|
Quotes & Info
|
| TPP > SEC Filings for TPP > Form 8-K on 29-Jun-2009 | All Recent SEC Filings |
29-Jun-2009
Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Financial Statements and Exhibits
MLP Merger Agreement
TEPPCO Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership ("TEPPCO"), has entered
into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 28, 2009 (the "MLP Merger
Agreement"), by and among TEPPCO, Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Company, LLC,
a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of TEPPCO ("TEPPCO
GP"), Enterprise Products Partners L.P., a Delaware limited partnership
("Enterprise"), Enterprise Products GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company and the general partner of Enterprise ("Enterprise GP") and Enterprise
Sub B LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of
Enterprise ("Merger Sub B"). Pursuant to the MLP Merger Agreement, Enterprise
will acquire all of the outstanding limited partner interests in TEPPCO and
Merger Sub B will merge with and into TEPPCO, with TEPPCO surviving the merger
as a wholly owned subsidiary of Enterprise (the "MLP Merger").
TEPPCO GP and Enterprise GP are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of Enterprise
GP Holdings, L.P. ("EPE"), which also owns approximately 4.12% and 3.0%,
respectively, of the outstanding limited partner units of TEPPCO and Enterprise.
Under the terms of the MLP Merger Agreement, all outstanding TEPPCO units,
other than 3,645,509 TEPPCO units (the "Designated Units") owned by an affiliate
of EPCO, Inc. ("EPCO"), a private company controlled by Dan L. Duncan, will be
cancelled and converted into the right to receive Enterprise common units based
on an exchange rate of 1.24 Enterprise common units per TEPPCO unit. The
Designated Units will be converted, based on the 1.24 exchange rate, into the
right to receive 4,520,431 Enterprise Class B Units (the "Class B Units"). The
Class B Units will not be entitled to regular quarterly cash distributions of
Enterprise for sixteen quarters following the closing of the MLP Merger. The
Class B Units will convert automatically into Enterprise common units on the
date immediately following the payment date for the sixteenth distribution
following the closing of the MLP Merger. No fractional Enterprise common units
will be issued in the MLP Merger, and TEPPCO unitholders will, instead, receive
cash in lieu of fractional Enterprise common units, if any.
The MLP Merger Agreement contains customary representations and warranties
and covenants by each of the parties. Completion of the MLP Merger is
conditioned upon, among other things: (1) approval of the MLP Merger Agreement
by a majority of outstanding TEPPCO unitholders and the approval of at least a
majority of the votes cast by TEPPCO unitholders (other than certain named
unitholders who are affiliates of EPCO or officers and directors of TEPPCO GP,
Enterprise and EPE) (the "Unaffiliated TEPPCO Unitholders"), (2) the absence of
certain legal impediments prohibiting the transactions, (3) applicable
regulatory approvals, including the termination or expiration of the applicable
waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976,
as amended (the "HSR Act"), (4) approval for the listing of the Enterprise
common units to be issued in connection with the MLP Merger on the New York
Stock Exchange, (5) the effectiveness of a registration statement on Form S-4
relating to the Enterprise common units to be issued in the MLP Merger, (6) the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by the GP Merger Agreement (as
defined below) and (7) the receipt of tax opinions relating to the MLP Merger
and the "qualifying income" (for purposes of taxation as a partnership) of
TEPPCO and the combined partnership.
The MLP Merger Agreement contains provisions granting both TEPPCO and
Enterprise the right to terminate the MLP Merger Agreement for certain reasons,
including, among others, (1) if the MLP Merger has not occurred on or before
December 31, 2009, and (2) the failure of TEPPCO to obtain approval of the MLP
Merger Agreement by the affirmative vote or consent of its unitholders as
described above. The MLP Merger Agreement does not provide for the payment of
any termination or "breakup" fees by TEPPCO or Enterprise upon termination.
In connection with the MLP Merger, Enterprise entered into a Support
Agreement, dated as of June 28, 2009 (the "Support Agreement"), with Dan Duncan
and certain of his affiliates (the "Duncan Unitholders"). Pursuant to the
Support Agreement, the Duncan Unitholders, who directly own 16,691,550 TEPPCO
units, agreed to vote their TEPPCO units in favor of the adoption of the MLP
Merger Agreement at any meeting of the TEPPCO unitholders.
A special committee of the Audit, Conflicts and Governance Committee of
TEPPCO GP determined that the MLP Merger and the GP Merger (as defined below)
were fair and reasonable to TEPPCO and its public unitholders.
GP Merger Agreement
In addition to the MLP Merger Agreement, TEPPCO has entered into an Agreement
and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 28, 2009 (the "GP Merger Agreement"), by
and among TEPPCO, TEPPCO GP, Enterprise, Enterprise GP and Enterprise Sub A LLC,
a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of Enterprise
("Merger Sub A"). Pursuant to the GP Merger Agreement, Enterprise will acquire
100% of the limited liability company interests in TEPPCO GP (the "TEPPCO GP
Interests") and Merger Sub A will be merged with and into TEPPCO GP, with TEPPCO
GP surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Enterprise (the "GP
Merger," and, together with the MLP Merger, the "Mergers").
Under the terms of the GP Merger Agreement, EPE, the owner of the TEPPCO GP
Interests, will receive 1,331,681 Enterprise common units and an increase in the
capital account of Enterprise GP to maintain Enterprise GP's two percent general
partner interest in Enterprise.
The GP Merger Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and
covenants by each of the parties. Completion of the GP Merger is conditioned
upon, among other things: (1) the absence of certain legal impediments
prohibiting the transactions, (2) applicable regulatory approvals, including the
termination or expiration of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act and
(3) the conditions precedent contained in the MLP Merger Agreement having been
satisfied.
The GP Merger Agreement contains provisions granting both TEPPCO and
Enterprise the right to terminate the GP Merger Agreement for certain reasons,
including, among others, if the GP Merger does not occur on or before
December 31, 2009 or if the MLP Merger Agreement is terminated.
Memorandum of Understanding
On April 29, 2009, Peter Brinckerhoff and Renee Horowitz, as Attorney in Fact
for Rae Kenrow, purported unitholders of TEPPCO, filed separate complaints in
the Court of Chancery of New Castle County in the State of Delaware (the
"Court"), as putative class actions on behalf of other unitholders of TEPPCO,
concerning a proposal made by Enterprise to TEPPCO GP, to acquire the
outstanding partnership interests of TEPPCO (the "Proposed Merger"). On May 11,
2009, these actions were consolidated into the Brinckerhoff class action,
entitled Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Company, LLC Merger Litigation, C.A.
No. 4548-VCL. The initial proposal made at this time was an exchange of 1.043
Enterprise common units plus $1.00 in cash for each TEPPCO unit. The complaints
named as defendants Enterprise, Enterprise GP, TEPPCO GP, the directors of
TEPPCO GP, EPCO and Dan L. Duncan.
The complaints allege, among other things, that the terms of the Proposed
Merger were grossly unfair to TEPPCO's unitholders, that Mr. Duncan and other
defendants who control TEPPCO had acted to drive down the price of TEPPCO's
units and that the Proposed Merger was an attempt to extinguish, without
consideration and without adequate information for TEPPCO's unitholders, a
separate derivative action that previously had been filed on behalf of TEPPCO by
Peter Brinckerhoff against Enterprise, Enterprise GP and certain of its
affiliates, EPCO, Dan L. Duncan, TEPPCO GP and certain of TEPPCO GP's current
and former directors. The complaints further allege that the process through
which a special committee of the Audit, Conflicts and Governance Committee of
TEPPCO GP (the "Special Committee") was appointed to consider the Proposed
Merger is contrary to the spirit and intent of TEPPCO's partnership agreement
and constitutes a breach of the implied covenant of fair dealing.
On June 28, 2009, the parties entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
("MOU") in connection with a proposed settlement of the class action and the
derivative action. Pursuant to the MOU, the board of directors of TEPPCO GP will
recommend to TEPPCO unitholders that they approve the adoption of the MLP Merger
Agreement and take all necessary steps to seek unitholder approval for the MLP
Merger as soon as practicable. Pursuant to the MOU, approval of the Mergers will
require, in addition to votes required under the TEPPCO partnership agreement,
the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by
holders of outstanding TEPPCO units, excluding those held by defendants to the
derivative actions and their affiliates. The MOU further provides that the
derivative action was considered by the Special Committee to be a significant
asset of TEPPCO for which fair value was obtained in the merger consideration.
The parties also agreed that plaintiffs will be provided with a draft of the
proxy statement relating to the Mergers and the opportunity to comment on any
proposed disclosures therein.
The MOU contemplates that the parties will enter into a stipulation of
settlement within 30 days from the date of the MOU. The stipulation of
settlement will be subject to customary conditions, including Court approval.
There can be no assurance that the parties will ultimately enter into a
stipulation of settlement or that the Court will approve the settlement even if
the parties were to enter into such stipulation. In such event, the proposed
settlement as contemplated by the MOU may be terminated. Plaintiffs' agreement
to settle the derivative action and merger litigation, including their agreement
to the fairness of the proposed terms and process of the Mergers negotiations is
subject to (a) the drafting and execution of the stipulation of settlement and
other such documentation as may be required to obtain final Court approval and
dismissal of the actions, (b) satisfactory confirmatory discovery confirming the
fairness of the Mergers, (c) Court approval and the mailing of the notice of
settlement which sets forth the terms of settlement to TEPPCO unitholders,
(d) consummation of the Mergers and (e) final Court certification and approval
of the settlement and dismissal of the actions.
Cautionary Statements
The foregoing descriptions of the MLP Merger Agreement, the GP Merger
Agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding are qualified in their entirety by
reference to the full text of the agreements, which are attached hereto as
Exhibits 2.1, 2.2 and 10.1, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
The merger agreements are filed herewith to provide investors with
information regarding their terms and are not intended to provide any other
factual information about TEPPCO or Enterprise. In particular, the assertions
embodied in the representations and warranties contained in the merger
agreements are as of specified dates and were made only for purposes of such
merger agreements. Such representations and warranties are solely for the
benefit of the parties to the merger agreements, and may be subject to
limitations agreed between the parties, including being qualified by information
contained in the disclosure letters exchanged between the parties in connection
with the execution of the merger agreements that may modify and create
exceptions to the representations and warranties set forth in the merger
agreements. Moreover, certain representations and warranties in the merger
agreements were used for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties
thereto, rather than establishing matters as facts. Accordingly, they should not
be related upon as statements of factual information. Investors are not
third-party beneficiaries under the merger agreements and should not rely on the
representations and warranties in the merger agreements as characterizations of
the actual state of facts about TEPPCO or Enterprise. None of the
representations and warranties contained in the merger agreements will have any
legal effect among the parties to the merger agreements after the closing of the
mergers.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
Suspension of Unit Purchase Plan and Distribution Reinvestment Plan Issuances
On June 28, 2009, the Board of Directors of TEPPCO GP approved the suspension
of further issuances under the EPCO, Inc. TPP Employee Unit Plan ("UPP"), which
provides EPCO employees providing services to TEPPCO with the opportunity to
acquire TEPPCO units at a discount, and the TEPPCO Distribution Reinvestment
Plan, which allows owners of TEPPCO units to utilize their cash distributions
from such units to purchase additional TEPPCO units. TEPPCO is required to
suspend further issuances under these plans pursuant to the MLP Merger
Agreement. Effectuation of the suspension of the UPP is at the discretion of
EPCO, which established and administers the plan.
Announcements
On June 29, 2009, TEPPCO issued a press release announcing the Mergers. A
copy of the press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current
Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference. The press release
contains "forward looking statements" that are subject to the cautionary
statements about forward-looking statements set forth in the press release.
On June 29, 2009, officers of TEPPCO and Enterprise issued an EPCO, Inc. . . .
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit No. Description
2.1 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 28, 2009, by and among
Enterprise Products Partners L.P., Enterprise Products GP, LLC,
Enterprise Sub B LLC, TEPPCO Partners, L.P. and Texas Eastern Products
Pipeline Company, LLC
2.2 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 28, 2009 by and among
Enterprise Products Partners L.P., Enterprise Products GP, LLC,
Enterprise Sub A LLC, TEPPCO Partners, L.P. and Texas Eastern Products
Pipeline Company, LLC
10.1 Memorandum of Understanding, dated June 28, 2009
99.1 Press Release dated June 29, 2009
99.2 EPCO, Inc. Employee Memorandum re Announcement regarding Combination
of Partnerships dated June 29, 2009
|
|
|