Table of Contents
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 14, 2017
Registration No. 333-211318
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Post-Effective Amendment No.1
to
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
(Name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 76-0568219 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
| 1100 Louisiana, 10th Floor Houston, Texas 77002 (713) 381-6500 |
Harry P. Weitzel 1100 Louisiana, 10th Floor Houston, Texas 77002 (713) 381-6500 | |
| (Address, including zip code, and telephone, number including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices) |
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) | |
Copies to:
David C. Buck
Sidley Austin LLP
1000 Louisiana Street, Suite 6000
Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 495-4500
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☒
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non accelerated filer | ☐ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Table of Contents
EXPLANATORY NOTE
On May 12, 2016, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (the “Partnership”) filed a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-211318) with the Securities and Exchange Commission in order to register 104,963,257 common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership, for offering and sale to participants in the Partnership’s Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”). The Registration Statement became effective immediately upon filing. As described in the Registration Statement, the discount at which participants may purchase common units may range from 0% to 5%.
Effective beginning with the distribution payable with respect to the fourth quarter of 2017, which is expected to be paid in February 2018, the Partnership has changed the discount at which participants may purchase common units from 5% to 2.5%. Information regarding this change to the Plan, together with interim changes in other information about the Partnership, its business and other matters, including changes in applicable law as set forth under “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences,” is provided in the definitive prospectus filed as part of this Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement.
Table of Contents
PROSPECTUS
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
104,963,257 Common Units
With this prospectus, we are offering participation in our Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”) to owners of our common units. We have appointed Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as the administrator of the Plan. The Plan provides a simple, convenient and no-cost means of investing in our common units.
Plan Highlights:
| • | You may participate in the Plan if you currently are a unitholder of record of our common units or if you own our common units through your broker (by having your broker participate on your behalf). |
| • | You may purchase additional common units by reinvesting all or a portion of the cash distributions paid on your common units. |
| • | You may purchase our common units at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% (currently set at 2.5%) without paying any service fees, brokerage trading fees or other charges. (Note: If you participate in the Plan through your broker, you should consult with your broker; your broker may charge you a service fee.) |
Your participation in the Plan is voluntary, and you may terminate your account at any time.
You should read carefully this prospectus before deciding to participate in the Plan. You should read the documents we have referred you to in the “Where You Can Find More Information” section of this prospectus for information on us and for our financial statements.
Our common units are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “EPD.”
Limited partnerships are inherently different from corporations. Investing in our common units involves risk. You should review carefully “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2 for a discussion of important risks you should consider before enrolling in the Plan. We suggest you retain this prospectus for future reference.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is December 14, 2017.
Table of Contents
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | ||||
| 15 | ||||
| 16 | ||||
| 23 | ||||
| 39 | ||||
| 40 | ||||
| 40 | ||||
| 41 | ||||
| 42 | ||||
| 42 |
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information incorporated by reference into or provided in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
In this prospectus, the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and “Enterprise” refer to Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise.
i
Table of Contents
We are a leading North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, natural gas liquids (“NGLs”), crude oil, petrochemicals and refined products. Our integrated midstream energy asset network links producers of natural gas, NGLs and crude oil from some of the largest supply basins in the United States (“U.S.”), Canada and Gulf of Mexico with domestic consumers and international markets.
Our Business Segments
We currently have four reportable business segments: (i) NGL Pipelines & Services; (ii) Crude Oil Pipelines & Services; (iii) Natural Gas Pipelines & Services; and (iv) Petrochemical & Refined Products Services. Our business segments are generally organized and managed according to the types of services rendered (or technologies employed) and products produced and/or sold. We provide midstream energy services directly and through our subsidiaries and unconsolidated affiliates.
NGL Pipelines & Services. Our NGL Pipelines & Services business segment includes our (i) natural gas processing plants and related NGL marketing activities; (ii) approximately 19,670 miles of NGL pipelines; (iii) NGL and related product storage facilities; and (iv) NGL fractionation. This segment also includes our NGL export docks and related operations. Purity NGL products (ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane and natural gasoline) are used as feedstocks by the petrochemical industry, as feedstocks by refineries in the production of motor gasoline and as fuel by industrial and residential consumers.
Crude Oil Pipelines & Services. Our Crude Oil Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 5,500 miles of crude oil pipelines and related operations, crude oil storage and marine terminals located in Oklahoma and Texas, and our crude oil marketing activities. This segment also includes a fleet of approximately 440 tractor-trailer tank trucks, the majority of which we lease and operate, that are used to transport crude oil for us and third parties.
Natural Gas Pipelines & Services. Our Natural Gas Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 19,850 miles of natural gas pipeline systems that provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. We lease underground salt dome natural gas storage facilities located in Texas and Louisiana and own an underground salt dome storage cavern in Texas, all of which are important to our natural gas pipeline operations. This segment also includes our related natural gas marketing activities.
Petrochemical & Refined Products Services. Our Petrochemical & Refined Products Services business segment includes: (i) propylene fractionation and related operations, including 690 miles of pipelines; (ii) a butane isomerization complex, associated deisobutanizer units and approximately 70 miles of related pipelines; (iii) octane enhancement and high purity isobutylene production facilities; (iv) refined products pipelines aggregating approximately 4,200 miles, terminals and related marketing activities; and (v) marine transportation.
Our principal offices are located at 1100 Louisiana Street, 10th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002, and our telephone number is (713) 381-6500.
1
Table of Contents
An investment in our common units involves risks. You should consider carefully the following risk factors relating to our Distribution Reinvestment Plan, or the “Plan,” together with all of the other information included in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus before deciding to participate in the Plan. The risks relating to the Plan are not the only risks associated with an investment in our common units. For key current (i) risks relating to our business, (ii) risks relating to our partnership structure, and (iii) tax risks to common unitholders, please read Item 1A “Risk Factors” in Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and Item 1A “Risk Factors” in Part II of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed for quarterly periods ending after our most recent Annual Report and our future annual and quarterly reports that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as such information may be amended or supplemented by any future filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).
This prospectus also contains or incorporates by reference forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Please read “Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including risks described in the above documents and in this prospectus. If the events or possibilities described in any of these risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common units could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to the Plan
You will not know the price of the common units you are purchasing under the Plan at the time you authorize the investment or elect to have your distributions reinvested. The price of our common units may fluctuate between the time you decide to purchase common units under the Plan and the time of actual purchase. As a result, you may purchase common units at a price higher than the price you anticipated.
If you instruct the administrator to sell common units under the Plan, you will not be able to direct the time or price at which your common units are sold. The price of our common units may decline between the time you decide to sell common units and the time of actual sale.
If you decide to withdraw from the Plan and you request a certificate for whole common units credited to you under the Plan from the administrator, the market price of our common units may decline between the time you decide to withdraw and the time you receive the certificate.
2
Table of Contents
Plan Overview
The Plan offers a simple, convenient and no-cost way for owners of our common units to invest all or a portion of their cash distributions in our common units. The Plan is designed for long-term investors who wish to invest and build their common unit ownership over time. Unlike an individual brokerage account, the timing of purchases is subject to the provisions of the Plan. The principal terms and conditions of the Plan are summarized in this prospectus under “— Commonly Asked Questions” below.
We have appointed Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, or the “Administrator,” to administer the Plan, and certain administrative support will be provided to the Administrator by its designated affiliates. Together, the Administrator and its affiliates will purchase and hold common units for Plan participants, keep records, send statements and perform other duties required by the Plan.
Only registered holders of our common units can participate directly in the Plan. If you are a beneficial owner of common units in a brokerage account and wish to reinvest your distributions, you can make arrangements with your broker or nominee to participate in the Plan on your behalf, or you can request that your common units become registered in your name.
Please read this entire prospectus for a more detailed description of the Plan. If you are a registered holder of our common units and would like to participate in the Plan, you can enroll online via Shareowner Online, or by completing the enclosed Enrollment Form and mailing it to the Administrator in the envelope provided.
3
Table of Contents
1. How can I participate in the Plan?
If you are a current holder of record, or registered holder, of our common units, you may participate directly in the Plan. If you own common units that are registered in someone else’s name (for example, a bank, broker or trustee), the Plan allows you to participate through such person, should they elect to participate, without having to withdraw your common units from such bank, broker or trustee. If your broker or bank elects not to participate in the Plan on your behalf, you can participate by withdrawing your common units from such bank or broker and registering your common units in your name.
2. How do I get started?
If you are a registered holder of our common units, once you have read this prospectus, you can get started by enrolling in the Plan online at shareowneronline.com, or by completing the enclosed Enrollment Form and mailing it to the Administrator in the envelope provided. Your participation will begin promptly after your authorization is received. Once you have enrolled, your participation continues automatically, as long as you wish. If you own common units that are registered in someone else’s name (for example a bank, broker or trustee), then you should contact such person to arrange for them to participate in the Plan on your behalf.
3. How are distributions reinvested?
By enrolling in the Plan, you direct the Administrator to apply distributions to the purchase of additional common units in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan. You may elect to reinvest all or a portion of your distributions in additional common units. The Administrator will invest distributions in whole and fractional common units on the quarterly distribution payment date (the investment date). No interest will be paid on funds held by the Administrator pending investment.
If the Administrator receives your Enrollment Form on or before the record date for the payment of the next distribution, the amount of the distribution that you elect to be reinvested will be invested in additional common units for your Plan account. If the Enrollment Form is received in the period after any distribution record date, that distribution will be paid by check or automatic deposit to a bank account that you designate and your initial distribution reinvestment will commence with the following distribution.
You may change your distribution reinvestment election at any time by accessing your account online at www.shareowneronline.com, by telephone or by notifying the Administrator in writing. To be effective with respect to a particular distribution, any such change must be received by the Administrator on or before the record date for that distribution.
4. What reinvestment options are provided under the Plan?
When you enroll, you may choose one of the following options regarding cash distributions paid on your common units:
| • | Full Distribution Reinvestment: Distributions on all units of our common units registered in your name will be reinvested in additional units of our common units. |
| • | Partial Distribution Reinvestment: A portion of your cash distribution will be paid to you in cash, and the remainder will automatically be reinvested to purchase additional units. To do this, you must specify the number of whole units on which you wish to receive cash distributions. You may choose to have these cash distributions directly deposited to your designated U.S. bank account instead of receiving a check by mail. For direct deposit of cash distributions, contact the Administrator to request an authorization for electronic direct deposit form, complete and return the form to Wells Fargo |
4
Table of Contents
| Shareowner Services. Be sure to include a voided check for checking accounts or savings deposit slip for savings accounts. |
If you do not specify a distribution reinvestment option when you enroll, your Plan account will be automatically set up for the full distribution reinvestment option.
5. When are distributions reinvested?
The investment date will be the distribution payment date for each quarter (generally, before the 15th calendar day of February, May, August and November). The record date for eligibility to receive distributions generally will be the last business day of the month preceding a month in which distributions are paid (generally, the last day of January, April, July and October). In the unlikely event that, due to unusual market conditions, the Administrator is unable to invest the funds within 30 days of the distribution payment date, the Administrator will return the funds to you by check or by automatic deposit to a bank account that you designate. No interest will be paid on funds held by the Administrator pending investment.
Participants will not earn interest on funds held by the Administrator. During the period that distribution payments are held by the Administrator pending their investment under the Plan, such funds may be invested in certain “Permitted Investments.” For purposes of this Plan, “Permitted Investments” means any money market mutual funds registered under the Investment Company Act (including those of an affiliate of the Administrator or for which the Administrator or any of its affiliates provides management advisory or other services) consisting entirely of (i) direct obligations of the United States of America or (ii) obligations fully guaranteed by the United States of America. The risk of any loss from such Permitted Investments shall be the responsibility of the Administrator. Investment income from such Permitted Investments shall be retained by the Administrator.
6. What is the source and price of common units purchased under the Plan?
We have the sole discretion to determine whether common units purchased under the Plan will come from our authorized but unissued common units or from common units purchased on the open market by the Administrator. We currently intend to use our authorized but unissued common units for all common units to be purchased under the Plan.
The price for authorized but unissued common units purchased with reinvested distributions will be the average of the high and low trading prices of the common units on the New York Stock Exchange — Composite Transactions for the five trading days immediately preceding the investment date, less a discount ranging from 0% to 5%. The discount is currently set at 2.5%; therefore, the initial purchase price for authorized but unissued common units purchased with reinvested distributions will be 97.5% of such average trading price. (Note: If you participate in the Plan through your broker, you should consult with your broker to determine if your broker will charge you a service fee.)
The purchase price for common units purchased with reinvested distributions on the open market will be the weighted average price of all common units purchased for the Plan for the respective investment date, less a discount ranging from 0% to 5%. (Note: If you participate in the Plan through your broker, you should consult with your broker to determine if your broker will charge you a service fee.)
We will provide notice to you of any changes in the discount rate at least 30 days prior to the following record date.
7. Who is the Administrator of the Plan?
Wells Fargo Shareowner Services is the Administrator of the Plan. Certain administrative support will be provided to the Administrator by its designated affiliates. If you have questions regarding the Plan, please write
5
Table of Contents
to the Administrator at the following address: Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, P.O. Box 64856, St. Paul, MN 55164-0856, or call the Administrator at 1-855-235-0839 (toll free from inside the United States or Canada) or 1-651-450-4064 (from outside the United States or Canada). An automated voice response system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customer service representatives are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Please include a reference to Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in all correspondence.
In addition, you may visit the Administrator’s website at shareowneronline.com. At this website, if you are a registered holder of our common units, you can enroll in the Plan, obtain information, and perform certain transactions on your Plan account.
8. What is the cost of participating in the Plan?
There is no fee for reinvesting distributions through the Plan. You may be responsible for certain charges if you withdraw from the Plan. Additionally, if you are a beneficial owner of our common units and are participating in the Plan through your broker, you should consult with your broker; you may be charged a fee by your broker for participating in the Plan on your behalf.
9. How many common units will be purchased for my account?
If you are a registered holder of our common units and are directly participating in the Plan, the number of common units, including fractional common units, purchased under the Plan will depend on the amount of your cash distribution you elect to reinvest and the price of the common units determined as provided above. Common units purchased under the Plan, including fractional common units, will be credited to your account. Both whole and fractional common units will be purchased. Fractional common units will be computed to three decimal places.
If you are a beneficial owner and are participating in the Plan through your broker, you should contact your broker for the details of how the number of common units you purchase will be determined.
This prospectus relates to 104,963,257 of our common units registered for sale under the Plan. We cannot assure you there will be enough common units to meet the requirements under the Plan. If we do not have a sufficient number of authorized but unissued common units to meet the Plan requirements during any quarter, and if the Administrator is unable to purchase a sufficient number of common units in the open market, any reinvested distributions received by the Administrator but not invested in our common units under the Plan will be returned to participants without interest.
10. What are the tax consequences of purchasing common units under the Plan?
For tax purposes, you will be treated as if you first received the full cash distribution on your common units that participate in the Plan and then purchased additional common units with the portion of such cash distributions that is subject to the Plan. As a result, your adjusted basis for tax purposes in your common units will be reduced by the full amount of the deemed cash distribution and then increase by the amount of the distributions reinvested in additional common units pursuant to the Plan. Purchasing common units pursuant to the Plan will not affect the tax obligations associated with the common units you currently own and your allocable share of our net income allocable to such common units. However, participation in the Plan will reduce the amount of cash distributions available to you to satisfy any tax obligations associated with owning such common units. Please read “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” for information relevant to holders of common units generally.
6
Table of Contents
11. How can I withdraw from the Plan?
If you are a registered holder of our common units, you may discontinue the reinvestment of your distributions at any time by providing notice to the Administrator. In addition, you may change your distribution election by accessing your account online at shareowneronline.com. To be effective for a particular distribution payment, the Administrator must receive notice on or before the record date for that distribution. In addition, you may request that all or part of your common units be sold. When your common units are sold through the Administrator, you will receive the proceeds less applicable service and processing fees. See Addendum A.
If you are a beneficial owner of our common units and you are participating in the Plan through your broker, you should direct your broker to discontinue participation in the Plan on your behalf.
If you dispose of all the common units registered in your name, but do not give notice of withdrawal to the Administrator, the Administrator will continue to reinvest the cash distributions on any common units held in your account under the Plan until the Administrator is notified otherwise.
Generally, an owner of common units may again become a participant in the Plan. However, we reserve the right to reject the enrollment of a previous participant in the Plan on grounds of excessive joining and termination. This reservation is intended to minimize administrative expense and to encourage use of the Plan as a long-term investment service.
12. How will my common units be held under the Plan?
If you are a registered holder of our common units and you are directly participating in the Plan, the common units that you acquire under the Plan will be maintained in your Plan account in non-certificated form for safekeeping. Safekeeping protects your common units against physical loss, theft or accidental destruction and also provides a convenient way for you to keep track of your common units. Only common units held in safekeeping may be sold through the Plan.
If you own common units in certificated form, you may deposit your certificates for those common units with the Administrator. Certificates should be delivered to the Administrator at 1110 Centre Pointe Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55120-4100 by United States Post Office registered mail, a national courier service or other receipted delivery service. Please be advised that choosing registered, express or certified mail alone will not protect you should your certificates become lost or stolen.
As the Administrator, Wells Fargo Shareowner Services can provide low-cost loss insurance for certificates being returned for conversion to book-entry form. Mail loss insurance covers the cost of the replacement surety bond only. Replacement transaction fees may also apply. To take advantage of the optional mail loss insurance, simply include your $10.00 check, made payable to WFSS Surety Program, along with your certificates and instructions.
To qualify for this service you must choose to use an accountable mail delivery service such as Federal Express, United Parcel Service, DHL, Express Mail, Purolator, TNT or United States Postal Service Registered Mail. Any one shipping package may not contain certificates exceeding a total value of $100,000.
The value of certificate units is based on the closing market price of our common units on the trading day prior to the documented mail date. Claims related to lost certificates under this service must be made within 60 days of the documented delivery service mail date. This is specific coverage for the purpose of converting certificated units to book-entry form and the surety is not intended to cover certificates being tendered for certificate breakdown or exchange for other certificates.
7
Table of Contents
If you choose another method of delivery or acquire your own mail loss insurance, we recommend you insure your delivery for at least 3% of the market value of your securities.
You may request a certificate for all or a portion of the whole common units in your Plan account from the Administrator. Upon your request in writing, the Administrator will mail a certificate to you at no cost. Please allow an additional five to seven business days for delivery of your certificate.
If you are a beneficial owner of our common units and you are participating in the Plan through your broker, the common units that are purchased on your behalf under the Plan will be maintained in your account with your broker.
13. How do I sell common units held under the Plan?
If you are a registered holder of our common units and you are directly participating in the Plan, you can sell your Plan common units at any time by contacting the Administrator. Your sale request will be processed, and your common units will, subject to market conditions and other facts, generally be sold within 24 hours of receipt and processing of your request. Please note that the Administrator cannot and does not guarantee the actual sale date or price, nor can it stop or cancel any outstanding sale or issuance requests. All requests are final. The Administrator will mail a check to you (less applicable sales fees) on the settlement date, which is two business days after your common units have been sold. Please allow an additional five to seven business days from the settlement date to receive your check.
Alternatively, you may choose to withdraw your common units from your Plan account and sell them through a broker of your choice, in which case you would have to request that the Administrator electronically transfer your common units to your broker through the Direct Registration System. Or, you may request in writing a certificate for your common units from the Administrator for delivery to your broker prior to such sale.
If you are a beneficial owner of our common units and you are participating in the Plan through your broker, you should contact your broker to sell your common units.
If you are an employee of Enterprise Products Company working in our Houston headquarters offices or if you are one of our officers having a title of Vice President or higher, any sale by you of Plan common units is subject to the “Trading Window” restriction contained in our insider trading policy. Those persons are allowed to sell Plan common units only while the trading window is open (typically during the period beginning on the first business day following the public announcement of the Partnership’s financial results for the most recently completed fiscal quarter and ending on the last day of the subsequent fiscal quarter). Sales of Plan common units by our executive officers are also subject to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
14. How will I keep track of my investments?
If you are a registered holder of our common units and you are directly participating in the Plan, the Administrator will send you a transaction notice confirming the details of each transaction that you make and a quarterly statement of your account. You can also keep track of your account activity by accessing your account online at shareowneronline.com.
If you are a beneficial owner of our common units and you are participating in the Plan through your broker, the details of the reinvestment transactions will be maintained by your broker. You should contact your broker to determine how this information will be provided to you.
8
Table of Contents
15. Can the Plan be suspended, modified or terminated?
We reserve the right to suspend, modify or terminate the Plan at any time. Participants will be notified of any suspension, modification or termination of the Plan. If you are a registered holder of our common units and you are directly participating in the Plan, upon our termination of the Plan, the number of whole common units in your Plan account will continue to be held in Direct Registration System book-entry form. Any fractional common unit in your Plan account will be converted to cash and remitted to you by check.
16. What would be the effect of any unit splits, unit distributions or other distributions?
Any common units we distribute as a distribution on common units (including fractional common units) that are credited to your account under the Plan, or upon any split of such common units, will be credited to your account. Distributions or splits distributed on all other common units held by you and registered in your own name will be mailed directly to you. In a rights offering, your entitlement will be based upon your total holdings, including those credited to your account under the Plan. Rights applicable to common units credited to your account under the Plan will be sold by the Administrator and the proceeds will be credited to your account under the Plan and applied to the purchase of common units on the next investment date.
If you want to exercise, transfer or sell any portion of the rights applicable to the common units credited to your account under the Plan, you must request, at least one business day prior to the record date for the issuance of any such rights, that a portion of the common units credited to your account be transferred from your account and registered in your name.
Responsibilities Under the Plan
We, the Administrator and any agent will not be liable in administering the Plan for any act done in good faith, or for any omission to act in good faith, including, without limitation, any claim of liability arising out of failure to terminate a participant’s account upon that participant’s death prior to the receipt of notice in writing of such death. Since we have delegated all responsibility for administering the Plan to the Administrator, we specifically disclaim any responsibility for any of its actions or inactions in connection with the administration of the Plan.
Neither we nor the Administrator, which is acting solely as an agent in connection with the Plan, will have any duties or responsibilities in connection with the Plan other than those expressly set forth in the Plan or as imposed by applicable laws, and no implied duties, fiduciary or otherwise, shall be read into this Plan.
The Administrator is authorized to choose a broker, including an affiliated broker, at its sole discretion to facilitate purchases and sales of common units for you. The Administrator will furnish the name of the registered broker/dealer, including any affiliated broker, utilized in unit transactions within a reasonable time upon written request from you.
In the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on its part, the Administrator, whether acting directly or through agents or attorneys shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted or for any error of judgment made by it in the performance of its duties hereunder. In no event shall the Administrator be liable for special, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profit), even if the Administrator has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.
The Administrator shall: (i) not be required to and shall make no representations and have no responsibilities as to the validity, accuracy, value or genuineness of any signatures or endorsements, other than its own; and (ii) not be obligated to take any legal action hereunder that might, in its judgment, involve any expense or liability, unless it has been furnished with reasonable indemnity.
9
Table of Contents
The Administrator shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under this Plan arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God; earthquakes; fires; floods; wars; civil or military disturbances; sabotage; epidemics; riots; interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities; computer (hardware or software) or communications services; accidents; labor disputes; acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions; it being understood that the Administrator shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the industry to resume performance as soon as administratively possible under the circumstances.
You should recognize that neither we, the Administrator, nor any agent can assure you of a profit or protect you against an economic loss on common units purchased under the Plan.
10
Table of Contents
We do not know either the number of common units that will be purchased under the Plan or the prices at which common units will be sold to participants. The net proceeds we realize from sales of our authorized but unissued common units pursuant to the Plan will be used for general partnership purposes.
11
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION OF OUR COMMON UNITS
Common Units
Generally, our common units represent limited partner interests that entitle the holders to participate in our cash distributions and to exercise the rights and privileges available to limited partners under our partnership agreement. For a description of the relative rights and preferences of unitholders in and to cash distributions, please read “Cash Distribution Policy” elsewhere in this prospectus.
Our outstanding common units are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “EPD.” Any additional common units we issue will also be listed on the NYSE.
The transfer agent and registrar for our common units is Wells Fargo Shareowner Services.
Meetings/Voting
Each holder of our common units is entitled to one vote for each unit on all matters submitted to a vote of the unitholders.
Status as Limited Partner or Assignee
Except as described below under “— Limited Liability,” our common units will be fully paid, and unitholders will not be required to make additional capital contributions to us.
Each purchaser of our common units must execute a transfer application whereby the purchaser requests admission as a substituted limited partner and makes representations and agrees to provisions stated in the transfer application. If this action is not taken, a purchaser will not be registered as a record holder of common units on the books of our transfer agent or issued a common unit certificate or other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated units. Purchasers may hold common units in nominee accounts.
An assignee, pending its admission as a substituted limited partner, is entitled to an interest in us equivalent to that of a limited partner with respect to the right to share in allocations and distributions, including liquidating distributions. Our general partner will vote and exercise other powers attributable to our common units owned by an assignee who has not become a substituted limited partner at the written direction of the assignee. Transferees who do not execute and deliver transfer applications will be treated neither as assignees nor as record holders of common units and will not receive distributions, U.S. federal income tax allocations or reports furnished to record holders of our common units. The only right the transferees will have is the right to admission as a substituted limited partner in respect of the transferred common units upon execution of a transfer application in respect of the common units. A nominee or broker who has executed a transfer application with respect to our common units held in street name or nominee accounts will receive distributions and reports pertaining to its common units.
Limited Liability
Assuming that a limited partner does not participate in the control of our business within the meaning of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (the “Delaware Act”) and that he otherwise acts in conformity with the provisions of our partnership agreement, his liability under the Delaware Act will be limited, subject to some possible exceptions, generally to the amount of capital he is obligated to contribute to us in respect of his units plus his share of any undistributed profits and assets.
Under the Delaware Act, a limited partnership may not make a distribution to a partner to the extent that at the time of the distribution, after giving effect to the distribution, all liabilities of the partnership, other than
12
Table of Contents
liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and liabilities for which the recourse of creditors is limited to specific property of the partnership, exceed the fair value of the assets of the limited partnership.
For the purposes of determining the fair value of the assets of a limited partnership, the Delaware Act provides that the fair value of the property subject to liability of which recourse of creditors is limited shall be included in the assets of the limited partnership only to the extent that the fair value of that property exceeds the nonrecourse liability. The Delaware Act provides that a limited partner who receives a distribution and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution was in violation of the Delaware Act is liable to the limited partnership for the amount of the distribution for three years from the date of the distribution.
Reports and Records
As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after the close of each fiscal year, our general partner will mail or furnish to each unitholder of record (as of a record date selected by our general partner) an annual report containing our audited financial statements for the past fiscal year. These financial statements will be prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, no later than 90 days after the close of each quarter (except the fourth quarter), our general partner will mail or furnish to each unitholder of record (as of a record date selected by our general partner) a report containing our unaudited quarterly financial statements and any other information required by law. We may furnish such reports by making them generally available on our website: www.enterpriseproducts.com.
Our general partner will use all reasonable efforts to furnish each unitholder of record information reasonably required for tax reporting purposes within 90 days after the close of each fiscal year. Our general partner’s ability to furnish this summary tax information will depend on the cooperation of unitholders in supplying information to our general partner. Each unitholder will receive information to assist him in determining his U.S. federal and state tax liability and filing his U.S. federal and state income tax returns.
A limited partner can, for a purpose reasonably related to the limited partner’s interest as a limited partner, upon reasonable demand and at his own expense, have furnished to him:
| • | a current list of the name and last known address of each partner; |
| • | a copy of our tax returns; |
| • | information as to the amount of cash and a description and statement of the agreed value of any other property or services, contributed or to be contributed by each partner and the date on which each became a partner; |
| • | copies of our partnership agreement, our certificate of limited partnership, amendments to either of them and powers of attorney which have been executed under our partnership agreement; |
| • | information regarding the status of our business and financial condition; and |
| • | any other information regarding our affairs as is just and reasonable. |
Our general partner may, and intends to, keep confidential from the limited partners trade secrets and other information the disclosure of which our general partner believes in good faith is not in our best interest or which we are required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential.
Registration Rights
We have agreed to certain registration rights under our partnership agreement as described under “Description of Our Partnership Agreement — Registration Rights.” In addition, in connection with our acquisition of the general partner of Oiltanking Partners, L.P. in October 2014, we issued 54,807,352 common units to Oiltanking Holding Americas, Inc. (“OTA”) in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) thereof, and we granted OTA registration rights with respect to these common units under a Registration Rights Agreement between us and OTA. OTA may request pursuant to this agreement that we prepare and file a registration
13
Table of Contents
statement to permit and otherwise facilitate the public resale of all or a portion of the 54,807,352 Enterprise common units that OTA owns. Our obligation to OTA to effect such transactions is limited to five registration statements and underwritten offerings.
14
Table of Contents
Distributions of Available Cash
General. Within approximately 45 days after the end of each quarter, we distribute all of our available cash to unitholders of record on the applicable record date.
Definition of Available Cash. Available cash is defined in our partnership agreement and generally means, with respect to any calendar quarter, all cash on hand at the end of such quarter:
| • | less the amount of cash reserves that is necessary or appropriate in the reasonable discretion of the general partner to: |
| • | provide for the proper conduct of our business (including reserves for our future capital expenditures and for our future credit needs) subsequent to such quarter; |
| • | comply with applicable law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which we are a party or to which we are bound or our assets are subject; or |
| • | provide funds for distributions to unitholders in respect of any one or more of the next four quarters; |
| • | plus all cash on hand on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made after the end of the quarter or certain interim capital transactions after the end of such quarter designated by our general partner as operating surplus in accordance with the partnership agreement. Working capital borrowings are generally borrowings that are made under our credit facilities and in all cases are used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to partners. |
Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation
If we dissolve in accordance with our partnership agreement, we will sell or otherwise dispose of our assets in a process called a liquidation. We will first apply the proceeds of liquidation to the payment of our creditors in the order of priority provided in the partnership agreement and by law and, thereafter, we will distribute any remaining proceeds to the unitholders in accordance with their respective capital account balances as so adjusted.
Manner of Adjustments for Gain. The manner of the adjustment is set forth in the partnership agreement. Upon our liquidation, we will allocate any net gain (or unrealized gain attributable to assets distributed in kind to the partners) as follows:
| • | first, to the unitholders having negative balances in their capital accounts to the extent of and in proportion to such negative balances; and |
| • | second, to the unitholders, pro rata. |
Manner of Adjustments for Losses. Upon our liquidation, any net loss will generally be allocated to the unitholders as follows:
| • | first, to the unitholders in proportion to the positive balances in their respective capital accounts, until the capital accounts of the unitholders have been reduced to zero; and |
| • | second, to the unitholders, pro rata. |
Adjustments to Capital Accounts. In addition, interim adjustments to capital accounts will be made at the time we issue additional partnership interests or make distributions of property. Such adjustments will be based on the fair market value of the partnership interests or the property distributed and any gain or loss resulting therefrom will be allocated to the unitholders in the same manner as gain or loss is allocated upon liquidation.
15
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
The following is a summary of the material provisions of our partnership agreement. Our amended and restated partnership agreement has been filed with the Commission. The following provisions of our partnership agreement are summarized elsewhere in this prospectus:
| • | distributions of our available cash are described under “Cash Distribution Policy”; and |
| • | rights of holders of common units are described under “Description of Our Common Units.” |
In addition, allocations of taxable income and other matters are described under “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below in this prospectus.
Purpose
Our purpose under our partnership agreement is to serve as a member of Enterprise Products Operating LLC, our primary operating subsidiary (“EPO”), and to engage in any business activities that may be engaged in by EPO or that are approved by our general partner. The limited liability company agreement of EPO provides that it may engage in any activity that was engaged in by our predecessors at the time of our initial public offering or reasonably related thereto and any other activity approved by our general partner.
Power of Attorney
Each limited partner, and each person who acquires a unit from a unitholder and executes and delivers a transfer application, grants to our general partner and, if appointed, a liquidator, a power of attorney to, among other things, execute and file documents required for our qualification, continuance or dissolution. The power of attorney also grants the authority for the amendment of, and to make consents and waivers under, our partnership agreement.
Voting Rights
Unitholders will not have voting rights except with respect to the following matters, for which our partnership agreement requires the approval of the holders of a majority of the common units, unless otherwise indicated:
| • | the merger of our partnership or a sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets; |
| • | the removal of our general partner (requires 60% of the outstanding common units, including common units held by our general partner and its affiliates); |
| • | the election of a successor general partner; |
| • | the dissolution of our partnership or the reconstitution of our partnership upon dissolution; |
| • | approval of certain actions of our general partner (including the transfer by the general partner of its general partner interest under certain circumstances); and |
| • | certain amendments to the partnership agreement, including any amendment that would cause us to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation. |
Under the partnership agreement, our general partner generally will be permitted to effect, without the approval of unitholders, amendments to the partnership agreement that do not adversely affect unitholders.
Issuance of Additional Securities
Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional limited partner interests and other equity securities that are equal in rank with or junior to our common units on terms and conditions established by our general partner in its sole discretion without the approval of any limited partners.
16
Table of Contents
It is possible that we will fund acquisitions through the issuance of additional common units or other equity securities. Holders of any additional common units we issue will be entitled to share equally with the then-existing holders of common units in our cash distributions. In addition, the issuance of additional partnership interests may dilute the value of the interests of the then-existing holders of common units in our net assets.
In accordance with Delaware law and the provisions of our partnership agreement, we may also issue additional partnership interests that, in the sole discretion of our general partner, may have special voting rights to which common units are not entitled.
Our general partner has the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates, to purchase common units or other equity securities whenever, and on the same terms that, we issue those securities to persons other than our general partner and its affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain their percentage interests in us that existed immediately prior to the issuance. The holders of common units will not have preemptive rights to acquire additional common units or other partnership interests in us.
Amendments to Our Partnership Agreement
Amendments to our partnership agreement may be proposed only by our general partner. Any amendment that materially and adversely affects the rights or preferences of any type or class of limited partner interests in relation to other types or classes of limited partner interests or our general partner interest will require the approval of at least a majority of the type or class of limited partner interests or general partner interests so affected. However, in some circumstances, more particularly described in our partnership agreement, our general partner may make amendments to our partnership agreement without the approval of our limited partners or assignees to reflect:
| • | a change in our names, the location of our principal place of business, our registered agent or our registered office; |
| • | the admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of partners; |
| • | a change to qualify or continue our qualification as a limited partnership or a partnership in which our limited partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that neither we, EPO, nor any of our subsidiaries will be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| • | a change that does not adversely affect our limited partners in any material respect; |
| • | a change to (i) satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute or (ii) facilitate the trading of our limited partner interests or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any national securities exchange on which our limited partner interests are or will be listed for trading; |
| • | a change in our fiscal year or taxable year and any changes that are necessary or advisable as a result of a change in our fiscal year or taxable year; |
| • | an amendment that is necessary to prevent us, or our general partner or its directors, officers, trustees or agents from being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; |
| • | an amendment that is necessary or advisable in connection with the authorization or issuance of any class or series of our securities; |
| • | any amendment expressly permitted in our partnership agreement to be made by our general partner acting alone; |
| • | an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a merger agreement approved in accordance with our partnership agreement; |
17
Table of Contents
| • | an amendment that is necessary or advisable to reflect, account for and deal with appropriately our formation of, or investment in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity other than EPO, in connection with our conduct of activities permitted by our partnership agreement; |
| • | a merger or conveyance to effect a change in our legal form; or |
| • | any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing. |
Any amendment to our partnership agreement that would have the effect of reducing the voting percentage required to take any action must be approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of our limited partners constituting not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced.
No amendment to our partnership agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of any limited partner without its consent, unless such shall have occurred as a result of an amendment approved by not less than a majority of the outstanding partnership interests of the class affected, (ii) enlarge the obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable to, our general partner or any of its affiliates without its consent, which consent may be given or withheld in its sole discretion, (iii) change the provision of our partnership agreement that provides for our dissolution (A) at the expiration of its term or (B) upon the election to dissolve us by the general partner that is approved by the holders of a majority of our outstanding common units and by “special approval” (as such term is defined under our partnership agreement), or (iv) change the term of us or, except as set forth in the provision described in clause (iii)(B) of this paragraph, give any person the right to dissolve us.
Except for certain amendments in connection with the merger or consolidation of us and except for those amendments that may be effected by the general partner without the consent of limited partners as described above, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of partnership interests in relation to other classes of partnership interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the outstanding partnership interests of the class so affected.
Except for those amendments that may be effected by the general partner without the consent of limited partners as described above or certain provisions in connection with our merger or consolidation, no amendment shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the outstanding common units unless we obtain an opinion of counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any limited partner under applicable law.
Except for those amendments that may be effected by the general partner without the consent of limited partners as described above, the foregoing provisions described above relating to the amendment of our partnership agreement may only be amended with the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the outstanding common units.
Merger, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets
Our partnership agreement generally prohibits the general partner, without the prior approval of a majority of our outstanding common units, from causing us to, among other things, sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of us or EPO in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination). The general partner may, however, mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of the assets of us or EPO without the approval of a Unit Majority (as defined in our partnership agreement). Our partnership agreement generally prohibits the general partner from causing us to merge or consolidate with another entity without the approval of a majority of the members of our Audit and Conflicts Committee, at least one of which majority meets certain independence requirements (such approval constituting “special approval” under our partnership agreement).
18
Table of Contents
If certain conditions specified in our partnership agreement are satisfied, our general partner may merge us or any of our subsidiaries into, or convey some or all of our assets to, a newly formed entity if the sole purpose of that merger or conveyance is to change our legal form into another limited liability entity.
Reimbursements to Our General Partner
Our general partner does not receive any compensation for its services as our general partner. It is, however, entitled to be reimbursed for all of its costs incurred in managing and operating our business. Our partnership agreement provides that our general partner will determine the expenses that are allocable to us in any reasonable manner determined by our general partner in its sole discretion.
Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner
Our general partner may withdraw as general partner without first obtaining approval of any unitholder by giving 90 days’ written notice, and that withdrawal will not constitute a violation of our partnership agreement. In addition, our general partner may withdraw without unitholder approval upon 90 days’ notice to our limited partners if at least 50% of our outstanding common units are held or controlled by one person and its affiliates other than our general partner and its affiliates.
Upon the voluntary withdrawal of our general partner, the holders of a majority of our outstanding common units, excluding the common units held by the withdrawing general partner and its affiliates, may elect a successor to the withdrawing general partner. If a successor is not elected, or is elected but an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters cannot be obtained, we will be dissolved, wound up and liquidated, unless within 90 days after that withdrawal, the holders of a majority of our outstanding common units, excluding the common units held by the withdrawing general partner and its affiliates, agree to continue our business and to appoint a successor general partner.
Our general partner may not be removed unless that removal is approved by the vote of the holders of not less than 60% of our outstanding common units, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates, and we receive an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. In addition, if our general partner is removed as our general partner under circumstances where cause does not exist and common units held by our general partner and its affiliates are not voted in favor of such removal, our general partner will have the right to convert its general partner interest into common units or to receive cash in exchange for such interests. Cause is narrowly defined to mean that a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non-appealable judgment finding the general partner liable for actual fraud, gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct in its capacity as our general partner. Any removal of this kind is also subject to the approval of a successor general partner by the vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding common units, including those held by our general partner and its affiliates.
Transfer of the General Partner Interest
While our partnership agreement limits the ability of our general partner to withdraw, it allows the general partner interest to be transferred to an affiliate or to a third party in conjunction with a merger or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of our general partner. In addition, our partnership agreement expressly permits the sale, in whole or in part, of the ownership of our general partner. Our general partner may also transfer, in whole or in part, the common units it owns.
At any time, the owners of our general partner may sell or transfer all or part of their ownership interests in the general partner without the approval of the unitholders.
19
Table of Contents
Dissolution and Liquidation
We will continue as a limited partnership until terminated under our partnership agreement. We will dissolve upon:
(1) the expiration of the term of our partnership agreement on December 31, 2088;
(2) the withdrawal, removal, bankruptcy or dissolution of the general partner unless a successor is elected and an opinion of counsel is received that such withdrawal (following the selection of a successor general partner) would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any limited partner or of any member of EPO or cause us or EPO to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such) and such successor is admitted to the partnership as required by our partnership agreement;
(3) an election to dissolve us by the general partner that receives “special approval” (as defined in our partnership agreement) and is approved by a majority of the holders of our common units;
(4) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of us pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act; or
(5) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of us, EPO and their subsidiaries.
Upon (a) our dissolution following the withdrawal or removal of the general partner and the failure of the partners to select a successor general partner, then within 90 days thereafter, or (b) our dissolution upon the bankruptcy or dissolution of the general partner, then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 180 days thereafter, the holders of a majority of the holders of our common units may elect to reconstitute us and continue our business on the same terms and conditions set forth in our partnership agreement by forming a new limited partnership on terms identical to those set forth in our partnership agreement and having as the successor general partner a person approved by the holders of a majority of the holders of our common units. Unless such an election is made within the applicable time period as set forth above, we shall conduct only activities necessary to wind up our affairs.
Liquidation and Distribution of Proceeds
Upon our dissolution, unless we are reconstituted and continued as a new limited partnership, the person authorized to wind up our affairs (the liquidator) will, acting with all the powers of our general partner that the liquidator deems necessary or desirable in its good faith judgment, liquidate our assets. The proceeds of the liquidation will be applied as follows:
| • | first, towards the payment of all of our creditors and the creation of a reserve for contingent liabilities; and |
| • | then, to all partners in accordance with the positive balance in the respective capital accounts. |
Under some circumstances and subject to some limitations, the liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of our assets for a reasonable period of time. If the liquidator determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause a loss to our partners, our general partner may distribute assets in kind to our partners.
Meetings; Voting
For purposes of determining the limited partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of limited partners or to give approvals without a meeting, the general partner may set a record date, which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before (i) the date of the meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any national securities exchange on which the limited partner interests are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern) or (ii) in the event that approvals are sought without a meeting, the date by which limited partners are requested in writing by the general partner to give such approvals.
20
Table of Contents
If authorized by the general partner, any action that may be taken at a meeting of the limited partners may be taken without a meeting if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by limited partners owning not less than the minimum percentage of the outstanding limited partner interests (including limited partner interests deemed owned by the general partner) that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the limited partners were present and voted (unless such provision conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any national securities exchange on which the limited partner interests are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern). Special meetings of limited partners may be called by the general partner or by limited partners owning 20% or more of the outstanding limited partner interests of the class or classes for which a meeting is proposed. The holders of a majority of the outstanding limited partner interests of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including limited partner interests deemed owned by the general partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of limited partners of such class or classes unless any such action by the limited partners requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of such limited partner interests, in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage.
Each holder of common units is entitled to one vote for each unit on all matters submitted to a vote of the common unitholders. Our common units held in nominee or street name account will be voted by the broker or other nominee in accordance with the instruction of the beneficial owner unless the arrangement between the beneficial owner and its nominee provides otherwise.
Limited Call Right
If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own 85% or more of the issued and outstanding limited partner interests of any class, our general partner will have the right to purchase all, but not less than all, of the outstanding limited partner interests of that class that are held by non-affiliated persons. The record date for determining ownership of the limited partner interests would be selected by our general partner on at least 10 but not more than 60 days’ notice. The purchase price in the event of a purchase under these provisions would be the greater of (1) the current market price (as defined in our partnership agreement) of the limited partner interests of the class as of the date three days prior to the date that notice is mailed to the limited partners as provided in the partnership agreement and (2) the highest cash price paid by our general partner or any of its affiliates for any limited partner interest of the class purchased within the 90 days preceding the date our general partner mails notice of its election to purchase the units.
As of November 30, 2017 our general partner and its privately held affiliates (excluding directors and officers except Randa Duncan Williams) owned the non-economic general partner interest in us and 689,760,590 common units representing an aggregate 32% of our issued and outstanding common units representing limited partner interests.
Indemnification
Section 17-108 of the Delaware Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other person from and against all claims and demands whatsoever. Our partnership agreement provides that we will indemnify (i) the general partner, (ii) any departing general partner, (iii) any person who is or was an affiliate of the general partner or any departing general partner, (iv) any person who is or was a member, partner, officer director, employee, agent or trustee of the general partner or any departing general partner or any affiliate of the general partner or any departing general partner or (v) any person who is or was serving at the request of the general partner or any departing general partner or any affiliate of any such person, any affiliate of the general partner or any fiduciary or trustee of another person (each, a “Partnership Indemnitee”), to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (joint or several), expenses (including, without limitation, legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any Partnership Indemnitee may be
21
Table of Contents
involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as a Partnership Indemnitee; provided that in each case the Partnership Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner that such Partnership Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to our best interests and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful. The termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create an assumption that the Partnership Indemnitee acted in a manner contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification under these provisions will be only out of our assets, and the general partner shall not be personally liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or lend funds or assets to us to enable it to effectuate, such indemnification. We are authorized to purchase (or to reimburse the general partner or its affiliates for the cost of) insurance against liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with our activities, regardless of whether we would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under the provisions described above.
Registration Rights
Under our partnership agreement, we have agreed to register for resale under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws any common units or other partnership securities proposed to be sold by our general partner or any of its affiliates or their assignees if an exemption from the registration requirements is not otherwise available. We are obligated to pay all expenses incidental to the registration, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.
22
Table of Contents
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
This section is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to prospective Plan participants and, unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, is the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP insofar as it describes legal conclusions with respect to matters of U.S. federal income tax law. Such statements are based on the accuracy of the representations made by us and our general partner to Sidley Austin LLP, and statements of fact do not represent opinions of Sidley Austin LLP. To the extent this section discusses U.S. federal income taxes, that discussion is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code, existing and proposed Treasury Regulations, and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of which are subject to change. Changes in these authorities may cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the consequences described below.
This section does not address all U.S. federal, state and local tax matters that affect us or our unitholders and does not describe the application of the alternative minimum tax that may be applicable to certain unitholders. To the extent that this section relates to taxation by a state, local or other jurisdiction within the United States, such discussion is intended to provide only general information. We have not sought the opinion of legal counsel regarding U.S. state, local or other taxation and, thus, any portion of the following discussion relating to such taxes does not represent the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP or any other legal counsel. Furthermore, this section focuses on holders of our common units who are individual citizens or residents of the United States, whose functional currency is the U.S. dollar and who hold common units as capital assets (generally, property that is held as an investment). This section has limited application to corporations, partnerships (and entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes), estates, trusts, non-resident aliens or other unitholders subject to specialized tax treatment, such as tax-exempt institutions, non-U.S. persons, individual retirement accounts, employee benefit plans, real estate investment trusts or mutual funds. Accordingly, we encourage each prospective unitholder to consult, and depend on, such unitholder’s own tax advisor in analyzing the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences particular to that unitholder resulting from their ownership or disposition of our common units.
No ruling has been or will be requested from the IRS regarding our status as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made below may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Any contest of this sort with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for our common units and the prices at which our common units trade. In addition, the costs of any contest with the IRS, principally legal, accounting and related fees, will result in a reduction in cash available for distribution to our unitholders and thus will be borne indirectly by the unitholders. Furthermore, the tax treatment of us or of an investment in us may be significantly modified by future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions. Any modifications may or may not be retroactively applied.
For the reasons described below, Sidley Austin LLP has not rendered an opinion with respect to the following specific U.S. federal income tax issues:
| • | the treatment of a unitholder whose common units are the subject of a securities loan (please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Treatment of Securities Loans”); |
| • | whether our monthly convention for allocating taxable income and losses is permitted by existing Treasury Regulations (please read “— Disposition of Common Units — Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees”); and |
| • | whether our method for taking into account Section 743 adjustments is sustainable in certain cases (please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Section 754 Election” and “— Uniformity of Common Units”). |
Partnership Status
A partnership is not a taxable entity and incurs no U.S. federal income tax liability. Instead, each partner of a partnership is required to take into account his share of items of income, gain, loss and deduction of the
23
Table of Contents
partnership in computing his U.S. federal income tax liability, regardless of whether cash distributions are made to him by the partnership. Distributions by a partnership to a partner are generally not taxable to the partner unless the amount of cash distributed to him is in excess of the partner’s adjusted basis in his partnership interest.
Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that publicly traded partnerships will, as a general rule, be taxed as corporations. However, an exception, referred to as the “Qualifying Income Exception,” exists with respect to publicly traded partnerships of which 90% or more of the gross income for every taxable year consists of “qualifying income.” Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from the exploration, development, mining or production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and marketing of any mineral or natural resource. Other types of qualifying income include interest (other than from a financial business), dividends, gains from the sale of real property and gains from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of income that otherwise constitutes qualifying income. We estimate that less than 5% of our current gross income is not qualifying income; however, this estimate could change from time to time. Based on and subject to this estimate, the factual representations made by us and our general partner and a review of the applicable legal authorities, Sidley Austin LLP is of the opinion that at least 90% of our current gross income constitutes qualifying income. The portion of our income that is qualifying income may change from time to time.
The IRS has made no determination as to our status or the status of EPO as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Instead, we will rely on the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP on such matters. It is the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP that, based upon the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, published revenue rulings and court decisions and the representations described below, we and EPO will be classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
In rendering its opinion, Sidley Austin LLP has relied on factual representations made by us and our general partner. The representations made by us and our general partner upon which Sidley Austin LLP has relied include:
(a) Neither we nor EPO has elected or will elect to be treated as a corporation; and
(b) For each taxable year, more than 90% of our gross income has been and will be income that Sidley Austin LLP has opined or will opine is “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Internal Revenue Code.
We believe that these representations have been true in the past and expect that these representations will continue to be true in the future.
If we fail to meet the Qualifying Income Exception, other than a failure that is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is cured within a reasonable time after discovery (in which case the IRS may also require us to make adjustments with respect to our unitholders or pay other amounts), we will be treated as if we had transferred all of our assets, subject to liabilities, to a newly formed corporation, on the first day of the year in which we fail to meet the Qualifying Income Exception, in return for stock in that corporation, and then distributed that stock to the unitholders in liquidation of their interests in us. This deemed contribution and liquidation should be tax-free to unitholders and us except to the extent that our liabilities exceed the tax basis of our assets at that time. Thereafter, we would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If we were taxable as a corporation in any taxable year, either as a result of a failure to meet the Qualifying Income Exception or otherwise, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction would be reflected only on our tax return rather than being passed through to the unitholders, and our net income would be taxed to us at corporate rates. If we were taxable as a corporation, losses we recognized would not flow through to our unitholders. In addition, any distribution made by us to a unitholder would be treated as (i) taxable dividend income, to the
24
Table of Contents
extent of current or accumulated earnings and profits, then (ii) a nontaxable return of capital, to the extent of the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units, and thereafter (iii) taxable capital gain from the sale of such common units. Accordingly, taxation of us as a corporation would result in a material reduction in a unitholder’s cash flow and after-tax return and thus would likely result in a substantial reduction of the value of the common units. The discussion below is based on Sidley Austin LLP’s opinion that we will be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Limited Partner Status
Unitholders whose common units are held in street name or by a nominee and who have the right to direct the nominee in the exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the ownership of their common units, will be treated as partners of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As there is no direct authority addressing assignees of common units who are entitled to execute and deliver transfer applications and thereby become entitled to direct the exercise of attendant rights, but who fail to execute and deliver transfer applications, Sidley Austin LLP’s opinion does not extend to these persons. Furthermore, a purchaser or other transferee of common units who does not execute and deliver a transfer application may not receive some U.S. federal income tax information or reports furnished to record holders of common units unless the common units are held in a nominee or street name account and the nominee or broker has executed and delivered a transfer application for those common units.
A beneficial owner of common units whose units have been transferred to a short seller to complete a short sale would appear to lose his status as a partner with respect to those common units for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Treatment of Securities Loans.” Items of our income, gain, loss and deduction would not appear to be reportable by a unitholder who is not a partner for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and any cash distributions received by a unitholder who is not a partner for U.S. federal income tax purposes would therefore appear to be fully taxable as ordinary income. These unitholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to their tax consequences of holding our common units. The references to “unitholders” in the discussion that follows are to persons who are treated as partners in Enterprise Products Partners L.P. for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership
Flow-through of Taxable Income. Subject to the discussion below under “— Administrative Matters — Information Returns and Audit Procedures,” we will not pay any U.S. federal income tax. Instead, each unitholder is required to report on his income tax return his share of our income, gains, losses and deductions without regard to whether we make cash distributions to him. Consequently, we may allocate income to a unitholder even if he has not received a cash distribution. Each unitholder will be required to include in income his allocable share of our income, gains, losses and deductions for our taxable year or years ending with or within his taxable year. Our taxable year ends on December 31.
Treatment of Distributions. Distributions by us to a unitholder generally will not be taxable to the unitholder for U.S. federal income tax purposes, except to the extent the amount of any such cash distribution exceeds his tax basis in his common units immediately before the distribution. Our cash distributions in excess of a unitholder’s tax basis in his common units generally will be considered to be gain from the sale or exchange of the common units, taxable in accordance with the rules described under “— Disposition of Common Units” below. Any reduction in a unitholder’s share of our liabilities for which no partner bears the economic risk of loss, known as “nonrecourse liabilities,” will be treated as a distribution of cash to that unitholder. To the extent our distributions cause a unitholder’s “at risk” amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year, the unitholder must recapture any losses deducted in previous years. Please read “— Limitations on Deductibility of Losses.”
25
Table of Contents
If, and to the extent that, a unitholder participates in the Plan, such unitholder will receive common units in lieu of all or a portion of any cash distribution he would otherwise receive from us. The tax consequences of such participation are generally expected to be the same to the Plan participants as if they had received their cash distributions paid to the common unitholders and then used these cash distributions to purchase additional common units either from us or on the open market, depending on how we instruct the Administrator to reinvest the distributions subject to the Plan.
A decrease in a unitholder’s percentage interest in us because of our issuance of additional common units will decrease his share of our nonrecourse liabilities, and thus will result in a corresponding deemed distribution of cash which may constitute a non-pro rata distribution. A non-pro rata distribution of money or property may result in ordinary income to a unitholder, regardless of his tax basis in his common units, if the distribution reduces the unitholder’s share of our “unrealized receivables,” including depreciation recapture, and/or substantially appreciated “inventory items,” both as defined in Section 751 of the Internal Revenue Code, and collectively, “Section 751 Assets.” To that extent, he will be treated as having been distributed his proportionate share of the Section 751 Assets and having then exchanged those assets with us in return for the non-pro rata portion of the actual distribution made to him. This latter deemed exchange will generally result in the unitholder’s realization of ordinary income, which will equal the excess of the non-pro rata portion of that distribution over the unitholder’s tax basis for the share of Section 751 Assets deemed relinquished in the exchange.
Basis of Common Units. A unitholder’s initial tax basis in his common units will be the amount he paid for those common units plus his share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis generally will be increased by his share of our income and gains and by any increases in his share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis generally will be decreased, but not below zero, by distributions from us, by the unitholder’s share of our losses and deductions, by any decreases in his share of our nonrecourse liabilities and by his share of our expenditures that are not deductible in computing taxable income and are not required to be capitalized. A unitholder will have a share of our nonrecourse liabilities generally based on Book-Tax Disparity (as described in “— Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction”) attributable to such unitholder, to the extent of such amount, and thereafter, such unitholder’s share of our profits. Please read “— Disposition of Common Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
Limitations on Deductibility of Losses. The deduction by a unitholder of his share of our losses will be limited to the tax basis in his common units and, in the case of an individual unitholder or a corporate unitholder, if more than 50% of the value of the corporate unitholder’s stock is owned directly or indirectly by or for five or fewer individuals or some tax-exempt organizations, to the amount for which the unitholder is considered to be “at risk” with respect to our activities, if that amount is less than his tax basis. A unitholder subject to these limitations must recapture losses deducted in previous years to the extent that distributions cause his at risk amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year. Losses disallowed to a unitholder or recaptured as a result of these limitations will carry forward and will be allowable as a deduction in a later year to the extent that his tax basis or at risk amount, whichever is the limiting factor, is subsequently increased provided that such losses are otherwise allowable. Upon the taxable disposition of a common unit, any gain recognized by a unitholder can be offset by losses that were previously suspended by the at risk limitation but may not be offset by losses suspended by the basis limitation. Any excess loss above that gain previously suspended by the at risk or basis limitations is no longer utilizable.
In general, a unitholder will be at risk to the extent of the tax basis of his common units, excluding any portion of that basis attributable to his share of our nonrecourse liabilities, reduced by (i) any portion of that basis representing amounts other than those protected against loss because of a guarantee, stop-loss agreement or other similar arrangement and (ii) any amount of money he borrows to acquire or hold his units, if the lender of those borrowed funds owns an interest in us, is related to another unitholder who has an interest in us, or can look only to the common units for repayment. A unitholder’s at risk amount will increase or decrease as the tax basis of the unitholder’s common units increases or decreases, other than tax basis increases or decreases attributable to increases or decreases in his share of our nonrecourse liabilities.
26
Table of Contents
In addition to the basis and at-risk limitations on the deductibility of losses, the passive loss limitations generally provide that individuals, estates, trusts and some closely-held corporations and personal service corporations are permitted to deduct losses from passive activities, which are generally trade or business activities in which the taxpayer does not materially participate, only to the extent of the taxpayer’s income from those passive activities. The passive loss limitations are applied separately with respect to each publicly traded partnership. Consequently, any passive losses we generate will only be available to offset our passive income generated in the future and will not be available to offset income from other passive activities or investments, including our investments or a unitholder’s investments in other publicly traded partnerships, or the unitholder’s salary, active business or other income. Further, a unitholder’s share of our net income may be offset by any suspended passive losses from his investment in us, but may not be offset by his current or carryover losses from other passive activities, including those attributable to other publicly traded partnerships. Passive losses that are not deductible because they exceed a unitholder’s share of income we generate may be deducted in full when the unitholder disposes of his entire investment in us in a fully taxable transaction with an unrelated party. The passive activity loss limitations are applied after other applicable limitations on deductions, including the at risk rules and the basis limitation.
A unitholder’s share of our net income may be offset by any of our suspended passive losses, but it may not be offset by any other current or carryover losses from other passive activities, including those attributable to other publicly traded partnerships.
Limitations on Interest Deductions. The deductibility of a non-corporate taxpayer’s “investment interest expense” is generally limited to the amount of that taxpayer’s “net investment income.” Investment interest expense includes:
| • | interest on indebtedness properly allocable to property held for investment; |
| • | our interest expense attributed to portfolio income; and |
| • | the portion of interest expense incurred to purchase or carry an interest in a passive activity to the extent attributable to portfolio income. |
The computation of a unitholder’s investment interest expense will take into account interest on any margin account borrowing or other loan incurred to purchase or carry a common unit. Net investment income includes gross income from property held for investment and amounts treated as portfolio income under the passive loss rules, less deductible expenses, other than interest, directly connected with the production of investment income, but generally does not include gains attributable to the disposition of property held for investment. The IRS has indicated that net passive income earned by a publicly traded partnership will be treated as investment income to its unitholders for purposes of the investment interest deduction limitation. In addition, the unitholder’s share of our portfolio income will be treated as investment income.
Entity-Level Collections. If we are required or elect under applicable law to pay any federal, state, local or non-U.S. tax on behalf of any current or former unitholder, our partnership agreement authorizes us to treat the payment as a distribution of cash to the unitholder on whose behalf the payment was made. If the payment is made on behalf of a person whose identity cannot be determined, we are authorized to treat the payment as a distribution to all current unitholders. We are authorized to amend our partnership agreement in the manner necessary to maintain uniformity of intrinsic tax characteristics of common units and to adjust later distributions, so that after giving effect to these distributions, the priority and characterization of distributions otherwise applicable under our partnership agreement is maintained as nearly as is practicable. Payments by us as described above could give rise to an overpayment of tax on behalf of an individual unitholder in which event the unitholder would be required to file a claim in order to obtain a credit or refund. Please read “— Administrative Matters — Information Returns and Audit Procedures.”
Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction. In general, if we have a net profit, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated among the unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in
27
Table of Contents
us. If we have a net loss for the entire year, that loss will be allocated to the unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us. Specified items of our income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated to account for the difference between the tax basis and fair market value of our assets, a “Book-Tax Disparity,” at the time we issue units in an offering or engage in certain other transactions. The effect of these allocations, referred to as Section 704(c) Allocations, to a unitholder purchasing common units in such offering will be essentially the same as if the tax bases of our assets were equal to their fair market values at the time of such offering. In the event we issue additional common units or engage in certain other transactions in the future, “reverse Section 704(c) Allocations,” similar to the Section 704(c) Allocations described above, will be made to all of our unitholders immediately prior to such issuance or other transactions to account for any Book-Tax Disparity at the time of the future transaction. In addition, items of recapture income will be allocated to the extent possible to the unitholder who was allocated the deduction giving rise to the treatment of that gain as recapture income in order to minimize the recognition of ordinary income by other unitholders. Finally, although we do not expect that our operations will result in the creation of negative capital accounts, if negative capital accounts nevertheless result, items of our income and gain will be allocated in such amount and manner as is needed to eliminate the negative balance as quickly as possible.
An allocation of items of our income, gain, loss or deduction, other than an allocation required by the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate a Book-Tax Disparity, will generally be given effect for U.S. federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction only if the allocation has substantial economic effect. In any other case, a partner’s share of an item will be determined on the basis of his interest in us, which will be determined by taking into account all the facts and circumstances, including:
| • | his relative contributions to us; |
| • | the interests of all the partners in profits and losses; |
| • | the interest of all the partners in cash flow; and |
| • | the rights of all the partners to distributions of capital upon liquidation. |
Sidley Austin LLP is of the opinion that, with the exception of the issues described in “— Section 754 Election” and “— Disposition of Common Units — Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees,” allocations under our partnership agreement will be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction.
Treatment of Securities Loans. A unitholder whose common units are the subject of a securities loan (for example, a loan to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of common units) may be considered as having disposed of those units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss as a result of such deemed disposition. As a result, during this period (i) he would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those common units, (ii) any of our income, gain, loss or deduction allocated to those units would not be reportable by the lending unitholder, and (iii) any cash distributions received by the lending unitholder as to those units may be treated as ordinary taxable income.
Sidley Austin LLP has not rendered an opinion regarding the tax treatment of a unitholder that enters into a securities loan with respect to its common units. A unitholder desiring to assure its status as a partner and avoid the risk of income recognition from a loan of its common units is urged to consult a tax advisor to discuss whether it is advisable to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing and loaning their common units. The IRS has previously announced that it is studying issues relating to the tax treatment of short sales of partnership interests. Please also read “— Disposition of Common Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
Tax Rates. Under current law, the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate for individuals applicable to ordinary income and long-term capital gains (generally, gains from the sale or exchange of certain investment assets held for more than one year) are 39.6% and 20%, respectively. These rates are subject to change by new legislation at any time.
28
Table of Contents
In addition, a 3.8% net investment income tax applies to certain net investment income earned by individuals, estates and trusts. For these purposes, net investment income generally includes a unitholder’s allocable share of our income and gain realized by a unitholder from a sale of common units. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) the unitholder’s net investment income or (ii) the amount by which the unitholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). In the case of an estate or trust, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) the undistributed net investment income, or (ii) the excess adjusted gross income over the dollar amount at which the highest income tax bracket applicable to an estate or trust begins. Prospective unitholders are urged to consult with their own tax advisors as to the impact of the net investment income tax on an investment in our common units.
Section 754 Election. We have made the election permitted by Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code. That election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS. The election generally permits us to adjust a common unit purchaser’s tax basis in our assets (“inside basis”) under Section 743(b) of the Internal Revenue Code to reflect his purchase price. This election applies to a person who purchases common units from a selling unitholder but does not apply to a person who purchases common units directly from us. The Section 743(b) adjustment belongs to the purchaser and not to other unitholders. For purposes of this discussion, a unitholder’s inside basis in our assets will be considered to have two components: (i) his share of our tax basis in our assets (“common basis”) and (ii) his Section 743(b) adjustment to that basis.
Treasury Regulations under Section 743 of the Internal Revenue Code require, if the remedial allocation method is adopted (which we have adopted), a portion of the Section 743(b) adjustment that is attributable to recovery property subject to depreciation under Section 168 of the Internal Revenue Code to be depreciated over the remaining cost recovery period for the property’s unamortized Book-Tax Disparity. Under Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6), a Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to property subject to depreciation under Section 167 of the Internal Revenue Code, rather than cost recovery deductions under Section 168, is generally required to be depreciated using either the straight-line method or the 150% declining balance method. Under our partnership agreement, our general partner is authorized to take a position to preserve the uniformity of common units even if that position is not consistent with these and any other Treasury Regulations. Please read “— Uniformity of Common Units.”
Although Sidley Austin LLP is unable to opine as to the validity of this approach because there is no controlling authority on this issue, we intend to depreciate the portion of a Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to unrealized appreciation in the value of Contributed Property, to the extent of any unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, using a rate of depreciation or amortization derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity of the property, or treat that portion as non-amortizable to the extent attributable to property which is not amortizable. This method is consistent with methods employed by other publicly traded partnerships but is arguably inconsistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6), which is not expected to directly apply to a material portion of our assets. To the extent this Section 743(b) adjustment is attributable to appreciation in value in excess of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, we will apply the rules described in the Treasury Regulations and legislative history. If we determine that this position cannot reasonably be taken, we may take a depreciation or amortization position under which all purchasers acquiring common units in the same month would receive depreciation or amortization, whether attributable to common basis or a Section 743(b) adjustment, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in our assets. This kind of aggregate approach may result in lower annual depreciation or amortization deductions than would otherwise be allowable to some unitholders. Please read “— Uniformity of Common Units.” A unitholder’s tax basis for his common units is reduced by his share of our deductions (whether or not such deductions were claimed on an individual’s income tax return) so that any position we take that understates deductions will overstate the common unitholder’s basis in his common units, which may cause the unitholder to understate gain or overstate loss on any sale of such units. Please read “— Disposition of Common Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.” The IRS may challenge our position with respect to
29
Table of Contents
depreciating or amortizing the Section 743(b) adjustment we take to preserve the uniformity of the common units. If such a challenge were sustained, the gain from the sale of common units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions.
A Section 754 election is advantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his common units is higher than the units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. In that case, as a result of the election, the transferee would have, among other items, a greater amount of depreciation deductions and his share of any gain or loss on a sale of our assets would be less. Conversely, a Section 754 election is disadvantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his common units is lower than those units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. Thus, the fair market value of the common units may be affected either favorably or unfavorably by the election. A basis adjustment is required regardless of whether a Section 754 election is made in the case of a transfer of an interest in us if we have a substantial built-in loss immediately after the transfer, or if we distribute property and have a substantial basis reduction. Generally a basis reduction or a built-in loss is substantial if it exceeds $250,000.
The calculations involved in the Section 754 election are complex and will be made on the basis of assumptions as to the value of our assets and other matters. For example, the allocation of the Section 743(b) adjustment among our assets must be made in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS could seek to reallocate some or all of any Section 743(b) adjustment we allocated to our tangible assets to goodwill instead. Goodwill, as an intangible asset, is generally either non-amortizable or amortizable over a longer period of time or under a less accelerated method than our tangible assets. We cannot assure you that the determinations we make will not be successfully challenged by the IRS and that the deductions resulting from them will not be reduced or disallowed altogether. Should the IRS require a different basis adjustment to be made, and should, in our opinion, the expense of compliance exceed the benefit of the election, we may seek permission from the IRS to revoke our Section 754 election. If permission is granted, a subsequent purchaser of common units may be allocated more income than he would have been allocated had the election not been revoked.
Tax Treatment of Operations
Accounting Method and Taxable Year. We use the year ending December 31 as our taxable year and the accrual method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Each unitholder will be required to include in income his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our taxable year or years ending within or with his taxable year. In addition, a unitholder who has a taxable year different than our taxable year and who disposes of all of his common units following the close of our taxable year but before the close of his taxable year must include his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction in income for his taxable year, with the result that he will be required to include in income for his taxable year his share of more than one year of our income, gain, loss and deduction. Please read “— Disposition of Common Units — Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees.”
Tax Basis, Depreciation and Amortization. We use the tax basis of our assets for purposes of computing depreciation and cost recovery deductions and, ultimately, gain or loss on the disposition of these assets. The U.S. federal income tax burden associated with the difference between the fair market value of our assets and their tax basis immediately prior to the time of an offering will be borne by our common unitholders immediately prior to the offering. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction.” To the extent allowable, we may elect to use the depreciation and cost recovery methods, including bonus depreciation to the extent available, that will result in the largest deductions being taken in the early years after assets subject to these allowances are placed in service. Property we subsequently acquire or construct may be depreciated using accelerated methods permitted by the Internal Revenue Code.
If we dispose of depreciable property by sale, foreclosure, or otherwise, all or a portion of any gain, determined by reference to the amount of depreciation previously deducted and the nature of the property, may be subject to the recapture rules and taxed as ordinary income rather than capital gain. Similarly, a common
30
Table of Contents
unitholder who has taken cost recovery or depreciation deductions with respect to property we own will likely be required to recapture some, or all, of those deductions as ordinary income upon a sale of his interest in us. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction,” and “— Disposition of Common Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
The costs incurred in selling our common units (called “syndication expenses”) must be capitalized and cannot be deducted currently, ratably or upon our termination. There are uncertainties regarding the classification of costs as organization expenses, which we may amortize, and as syndication expenses, which we may not be able to amortize. The underwriting discounts and commissions we incur will be treated as syndication expenses.
Valuation and Tax Basis of Our Properties. The U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of common units will depend in part on our estimates of the relative fair market values, and the tax bases, of our assets. Although we may from time to time consult with professional appraisers regarding valuation matters, we will make many of the relative fair market value estimates ourselves. These estimates and determinations of basis are subject to challenge and will not be binding on the IRS or the courts. If the estimates of fair market value or basis are later found to be incorrect, the character and amount of items of income, gain, loss or deductions previously reported by unitholders might change, and unitholders might be required to adjust their tax liability for prior years and incur interest and penalties with respect to those adjustments.
Disposition of Common Units
Recognition of Gain or Loss. Gain or loss will be recognized on a sale of common units equal to the difference between the unitholder’s amount realized and the unitholder’s tax basis for the common units sold. A unitholder’s amount realized will be measured by the sum of the cash or the fair market value of other property received by him plus his share of our nonrecourse liabilities attributable to the common units sold. Because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, the gain recognized on the sale of common units could result in a tax liability in excess of any cash received from the sale.
Prior distributions from us in excess of cumulative net taxable income for a common unit that decreased a unitholder’s tax basis in that common unit will, in effect, become taxable income if the common unit is sold at a price greater than the unitholder’s tax basis in that common unit, even if the price received is less than his original cost.
Except as noted below, gain or loss recognized by a unitholder, other than a “dealer” in common units, on the sale or exchange of a common unit will generally be taxable as capital gain or loss. Capital gain recognized by an individual on the sale of common units held more than 12 months will generally be taxed at the U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains. However, a portion of this gain or loss, which will likely be substantial, will be separately computed and taxed as ordinary income or loss under Section 751 of the Internal Revenue Code to the extent attributable to assets giving rise to depreciation recapture or other “unrealized receivables” or to “inventory items” we own. The term “unrealized receivables” includes potential recapture items, including depreciation recapture. Ordinary income attributable to unrealized receivables, inventory items and depreciation recapture may exceed net taxable gain realized on the sale of a common unit and may be recognized even if there is a net taxable loss realized on the sale of a common unit. Thus, a unitholder may recognize both ordinary income and a capital loss upon a sale of common units. Net capital losses may offset capital gains and no more than $3,000 of ordinary income each year in the case of individuals and may only be used to offset capital gains in the case of corporations. Both ordinary income and capital gain recognized on the sale or exchange of units may be subject to the net investment income tax in certain circumstances. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Tax Rates.”
The IRS has ruled that a partner who acquires interests in a partnership in separate transactions must combine those interests and maintain a single adjusted tax basis for all those interests. Upon a sale or other disposition of less than all of those interests, a portion of that tax basis must be allocated to the interests sold
31
Table of Contents
using an “equitable apportionment” method, which generally means that the tax basis allocated to the interest sold equals an amount that bears the same relation to the partner’s tax basis in his entire interest in the partnership as the value of the interest sold bears to the value of the partner’s entire interest in the partnership. Treasury Regulations under Section 1223 of the Internal Revenue Code allow a selling unitholder who can identify common units transferred with an ascertainable holding period to elect to use the actual holding period of the common units transferred. Thus, according to the ruling discussed above, a common unitholder will be unable to select high or low basis common units to sell as would be the case with corporate stock, but, according to the Treasury Regulations, may designate specific common units sold for purposes of determining the holding period of common units transferred. A unitholder electing to use the actual holding period of common units transferred must consistently use that identification method for all subsequent sales or exchanges of common units. A unitholder considering the purchase of additional common units or a sale of common units purchased in separate transactions is urged to consult his tax advisor as to the possible consequences of this ruling and application of the Treasury Regulations.
Specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code affect the taxation of some financial products and securities, including partnership interests, by treating a taxpayer as having sold an “appreciated” partnership interest, one in which gain would be recognized if it were sold, assigned or terminated at its fair market value, if the taxpayer or related persons enter(s) into:
| • | a short sale; |
| • | an offsetting notional principal contract; or |
| • | a futures or forward contract; |
in each case, with respect to the partnership interest or substantially identical property.
Moreover, if a taxpayer has previously entered into a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract or a futures or forward contract with respect to the partnership interest, the taxpayer will be treated as having sold that position if the taxpayer or a related person then acquires the partnership interest or substantially identical property. The Secretary of the Treasury is also authorized to issue regulations that treat a taxpayer that enters into transactions or positions that have substantially the same effect as the preceding transactions as having constructively sold the financial position.
Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees. In general, our taxable income or loss will be determined annually, will be prorated on a monthly basis and will be subsequently apportioned among the unitholders in proportion to the number of common units owned by each of them as of the opening of the applicable exchange on the first business day of the month, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Allocation Date.” However, gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets other than in the ordinary course of business will be allocated among the unitholders on the Allocation Date in the month in which that gain or loss is recognized. As a result, a unitholder transferring common units may be allocated income, gain, loss and deduction realized after the date of transfer.
Although recently issued final Treasury Regulations allow publicly traded partnerships to use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferor and transferee unitholders, these regulations do not specifically authorize all aspects of the proration method we have adopted. Accordingly, Sidley Austin LLP is unable to opine on the validity of this method of allocating income and deductions between transferor and transferee unitholders. If the IRS were to successfully challenge our proration method, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders. We are authorized to revise our method of allocation between transferor and transferee unitholders, as well as unitholders whose interests vary during a taxable year, to conform to these Treasury Regulations.
32
Table of Contents
A unitholder who owns common units at any time during a quarter and who disposes of them prior to the record date set for a cash distribution for that quarter will be allocated items of our income, gain, loss and deductions attributable to that quarter through the month of disposition but will not be entitled to receive that cash distribution.
Notification Requirements. A unitholder who sells any of his common units, other than through a broker, generally is required to notify us in writing of that sale within 30 days after the sale (or, if earlier, January 15 of the year following the sale). A purchaser of common units who purchases common units from another unitholder is also generally required to notify us in writing of that purchase within 30 days after the purchase. Upon receiving such notification, we are required to notify the IRS of that transaction and to furnish specified information to the transferor and transferee. Failure to notify us of a transfer of common units may, in some cases, lead to the imposition of penalties. However, these reporting requirements do not apply to a sale by an individual who is a citizen of the U.S. and who effects the sale or exchange through a broker who will satisfy such requirements.
Constructive Termination. We will be considered to have technically terminated our partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a twelve-month period. For purposes of determining whether the 50% threshold has been met, multiple sales of the same interest will be counted only once. Our technical termination would, among other things, result in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders, which would result in us filing two tax returns (and our unitholders could receive two schedules K-1 if relief was not available, as described below) for one fiscal year and could result in a deferral of depreciation deductions allowable in computing our taxable income. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than a fiscal year ending December 31, the closing of our taxable year may also result in more than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being includable in his taxable income for the year of termination. Our termination currently would not affect our classification as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but instead we would be treated as a new partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If treated as a new partnership, we must make new tax elections, including a new election under Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code, and could be subject to penalties if we are unable to determine that a termination occurred. The IRS has announced a publicly traded partnership technical termination relief program whereby, if a publicly traded partnership that technically terminated requests publicly traded partnership technical termination relief and such relief is granted by the IRS, among other things, the partnership will only have to provide one Schedule K-1 to unitholders for the year notwithstanding two partnership tax years.
Uniformity of Common Units
Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of common units, we must maintain uniformity of the economic and tax characteristics of the common units to a purchaser of these units. In the absence of uniformity, we may be unable to completely comply with a number of U.S. federal income tax requirements, both statutory and regulatory. A lack of uniformity can result from a literal application of Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6). Any non-uniformity could have a negative impact on the value of the common units. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Section 754 Election.”
We intend to depreciate the portion of a Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to unrealized appreciation in the value of Contributed Property, to the extent of any unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, using a rate of depreciation or amortization derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity of that property, or treat that portion as nonamortizable, to the extent attributable to property which is not amortizable, consistent with the Treasury Regulations under Section 743 of the Internal Revenue Code, even though that position may be inconsistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6). Please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Section 754 Election.” To the extent that the Section 743(b) adjustment is attributable to appreciation in value in excess of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, we will apply the rules described in the Treasury Regulations and legislative
33
Table of Contents
history. If we determine that this position cannot reasonably be taken, we may adopt a depreciation and amortization position under which all purchasers acquiring common units in the same month would receive depreciation and amortization deductions, whether attributable to a common basis or Section 743(b) adjustment, based upon the same applicable methods and lives as if they had purchased a direct interest in our property. If this position is adopted, it may result in lower annual depreciation and amortization deductions than would otherwise be allowable to some unitholders and risk the loss of depreciation and amortization deductions not taken in the year that these deductions are otherwise allowable. This position will not be adopted if we determine that the loss of depreciation and amortization deductions will have a material adverse effect on the unitholders. If we choose not to utilize this aggregate method, we may use any other reasonable depreciation and amortization method to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any common units that would not have a material adverse effect on the unitholders. Sidley Austin LLP is unable to opine on the validity of any of these positions. The IRS may challenge any method of depreciating the Section 743(b) adjustment described in this paragraph. If this challenge were sustained, the uniformity of common units might be affected, and the gain from the sale of common units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions. We do not believe these allocations will affect any material items of income, gain, loss or deduction. Please read “— Disposition of Common Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors
Ownership of common units by employee benefit plans and other tax-exempt organizations, as well as by non-resident alien individuals, non-U.S. corporations, and other non-U.S. persons (collectively, “Non-U.S. Unitholders”) raises issues unique to those investors and, as described below, may have substantially adverse tax consequences to them. Each prospective unitholder that is a tax-exempt entity or a Non-U.S. Unitholder should consult its tax advisors before investing in our units.
Employee benefit plans and most other tax-exempt organizations, including individual retirement accounts and other retirement plans, are subject to U.S. federal income tax on unrelated business taxable income. Virtually all of our income allocated to a unitholder that is a tax-exempt organization will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to it.
Non-U.S. Unitholders are taxed by the United States on income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (“effectively connected income”) and on certain types of U.S.-source non-effectively connected income (such as dividends), unless exempted or further limited by an income tax treaty. Each Non-U.S. Unitholder will be considered to be engaged in business in the United States because of its ownership of our common units. Furthermore, it is probable that Non-U.S. Unitholders will be deemed to conduct such activities through a permanent establishment in the United States within the meaning of any applicable tax treaty. Consequently, each Non-U.S. Unitholder will be required to file federal tax returns to report their share of our income, gain, loss or deduction and pay U.S. federal income tax on their share of our net income or gain. Moreover, under rules applicable to publicly traded partnerships, our quarterly distributions to Non-U.S. Unitholders will be subject to withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate. Each Non-U.S. Unitholder must obtain a taxpayer identification number from the IRS and submit that number to our transfer agent on a Form W-8 BEN, W-8BEN-E or applicable substitute form in order to obtain credit for these withholding taxes. A change in applicable law may require us to change these procedures.
In addition, a Non-U.S. Unitholder that is classified as a non-U.S. corporation will be treated as engaged in a United States trade or business and may be subject to the U.S. branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, in addition to regular U.S. federal income tax, on its share of our income and gain, as adjusted for changes in the non-U.S. corporation’s “U.S. net equity,” that is effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business. That tax may be reduced or eliminated by an income tax treaty between the United States and the country in which the non-U.S. corporate unitholder is a “qualified resident.” In addition, this type of unitholder is subject to special information reporting requirements under Section 6038C of the Internal Revenue Code.
34
Table of Contents
A Non-U.S. Unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a common unit will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized from the sale or disposition of that unit to the extent the gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. Unitholder. Under a ruling published by the IRS interpreting the scope of “effectively connected income,” a Non-U.S. Unitholder would be considered to be engaged in a trade or business in the U.S. by virtue of the U.S. activities of the partnership, and part or all of that unitholder’s gain would be effectively connected with that unitholder’s indirect U.S. trade or business. Although one court that recently reviewed the IRS position rejected it as unpersuasive, part or all of a Non-U.S. Unitholder’s gain from the sale or other disposition of units may be treated as effectively connected with a unitholder’s indirect U.S. trade or business constituted by its investment in us.
Moreover, under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, as long as our common units are regularly traded on an established securities market, a Non-U.S. Unitholder will not be taxed or subject to withholding upon the sale or disposition of a common unit if he has owned 5% or less in value of the common units during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of the disposition or the Non-U.S. Unitholder’s holding period for the common unit. If our common units were not considered to be regularly traded on an established securities market, such Non-U.S. Unitholder (regardless of the percentage of units owned) would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a disposition of our common units, and a 15% withholding tax would apply to the gross proceeds from such disposition.
Administrative Matters
Information Returns and Audit Procedures. We intend to furnish to each unitholder, within 90 days after the close of each taxable year, specific tax information, including a Schedule K-1, which describes each unitholder’s share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our preceding taxable year. In preparing this information, which will not be reviewed by counsel, we will take various accounting and reporting positions, some of which have been mentioned earlier, to determine each unitholder’s share of income, gain, loss and deduction. We cannot assure you that those positions will in all cases yield a result that conforms to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations or administrative interpretations of the IRS. The IRS may audit our U.S. federal income tax information returns. Neither we nor Sidley Austin LLP can assure prospective unitholders that the IRS will not successfully contend in court that those positions are impermissible. Any challenge by the IRS could negatively affect the value of the common units.
Partnerships generally are treated as separate entities for purposes of U.S. federal income tax audits, judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS and tax settlement proceedings. The tax treatment of partnership items of income, gain, loss and deduction are determined in a partnership proceeding rather than in separate proceedings with the partners. Adjustments to items of our income, gain, loss or deduction resulting from an IRS audit may require each unitholder to adjust a prior year’s tax liability, and possibly may result in an audit of his return. Any audit of a unitholder’s return could result in adjustments not related to our returns as well as those related to our returns. The Internal Revenue Code requires that one partner be designated as the “Tax Matters Partner” for these purposes. Our partnership agreement names our general partner as our Tax Matters Partner.
The Tax Matters Partner has made and will make some elections on our behalf and on behalf of unitholders. In addition, the Tax Matters Partner can extend the statute of limitations for assessment of tax deficiencies against unitholders for items in our returns. The Tax Matters Partner may bind a unitholder with less than a 1% profits interest in us to a settlement with the IRS unless that unitholder elects, by filing a statement with the IRS, not to give that authority to the Tax Matters Partner. The Tax Matters Partner may seek judicial review, by which all the unitholders are bound, of a final partnership administrative adjustment and, if the Tax Matters Partner fails to seek judicial review, judicial review may be sought by any unitholder having at least a 1% interest in profits or by any group of unitholders having in the aggregate at least a 5% interest in profits. However, only one action for judicial review will go forward, and each unitholder with an interest in the outcome may participate in that action. A unitholder must file a statement with the IRS identifying the treatment of any item on his U.S. federal income tax return that is not consistent with the treatment of the item on our return. Intentional or negligent disregard of this consistency requirement may subject a unitholder to substantial penalties.
35
Table of Contents
Legislation applicable to partnership tax years beginning after 2017 alters the procedures for auditing large partnerships and for assessing and collecting taxes due (including any applicable penalties and interest) as a result of a partnership-level federal income tax audit. Under the new rules, unless we are eligible (and do) elect to issue revised Schedules K-1 to our unitholders with respect to an audited and adjusted return, the IRS may assess and collect taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) directly from us in the year in which the audit is completed. If we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties and interest resulting from audit adjustments, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced. In addition, because payment would be due for the taxable year in which the audit is completed, partners during that taxable year would bear the expense of the adjustment even if they were not partners during the audited tax year. Pursuant to this new legislation, we will designate a person (our general partner) to act as the partnership representative who shall have the sole authority to act on behalf of the partnership with respect to dealings with the IRS under these new audit procedures.
Nominee Reporting. Persons who hold an interest in us as a nominee for another person are required to furnish the following information to us:
| (a) | the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the beneficial owner and the nominee; |
| (b) | a statement regarding whether the beneficial owner is |
| (i) | a person that is not a United States person, |
| (ii) | a foreign government, an international organization or any wholly-owned agency or instrumentality of either of the foregoing, or |
| (iii) | a tax-exempt entity; |
| (c) | the amount and description of common units held, acquired or transferred for the beneficial owner; and |
| (d) | specific information including the dates of acquisitions and transfers, means of acquisitions and transfers, and acquisition cost for purchases, as well as the amount of net proceeds from sales. |
Brokers and financial institutions are required to furnish additional information, including whether they are United States persons and specific information on common units they acquire, hold or transfer for their own account. A penalty of $250 per failure, up to a maximum of $3,000,000 per calendar year, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code for failure to report that information to us. The nominee is required to supply the beneficial owner of the common units with the information furnished to us.
Accuracy-Related Penalties. An additional tax equal to 20% of the amount of any portion of an underpayment of tax that is attributable to one or more specified causes, including negligence or disregard of rules or regulations, substantial understatements of income tax and substantial valuation misstatements, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. No penalty will be imposed, however, for any portion of an underpayment if it is shown that there was a reasonable cause for the underpayment of that portion and that the taxpayer acted in good faith regarding the underpayment of that portion.
For individuals, a substantial understatement of income tax in any taxable year exists if the amount of the understatement exceeds the greater of 10% of the tax required to be shown on the return for the taxable year or $5,000. The amount of any understatement subject to penalty generally is reduced if any portion is attributable to a position adopted on the return:
| (1) | for which there is, or was, “substantial authority,” or |
| (2) | as to which there is a reasonable basis if the pertinent facts of that position are adequately disclosed on the return. |
36
Table of Contents
If any item of income, gain, loss or deduction included in the distributive shares of unitholders might result in that kind of an “understatement” of income for which no “substantial authority” exists, we must disclose the pertinent facts on our return. In addition, we will make a reasonable effort to furnish sufficient information for unitholders to make adequate disclosure on their returns and to take other actions as may be appropriate to permit unitholders to avoid liability for this penalty. More stringent rules apply to “tax shelters,” which we do not believe includes us.
A substantial valuation misstatement exists if (i) the value of any property, or the adjusted basis of any property, claimed on a tax return is 150% or more of the amount determined to be the correct amount of the valuation or adjusted basis, (ii) the price for any property or services (or for the use of property) claimed on any such return with respect to any transaction between persons described in Internal Revenue Code Section 482 is 200% or more (or 50% or less) of the amount determined under Section 482 to be the correct amount of such price, or (iii) the net Internal Revenue Code Section 482 transfer price adjustment for the taxable year exceeds the lesser of $5 million or 10% of the taxpayer’s gross receipts. No penalty is imposed unless the portion of the underpayment attributable to a substantial valuation misstatement exceeds $5,000 ($10,000 for most corporations). If the valuation claimed on a return is 200% or more than the correct valuation, the penalty imposed increases to 40%. We do not anticipate making any valuation misstatements.
Reportable Transactions. If we were to engage in a “reportable transaction,” we (and possibly the unitholders and others) would be required to make a detailed disclosure of the transaction to the IRS. A transaction may be a reportable transaction based upon any of several factors, including the fact that it is a type of tax avoidance transaction publicly identified by the IRS as a “listed transaction” or that it produces certain kinds of losses in excess of $2 million in any single year, or $4 million in any combination of six successive taxable years. Our participation in a reportable transaction could increase the likelihood that our U.S. federal income tax information return (and possibly your tax return) would be audited by the IRS. Please read “— Information Returns and Audit Procedures” above.
Moreover, if we were to participate in a reportable transaction with a significant purpose to avoid or evade tax, or in any listed transaction, you may be subject to the following additional consequences:
| • | accuracy-related penalties with a broader scope, significantly narrower exceptions, and potentially greater amounts than described above at “ — Accuracy-Related Penalties,” |
| • | for those persons otherwise entitled to deduct interest on federal tax deficiencies, nondeductibility of interest on any resulting tax liability, and |
| • | in the case of a listed transaction, an extended statute of limitations. |
We do not expect to engage in any “reportable transactions.”
Registration as a Tax Shelter. We registered as a “tax shelter” under the law in effect at the time of our initial public offering and were assigned a tax shelter registration number. Issuance of a tax shelter registration number to us does not indicate that investment in us or the claimed tax benefits have been reviewed, examined or approved by the IRS. The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 repealed the tax shelter registration rules and replaced them with the reporting regime described above at “— Reportable Transactions.” The term “tax shelter” has a different meaning for this purpose than under the penalty rules described above at “— Accuracy-Related Penalties.”
Recent Legislative Developments
The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our units may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial action or interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time, members of Congress and the President propose and consider substantive
37
Table of Contents
changes to the existing U.S. federal income tax laws that affect the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships. Any modification to the U.S. federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be retroactively applied and could make it more difficult or impossible to meet the exception for us to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Please read “—Partnership Status.”
The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate each recently passed different versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (together, the “Tax Reform Bills”) that they will try to reconcile through a conference committee to produce legislation that can be voted on by the House and Senate and, if passed, sent to the President for his signature. Although each of the Tax Reform Bills would make significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to both individuals and entities, including reducing the tax rate on income received from pass-through entities such as partnerships, there is still uncertainty as to the details of any final legislation and whether such legislation will be enacted.
You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor regarding the Tax Reform Bills and any other regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on your investment in our common units. We are unable to predict whether any proposed changes will ultimately be enacted. However, it is possible that a change in law could affect us or holders of our common units, and any such changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units.
State, Local, Foreign and Other Tax Considerations
In addition to U.S. federal income taxes, a unitholder likely will be subject to other taxes, such as state, local and foreign income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which, we do business or own property or in which a unitholder is a resident. Although an analysis of those various taxes is not presented here, each prospective unitholder should consider their potential impact on his investment in us. We currently own property or do business in a substantial number of states, virtually all of which impose a personal income tax and many impose an income tax on corporations and other entities. We may also own property or do business in other states in the future. Although a unitholder may not be required to file a return and pay taxes in some states because its income from that state falls below the filing and payment requirement, a unitholder will be required to file income tax returns and to pay income taxes in some or all of the jurisdictions in which we do business or own property and may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. In some jurisdictions, tax losses may not produce a tax benefit in the year incurred and also may not be available to offset income in subsequent taxable years. Some of the jurisdictions may require us, or we may elect, to withhold a percentage of income from amounts to be distributed to a unitholder who is not a resident of the jurisdiction. Withholding, the amount of which may be greater or less than a particular unitholder’s income tax liability to the jurisdiction, generally does not relieve a nonresident unitholder from the obligation to file an income tax return. Amounts withheld will be treated as if distributed to unitholders for purposes of determining the amounts distributed by us. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Common Unit Ownership — Entity-Level Collections.” Based on current law and our estimate of future operations, any amounts required to be withheld are not contemplated to be material.
It is the responsibility of each unitholder to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent jurisdictions, of his investment in us. Accordingly, each prospective unitholder is urged to consult, and depend on, his own tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all state, local, and foreign as well as United States federal tax returns, that may be required of him. Sidley Austin LLP has not rendered an opinion on the state, local, alternative minimum tax or foreign tax consequences of an investment in us.
38
Table of Contents
Subject to the discussion below, we will distribute newly issued common units sold under the Plan. A registered broker/dealer that is an affiliate of the Administrator will assist in the identification of investors and other related services, but will not be acting as an underwriter with respect to common units sold under the Plan. You will pay no service fees or brokerage trading fees whether common units are newly issued or purchased in the open market. We will pay all brokerage trading fees or other charges on common units purchased through the Plan. However, if you are participating in the Plan through your broker, you may be charged a fee by your broker for participating in the Plan on your behalf. Additionally, if you request that your common units held by the Administrator be sold, you will receive the proceeds less a handling charge of $15.00 and any brokerage trading fees. The common units are currently listed on the NYSE.
Persons who acquire common units through the Plan and resell them shortly after acquiring them, including coverage of short positions, under certain circumstances, may be participating in a distribution of securities that would require compliance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act, and may be considered to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act. We will not extend to any such person any rights or privileges other than those to which he, she or it would be entitled as a participant, nor will we enter into any agreement with any such person regarding the resale or distribution by any such person of the common units.
We have no arrangements or understandings, formal or informal, with any person relating to the sale of our common units to be received under the Plan. We reserve the right to modify, suspend or terminate participation in the Plan by otherwise eligible persons to eliminate practices that are inconsistent with the purposes of the Plan.
39
Table of Contents
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the Commission under the Securities Act that registers the securities offered by this prospectus. The registration statement, including the attached exhibits, contains additional relevant information about us. The rules and regulations of the Commission allow us to omit from this prospectus some information included in the registration statement.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, and other information with the Commission under the Exchange Act (Commission File No. 1-14323). You may read and copy any materials we file at the Commission’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the Commission at 1-800-732-0330 for further information on the public reference room. Our filings are also available to the public at the Commission’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, documents filed by us can be inspected at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10002. We maintain a website at www.enterpriseproducts.com. On the Investor Relations page of that site, we provide access to our Commission filings free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after filing with the Commission. The information on our website is not incorporated in this prospectus by reference and you should not consider it a part of this prospectus.
INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The Commission allows us to incorporate by reference into this prospectus the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and later information that we file with the Commission will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the Commission under section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act until this offering is completed (other than information furnished under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Form 8-K, which is not deemed filed under the Exchange Act):
| • | Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016; |
| • | Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017 and September 30, 2017; |
| • | Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on January 30, 2017, May 2, 2017, August 3, 2017, August 9, 2017, August 16, 2017, September 15, 2017, November 2, 2017, November 14, 2017 and December 1, 2017; and |
| • | The description of our common units contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A/A filed on November 23, 2010, and including any other amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
We will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus has been delivered, a copy of any and all of our filings with the Commission. You may request a copy of these filings by writing or telephoning us at:
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
1100 Louisiana, 10th Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
Attention: Investor Relations
Telephone: (713) 381-6500
40
Table of Contents
This prospectus and some of the documents we incorporate by reference herein contain various forward-looking statements and information that are based on our beliefs and those of our general partner, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to us. These forward-looking statements are identified as any statement that does not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this prospectus or the documents we have incorporated herein by reference, words such as “anticipate,” “project,” “expect,” “plan,” “seek,” “goal,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “intend,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “will,” “believe,” “may,” “potential” and similar expressions and statements regarding our plans and objectives for future operations, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although we and our general partner believe that such expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, neither we nor our general partner can give assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or expected. Among the key risk factors that may have a direct bearing on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows are:
| • | changes in demand for and production of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, petrochemicals and refined products; particularly, a decrease in demand for NGL products by the petrochemical, refining or heating industries; |
| • | competition from third parties in our midstream energy businesses; |
| • | our debt level may limit our future financial flexibility; |
| • | operating cash flows from our capital projects may not be immediate; |
| • | a natural disaster, catastrophe, terrorist attack or similar event could result in severe personal injury, property damage and environmental damage, which could curtail our operations; |
| • | interruptions in service and fluctuations in rates of third party pipelines that affect our assets; |
| • | the imposition of additional governmental regulations that cause delays or deter new oil and gas exploration and production activities and thus reduce the level of volumes that we process, store, transport or otherwise handle; |
| • | environmental liabilities or events that are not covered by an indemnity or insurance; |
| • | new environmental regulations that limit our operations or significantly increase our operating costs; |
| • | changes in the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships; |
| • | the impact of current and future laws, rulings and governmental regulations; and |
| • | general, economic, market or business conditions. |
We may also incur credit and price risk to the extent counterparties do not fulfill their obligations to us in connection with our marketing of natural gas, NGLs, propylene, refined products and/or crude oil and long-term take-or-pay agreements. The quarterly cash distributions paid by Enterprise to its unitholders are derived from the cash distributions it receives from EPO. The amount of cash EPO can distribute depends primarily upon cash flow generated by its consolidated operations.
You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. When considering forward-looking statements, please review the risk factors described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and incorporated by reference into this prospectus, in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed after our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.
41
Table of Contents
Sidley Austin LLP, our counsel, will issue an opinion for us about the legality of the common units and the material U.S. federal income tax consequences regarding the common units.
The consolidated financial statements incorporated into this Prospectus by reference from Enterprise Products Partners L.P.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, and the effectiveness of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports, which are incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
42
Table of Contents
Addendum A
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
Distribution Reinvestment Plan Fees
As of December 14, 2017
| Administrative Fee | Brokerage Fee (Per Share) | |||||||
| Quarterly Reinvestment |
Company Paid | Company Paid | ||||||
| Returned Check or Rejected Automatic Bank Withdrawal (per item) |
$ | 35.00 | N/A | |||||
| Sale of Plan Units (each sell order) |
$ | 15.00 | $ 0.12 | |||||
| Direct Deposit of Net Sale Proceeds (per transaction) |
$ | 5.00 | N/A | |||||
| Duplicate Statement & Research Fees |
||||||||
| Current Year Duplicate Statement |
N/A | |||||||
| Prior Year Duplicate Statement (per year) |
$ | 20.00 | ||||||
| Research Fee |
Call for fee information | |||||||
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. reserves the right to change the minimum or maximum investment amount or to add or modify fees.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution. |
The following table sets forth the estimated expenses payable by Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities covered by this registration statement.
| Registration fee |
$ | 260,763 | ||
| Fees and expenses of accountants |
15,000 | |||
| Fees and expenses of legal counsel |
25,000 | |||
| Fees and expenses of Administrator |
20,000 | |||
| Printing and engraving expenses |
10,000 | |||
| Miscellaneous |
5,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
$ | 335,763 | ||
|
|
|
| Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
Section 17-108 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other person from and against all claims and demands whatsoever. Enterprise Products Partners L.P.’s partnership agreement provides that Enterprise Products Partners L.P. will indemnify (i) Enterprise Products Holdings LLC, (ii) any departing general partner, (iii) any person who is or was an affiliate of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or any departing general partner, (iv) any person who is or was a member, partner, officer director, employee, agent or trustee of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or any departing general partner or any affiliate of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or any departing general partner or (v) any person who is or was serving at the request of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or any departing general partner or any affiliate of any such person, any affiliate of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or any fiduciary or trustee of another person (each, an “Enterprise Indemnitee”), to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (joint or several), expenses (including, without limitation, legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any Enterprise Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Enterprise Indemnitee; provided that in each case the Enterprise Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner that such Enterprise Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create an assumption that the Enterprise Indemnitee acted in a manner contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification under these provisions will be only out of the assets of Enterprise Products Partners L.P., and Enterprise Products Holdings LLC shall not be personally liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or lend funds or assets to Enterprise Products Partners L.P. to enable it to effectuate, such indemnification. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. is authorized to purchase (or to reimburse Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or its affiliates for the cost of) insurance against liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with Enterprise Products Partners L.P.’s activities, regardless of whether Enterprise Products Partners L.P. would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under the provisions described above.
Section 18-108 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act provides that, subject to such standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth in its limited liability company agreement, a Delaware limited liability company may, and shall have the power to, indemnify and hold harmless any member or manager or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. The limited liability company agreement of
II-1
Table of Contents
Enterprise Products Holdings LLC provides for the indemnification of (i) present or former members of the Board of Directors of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or any committee thereof, (ii) present or former officers, employees, partners, agents or trustees of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC or (iii) persons serving at the request of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC in another entity in a similar capacity as that referred to in the immediately preceding clauses (i) or (ii) (each, a “General Partner Indemnitee”) to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any such person may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of such person’s status as a General Partner Indemnitee; provided, that in each case the General Partner Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner which such General Partner Indemnitee believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such General Partner Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that the General Partner Indemnitee acted in a manner contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification pursuant to these provisions shall be made only out of the assets of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC. Enterprise Products Holdings LLC is authorized to purchase and maintain insurance, on behalf of the members of its Board of Directors, its officers and such other persons as the Board of Directors may determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such person in connection with the activities of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC, regardless of whether Enterprise Products Holdings LLC would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of its limited liability company agreement.
Enterprise Products Holdings LLC and its affiliates maintain liability insurance covering the officers and directors of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC against some liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act that may be incurred by them.
| Item 16. | Exhibits. |
II-2
Table of Contents
II-3
Table of Contents
II-4
Table of Contents
| # | Filed herewith. |
| * | Filed previously. |
| Item 17. | Undertakings. |
(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of a prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement, or that is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of this 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 the registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering;
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a Registration Statement relating to an offering, other than Registration Statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in this Registration Statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness; 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 first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in this Registration Statement or prospectus that was part of the Registration Statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
II-5
Table of Contents
(5) 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, the undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this Registration Statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about an undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this 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.
(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the 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 the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter had 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.
II-6
Table of Contents
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on December 14, 2017.
| ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS PARTNERS L.P. | ||
| By: | ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS HOLDINGS LLC its General Partner | |
| By: | /s/ W. RANDALL FOWLER | |
| W. Randall Fowler President | ||
II-7
Table of Contents
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated below on December 14, 2017.
| Signature | Title (of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC) | |
| * Randa Duncan Williams |
Director and Chairman of the Board | |
| * Richard H. Bachmann |
Director and Vice-Chairman of the Board | |
| * A. James Teague |
Director and Chief Executive Officer | |
| /S/ W. RANDALL FOWLER W. Randall Fowler |
Director and President | |
| * Bryan F. Bulawa |
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | |
| /S/ R. DANIEL BOSS R. Daniel Boss |
Senior Vice President-Accounting and Risk Control | |
| /S/ MICHAEL W. HANSON Michael W. Hanson |
Vice President and Principal Accounting Officer | |
| * Carin M. Barth |
Director | |
| * James T. Hackett |
Director | |
| * Charles E. McMahen |
Director | |
| * William C. Montgomery |
Director | |
| * Richard S. Snell |
Director | |
| /S/ HARRY P. WEITZEL Harry P. Weitzel |
Director | |
| *By |
/S/ W. RANDALL FOWLER W. Randall Fowler | |
| Attorney-in-fact | ||
II-8
Exhibit 5.1
|
SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP 1000 LOUISIANA STREET SUITE 6000 HOUSTON, TX 77002 +1 713 495 4500 +1 713 495 7799 FAX |
|||
| AMERICA • ASIA PACIFIC • EUROPE | ||||
December 14, 2017
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
1100 Louisiana Street, 10th Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special counsel to Enterprise Products Partners L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), in connection with the preparation of a Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 (the “Post-Effective Amendment”) to the Registration Statement on Form S-3D filed by the Partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), on May 12, 2016 (File No. 333-211318) (as amended by the Post-Effective Amendment, the “Registration Statement”). The Registration Statement relates to the offering of up to 104,963,257 common units representing limited partner interests (the “Common Units”), which may be issued pursuant to the Partnership’s Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”). The prospectus contained in the Registration Statement and dated the date of the Registration Statement constitutes the “Prospectus” as used herein. All capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the respective meanings assigned to such terms in the Registration Statement.
This opinion letter is being delivered in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.
As the basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed, we have examined and relied on originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following: (i) the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, as amended to date; (ii) the Sixth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, dated November 22, 2010, as amended to date (the “Partnership Agreement”); (iii) the Certificate of Formation of Enterprise Products Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “General Partner”), as amended to date; (iv) the Fifth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner, dated effective as of September 7, 2011, as amended to date (the “LLC Agreement”); (v) the Registration Statement; and (vi) the Prospectus. We have also examined originals, or copies of originals certified to our satisfaction, of such agreements, documents, certificates and statements of the Partnership, the General Partner and others, and have examined such questions of law, as we have considered relevant and necessary as a basis for this opinion letter. We have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all persons and the conformity with the original documents of any copies thereof submitted to us for examination. As to facts relevant to the opinions expressed herein, we have relied without independent investigation or verification upon, and assumed the accuracy and completeness of, certificates, letters and oral and written statements and representations of public officials and officers and other representatives of the Partnership and the General Partner.
We have also assumed that, at the time of the issuance, sale and delivery of any of the Common Units being offered, (i) the Common Units will be issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any prospectus supplement relating thereto and in accordance with the terms of the Plan, and (ii) the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, the Partnership Agreement, the Certificate of Formation of the General Partner and the LLC Agreement, in each case as amended to date, will not have been amended in any manner that would affect any legal conclusion set forth herein.
Sidley Austin LLP is a limited liability partnership practicing in affiliation with other Sidley Austin partnerships.
Page 2
Based on and subject to the foregoing and the other limitations, qualifications and assumptions set forth herein, we are of the opinion that with respect to the Common Units:
1. The issuance of the Common Units by the Partnership has been duly authorized by the General Partner.
2. Upon the issuance and delivery of the Common Units from time to time in accordance with the terms of the Plan for the consideration established by the Plan and the satisfaction of any performance conditions associated therewith and any requisite determinations by or pursuant to the authority of the board of directors of the General Partner as provided in the Plan, (a) such Common Units will be validly issued and (b) purchasers of such Common Units will have no obligation, solely by reason of their ownership of such Common Units, to make any contributions to the Partnership or any further payments for their purchase of such Common Units, and such purchasers will have no personal liability, solely by reason of their ownership of such Common Units, to creditors of the Partnership for any of its debts, liabilities or other obligations.
This opinion letter is limited to the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act and the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act. We express no opinion as to the laws, rules or regulations of any other jurisdiction, including, without limitation, the federal laws of the United States of America or any state securities or blue sky laws.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an Exhibit to the Registration Statement and to all references to our Firm included in or made a part of the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP
Exhibit 8.1
|
|
SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP 1000 LOUISIANA STREET SUITE 6000 HOUSTON, TX 77002 +1 713 495 4500 +1 713 495 7799 FAX |
|||
| AMERICA • ASIA PACIFIC • EUROPE | ||||
December 14, 2017
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
1100 Louisiana, 10th Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Enterprise Products Partners L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), in connection with the preparation of a Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 (the “Post-Effective Amendment”) to the Registration Statement on Form S-3D filed by the Partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) on May 12, 2016 (File No. 333-211318) (as amended by the Post-Effective Amendment, the “Registration Statement”). The Registration Statement relates to the offering of up to 104,963,257 common units representing limited partner interests (the “Common Units”), which may be issued pursuant to the Partnership’s Distribution Reinvestment Plan. In connection therewith, we have participated in the preparation of the discussion set forth under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” in the Registration Statement (the “Discussion”). All capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the respective meanings assigned to such terms in the Registration Statement.
This opinion is based on various facts and assumptions, and is conditioned upon certain representations made to us by the Partnership as to factual matters through an officer’s certificate (the “Officer’s Certificate”). In addition, this opinion is based upon the factual representations of the Partnership concerning its business, properties and governing documents as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Partnership’s responses to our examinations and inquiries.
In our capacity as counsel to the Partnership, we have made such legal and factual examinations and inquiries, including an examination of originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction of such documents, corporate records and other instruments, as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of this opinion. In our examination, we have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the genuineness of all signatures thereon, the legal capacity of natural persons executing such documents and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies. For the purpose of our opinion, we have not made an independent investigation or audit of the facts set forth in the above-referenced documents or representations. In addition, in rendering this opinion we have assumed the truth and accuracy of all representations and statements made to us which are qualified as to knowledge or belief, without regard to such qualification.
We hereby confirm that all statements of legal conclusions contained in the Discussion, subject to the qualifications and assumptions stated in the Discussion and the limitations and qualifications set forth herein, constitute the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP with respect to the matters described therein. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any undertaking to advise you of any subsequent changes of the facts stated or assumed therein or any subsequent changes in law.
This opinion is based on various statutory provisions, regulations promulgated thereunder and interpretations thereof by the Internal Revenue Service and the courts having jurisdiction over such matters, all of which are subject to change either prospectively or retroactively. Also, any variation or difference in the facts from those set forth in the representations described above, including in the Registration Statement and the Officer’s Certificate, may affect the conclusions stated herein.
Sidley Austin LLP is a limited liability partnership practicing in affiliation with other Sidley Austin partnerships.
This opinion is furnished to you, and is for your use in connection with the transactions set forth in the Registration Statement. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose or furnished to, assigned to, quoted to or relied upon by any other person, firm or other entity, for any purpose, without our prior written consent, except that this opinion may be relied upon by persons entitled to rely on it pursuant to applicable provisions of federal securities law, including purchasers of Common Units in this offering.
Furthermore, our opinion is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or a court. In addition, we must note that our opinion represents merely our best legal judgment on the matters presented and that others may disagree with our conclusion. There can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will not take a contrary position or that a court would agree with our opinion if litigated.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the incorporation by reference of this opinion to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent we do not admit that we are included in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations of the Commission.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Sidley Austin LLP
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement No. 333-211318 on Form S-3 of our reports dated February 24, 2017, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and subsidiaries and the effectiveness of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. for the year ended December 31, 2016, and to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement.
/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Houston, Texas
December 14, 2017
Exhibit 99.1
Letter to Registered Owners
, 20
Dear Fellow Partner,
I am pleased to announce Enterprise Products Partners L.P.’s (the “Partnership”) Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”) which is available to owners of common units of the Partnership. The Plan provides a simple, convenient and no-cost means of investing in the Partnership’s common units.
Plan Highlights:
| • | You may participate in the Plan if you currently are a unitholder of record of our common units or if you own our common units through your broker (by having your broker participate on your behalf). |
| • | You may purchase additional common units by reinvesting all or a portion of the cash distributions paid on your common units. |
| • | You may purchase our common units through the Plan at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% (currently set at 2.5%) without paying any service fees, brokerage trading fees or other charges. (Note: If you participate in the Plan through your broker, you should consult with your broker; your broker may charge you a service fee for participating on your behalf.) |
Your participation in the Plan is voluntary, and, if you elect to participate in the Plan, you may terminate your participation in the Plan at any time. You should read carefully the enclosed prospectus before deciding to participate in the Plan.
Should you decide to participate, an enrollment form, which is only applicable to the Partnership’s common units registered in your name, and a return envelope is included for your convenience. You may also register online by visiting Wells Fargo Shareowner Services’ website at www.shareowneronline.com.
Sincerely,
| /s/ |
| [Name] [Title] |
This letter does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the limited partner units described in this letter, nor shall there be any sale of these limited partner units in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The offer is being made only through the prospectus, which is part of a registration statement that became effective most recently on December 14, 2017.
Exhibit 99.2
Letter to Beneficial Owners
, 20
Dear Fellow Partner,
I am pleased to announce Enterprise Products Partners L.P.’s (the “Partnership”) Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”) which is available to owners of common units of the Partnership. The Plan provides a simple, convenient and no-cost means of investing in the Partnership’s common units.
Plan Highlights:
| • | You may participate in the Plan if you currently are a unitholder of record of our common units or if you own our common units through your broker (by having your broker participate on your behalf). |
| • | You may purchase additional common units by reinvesting all or a portion of the cash distributions paid on your common units. |
| • | You may purchase our common units through the Plan at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% (currently set at 2.5%) without paying any service fees, brokerage trading fees or other charges. (Note: If you participate in the Plan through your broker, you should consult with your broker; your broker may charge you a service fee for participating on your behalf.) |
Your participation in the Plan is voluntary, and, if you elect to participate in the Plan, you may terminate your participation in the Plan at any time. You should read carefully the prospectus describing the Plan before deciding to participate in the Plan.
If you are interested in learning more about the Plan, contact your broker for more information including a prospectus describing the Plan. You may also obtain a prospectus by visiting the Wells Fargo Shareowner Services’ website at www.shareowneronline.com or by contacting Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, the Plan Administrator, at Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, P.O. Box 64856, St. Paul, MN 18:21:4055154-0856. You may also call the Administrator at 1-800-468-9716 (toll free from inside the United States or Canada) or 1-651-450-4064 (from outside the United States or Canada). Please include a reference to Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in all correspondence.
Sincerely,
| /s/ |
| [Name] [Title] |
This letter does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the limited partner units described in this letter, nor shall there be any sale of these limited partner units in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The offer is being made only through the prospectus, which is part of a registration statement that became effective most recently on December 14, 2017.
Exhibit 99.3
DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN
ENROLLMENT FORM
To participate in the Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (“Enterprise”) Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”), complete and sign the reverse side of this enrollment form and return it in the enclosed envelope.
This will authorize Enterprise to forward to the Administrator all or a portion of the quarterly cash distributions you receive on common units to be invested to purchase additional common units of Enterprise. All investments are made subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan as set forth in the accompanying prospectus.
This authorization and appointment are given by you with the understanding that you may terminate them at any time by so notifying the Administrator.
To deposit your common units for safekeeping, check the appropriate box on the reverse side and return this card and your common unit certificates via registered mail, return receipt requested.
Please read carefully. This is not a proxy. Return this form only if you wish to participate in the Plan.
Please enroll me in the Enterprise Products Partners L.P. Distribution Reinvestment Plan.
Full Distribution Reinvestment. Please apply the distributions on all common units that I currently own as well as all future units that I acquire.
Partial Distribution Reinvestment. Please remit to me the distributions on common units. I understand that the distributions on my remaining units, as well as all future units that I acquire, will be reinvested under the Plan.
Safekeeping. Deposit the enclosed certificates for common units for safekeeping.
| Date |
| Signature(s) | ||
All joint owners must sign exactly as names appear on reverse side.
Mail completed form to:
Wells Fargo Shareowner Services
P.O. Box 64856
St. Paul, MN 55154-0856