We hereby consent to the use of the name H.J. Gruy and Associates, Inc. and of references to H.J. Gruy and Associates, Inc. and to inclusion of and reference to our report, or information contained therein, dated March 1, 2005, prepared for Chesapeake Energy Corporation in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Chesapeake Energy Corporation for the filing dated on or about June 23, 2006 and in the “Experts” section of the Registration Statement. We are unable to verify the accuracy of the reserves and discounted present worth values referenced therein because our estimates of reserves and discounted present worth have been combined with estimates of reserves and present worth prepared by other petroleum consultants.

 

H.J. GRUY AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
By:  

/s/    Sylvia Castilleja

   

Name: Sylvia Castilleja, P.E.

Title: Senior Vice President

 

June 23, 2006

Houston, TX

EX-23.9 13 dex239.htm CONSENT OF MILLER AND LENTS, LTD. Consent of Miller and Lents, Ltd.

Exhibit 23.9

 

[MILLER AND LENTS, LTD. LETTERHEAD]

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS

 

As independent oil and gas consultants, Miller and Lents, Ltd. hereby consents to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Chesapeake Energy Corporation to be filed on or about June 23, 2006, of information from our reserve report with respect to the oil and gas reserves of Chesapeake Energy Corporation dated February 27, 2006 and entitled “Proved Reserves and Future Net Revenues as of December 31, 2005.” We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

MILLER AND LENTS, LTD.
By:  

/S/    Carl D. Richard

   

Carl D. Richard

Senior Vice President

 

June 23, 2006

EX-25.1 14 dex251.htm FORM T-1 Form T-1

EXHIBIT 25.1

 


 

FORM T-1

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

STATEMENT OF ELIGIBILITY

UNDER THE TRUST INDENTURE ACT OF 1939 OF A

CORPORATION DESIGNATED TO ACT AS TRUSTEE

 

CHECK IF AN APPLICATION TO DETERMINE

ELIGIBILITY OF A TRUSTEE PURSUANT TO

SECTION 305(b)(2) ¨

 


 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A.

(Exact name of trustee as specified in its charter)

 

    95-3571558

(State of incorporation

if not a U.S. national bank)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 

700 South Flower Street

Suite 500

Los Angeles, California

  90017
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

 


 

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1395733

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Eagle Canada Corp.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

New Brunswick, Canada   None

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)



 

Chesapeake Energy Louisiana Corporation

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1524569

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1439175

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Operating, Inc.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1343196

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake South Texas Corp.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   41-2050649

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Hodges Holding Company, Inc.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1454375

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 

2



 

Hodges Oilfield Company

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1454380

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Hodges Trucking Company

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1293811

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Nomac Drilling Corporation

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1606317

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

W.W. Realty, Inc.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1360666

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 

3



 

Carmen Acquisition, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1604860

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Acquisition, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1528271

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-3774650

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Land Company, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-2099392

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake ORC, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   71-0934234

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 

4



 

Chesapeake Royalty, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1549744

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Gothic Production, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1539475

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Hawg Hauling & Disposal, LLC

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   06-1706211

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Mayfield Processing, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-0174765

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

MC Mineral Company, L.L.C.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   61-1448831

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 

5



 

Chesapeake Exploration Limited Partnership

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1384282

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   73-1519126

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

Chesapeake Sigma, L.P.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   27-0029884

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 


 

MidCon Compression, L.P.

(Exact name of obligor as specified in its charter)

 

Oklahoma   20-0299525

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. employer

identification no.)

 

6100 North Western Avenue

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

  73118
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

 


 

Senior Notes

(Title of the indenture securities)

 


 

6


1. General information. Furnish the following information as to the trustee:

 

  (a) Name and address of each examining or supervising authority to which it is subject.

 

Name


 

Address


Comptroller of the Currency

United States Department of the

Treasury

  Washington, D.C. 20219
Federal Reserve Bank   San Francisco, California 94105
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation   Washington, D.C. 20429

 

  (b) Whether it is authorized to exercise corporate trust powers.

 

Yes.

 

2. Affiliations with Obligor.

 

If the obligor is an affiliate of the trustee, describe each such affiliation.

 

None.

 

16. List of Exhibits.

 

     Exhibits identified in parentheses below, on file with the Commission, are incorporated herein by reference as an exhibit hereto, pursuant to Rule 7a-29 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the “Act”) and 17 C.F.R. 229.10(d).

 

  1.   A copy of the articles of association of The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. (Exhibit 1 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121948).

 

  2.   A copy of certificate of authority of the trustee to commence business. (Exhibit 2 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121948).

 

  3.   A copy of the authorization of the trustee to exercise corporate trust powers. (Exhibit 3 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121948).

 

  4.   A copy of the existing by-laws of the trustee. (Exhibit 4 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121948).

 

7


  6.   The consent of the trustee required by Section 321(b) of the Act. (Exhibit 6 to Form T-1 filed with Registration Statement No. 333-121948).

 

  7.   A copy of the latest report of condition of the Trustee published pursuant to law or to the requirements of its supervising or examining authority.

 

8


SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Act, the trustee, The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., a banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, has duly caused this statement of eligibility to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, all in The City of Chicago, and State of Illinois, on the 22nd day of June, 2006.

 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST

COMPANY, N.A.

By:

  /S/ M. Callahan

Name:

  M. Callahan

Title:

  Assistant Vice President

 

9


EXHIBIT 7

 

Consolidated Report of Condition of

THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A.

of 700 South Flower Street, Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90017

 

At the close of business March 31, 2006, published in accordance with Federal regulatory authority instructions.

 

     Dollar Amounts
in Thousands


ASSETS

      

Cash and balances due from depository institutions:

      

Noninterest-bearing balances and currency and coin

     3,453

Interest-bearing balances

     0

Securities:

      

Held-to-maturity securities

     63

Available-for-sale securities

     62,137

Federal funds sold and securities purchased under agreements to resell:

      

Federal funds sold

     40,800

Securities purchased under agreements to resell

     115,000

Loans and lease financing receivables:

      

Loans and leases held for sale

     0

Loans and leases, net of unearned income

     0

LESS: Allowance for loan and lease losses

     0

Loans and leases, net of unearned income and allowance

     0

Trading assets

     0

Premises and fixed assets (including capitalized leases)

     4,043

Other real estate owned

     0

Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries and associated companies

     0

Not applicable

      

Intangible assets:

      

Goodwill

     265,964

Other Intangible Assets

     15,721

Other assets

     37,548
    

Total assets

   $ 544,729
 

 

10


LIABILITIES

    

Deposits:

    

In domestic offices

   1,891

Noninterest-bearing

   1,891

Interest-bearing

   0

Not applicable

    

Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase:

    

Federal funds purchased

   0

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase

   0

Trading liabilities

   0

Other borrowed money:

    

(includes mortgage indebtedness and obligations under capitalized leases)

   58,000

Not applicable

    

Not applicable

    

Subordinated notes and debentures

   0

Other liabilities

   73,236

Total liabilities

   133,127
    

Minority interest in consolidated subsidiaries

   0

EQUITY CAPITAL

    

Perpetual preferred stock and related surplus

   0

Common stock

   1,000

Surplus (exclude all surplus related to preferred stock)

   321,520

Retained earnings

   89,351

Accumulated other comprehensive income

   -269

Other equity capital components

   0

Total equity capital

   411,602
    

Total liabilities, minority interest, and equity capital (sum of items 21, 22, and 28)

   544,729
    

 

I, William J. Winkelmann, Vice President of the above-named bank do hereby declare that the Reports of Condition and Income (including the supporting schedules) for this report date have been prepared in conformance with the instructions issued by the appropriate Federal regulatory authority and are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

 

William J. Winkelmann )            Vice President

 

We, the undersigned directors (trustees), attest to the correctness of the Report of Condition (including the supporting schedules) for this report date and declare that it has been examined by us and to the best of our knowledge and belief has been prepared in conformance with the instructions issued by the appropriate Federal regulatory authority and is true and correct.

 

Michael K. Klugman, President

   )               

Michael F. McFadden, MD

   )    Directors (Trustees)          

Frank P. Sulzberger, Vice President

   )               

 

11

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-----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----