As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 2010

Registration No. 333-164492

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Amendment No. 1

to

Form S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

333 Clay Street, Suite 1500

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 646-4100

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

 

Richard K. McGee

Tim Moore

333 Clay Street, Suite 1500

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 646-4100

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

 

Copies to:

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:  As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

 

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, check the following box.  o

 

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

 

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.  o

 

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) 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.  o

 

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” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

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

 

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED MARCH 3, 2010

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P.

 

Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests

 

 

This is the initial public offering of our common units. We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between $      and $      per common unit. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common units. We intend to apply to list our common units on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PNG.”

 

 

Investing in our common units involves risks. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page 24. These risks include the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional          common units from us on the same terms and conditions as set forth above if the underwriters sell more than           common units in this offering. If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units, we will sell such common units to the underwriters and redeem the same number of units from PAA.

 

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 underwriters expect to deliver the common units on or about          , 2010.

 

 

 

          , 2010

 

Map and pictures of facilities to come

 

 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered to you. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with additional or different information. We and the underwriters are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, our common units only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of our common units. Until          , 2010 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that effect transactions in our common units, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This delivery requirement is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

SUMMARY

 

PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P.

 

Our Assets

		Working Gas				Peak Injection				Peak Withdrawal				Compression
Facility Name and Type		Capacity (Bcf)				Rate (Bcf/d)				Rate (Bcf/d)				(Horsepower)
Pine Prairie (salt-cavern)
Existing facility			14				1.2				2.4				32,000
Planned expansion			31	(1)			1.2	(2)			0.8	(2)			56,250	(3)
Subtotal:			45				2.4				3.2				88,250
Bluewater (depleted reservoir)
Existing facility			26				0.5				0.8				13,350
Planned expansion			2	(4)			—				—				—
Subtotal:			28				0.5				0.8				13,350
Total (both facilities):			73				2.9				4.0				101,600

(1)		We expect to place 10 Bcf into service in the second quarter of 2010, 18 Bcf by mid-2012 and the final 3 Bcf will be added ratably through 2015.
(2)		We expect to complete these expansions of peak injection and withdrawal capabilities by mid-2011.
(3)		Of this aggregate expected increase in compression, 16,000 horsepower is on location with installation targeted for April 2010. With respect to the remaining compression capacity, we expect 23,000 horsepower to be in place by mid-2011 and an additional 17,250 horsepower to be in place by mid-2012.
(4)		We expect to place this expansion in working gas capacity into service ratably over a 10-year period beginning in 2011 in connection with a planned liquids removal project.

	•	the Henry Hub, which is the delivery point for NYMEX natural gas futures contracts and is located approximately 50 miles southeast of Pine Prairie;

	•	the Carthage Hub in east Texas, which is located approximately 150 miles northwest of Pine Prairie; and
	•	the Perryville Hub in north Louisiana, which is located approximately 130 miles north of Pine Prairie.

 

Our Operations

	•	Firm Storage Services.  Firm storage services include (i) storage services pursuant to which customers receive the assured or “firm” right to store gas in our facilities over a multi-year period and (ii) seasonal “park and loan” services pursuant to which customers receive the “firm” right to store gas in (park), or borrow gas from (loan), our facilities on a seasonal basis. Under our firm storage contracts, our customers are obligated to pay us fixed monthly capacity reservation fees, which are owed to us regardless of the actual storage capacity utilized. At Pine Prairie, our firm storage contracts typically have terms of 3 to 5 years, while at Bluewater terms generally range from 1 to 3 years. Under our firm storage contracts, we also typically collect a “cycling fee” based on the volume of natural gas nominated for injection and/or withdrawal and retain a small portion of natural gas nominated for injection as compensation for our fuel use. For the year ended December 31, 2009, approximately 92% of our total revenue was derived from firm storage services.

	•	Hub Services.  We also generate revenue from the provision of “hub services” at our facilities. Hub services include (i) “interruptible” storage services pursuant to which customers receive only limited assurances regarding the availability of capacity in our storage facilities and pay fees based on their actual utilization of our assets, (ii) non-seasonal “park and loan” services and (iii) “wheeling and balancing” services pursuant to which customers pay fees for the right to move a volume of gas through our facilities from one interconnection point to another and true up their deliveries of gas to, or takeaways of gas from our facilities. For the year ended December 31, 2009, approximately 7% of our total revenue was derived from hub services.

 

Our Business Strategy

	•	Optimizing our existing natural gas storage facilities.  We are constantly seeking to optimize the performance and profitability of our existing natural gas storage facilities. Our primary commercial objective is to generate a significant portion of our revenues by committing a high percentage of our storage capacity under multi-year firm storage contracts at attractive rates. Effective as of April 1, 2010, approximately 93% of our owned and leased total working gas capacity will be committed under firm storage contracts with a weighted average remaining tenor of approximately 3.9 years at Pine Prairie and approximately 2.2 years at Bluewater. We also provide our customers with a variety of hub services that are designed to accommodate customer needs, maximize the utilization of our assets and optimize our earnings and cash flow.

	•	Organically expanding our existing natural gas storage facilities.  Our existing assets enable us to expand our storage capacity on what we believe to be attractive economic terms. Our current expansion plans include the addition of 31 Bcf of working gas storage capacity at our Pine Prairie facility, 28 Bcf of which we expect to place into service by mid-2012, including 10 Bcf of new capacity that is substantially complete and that we currently expect to place into service during the second quarter of 2010. In addition, we are currently pursuing a liquids removal project to expand our storage capacity at our Bluewater facility by 2 Bcf ratably over a 10-year period beginning in 2011.

	•	Pursuing strategic and accretive acquisition or development projects.  We continually evaluate opportunities to acquire or develop new natural gas storage facilities in our existing and new markets. In general, we are seeking acquisition or development opportunities that will be accretive (or result in an increase in distributable cash flow on a per unit basis) and that will add natural gas storage assets or facilities that either complement our existing assets or strategically enhance our overall business by facilitating our entry into a desirable new market, diversifying our customer base or positioning us for future growth. Although there can be no assurances that viable acquisition or development opportunities will continue to be available to us or that we will ultimately be able to consummate any of the transactions currently being considered, we believe the combination of strong long-term fundamentals for natural gas demand and storage services coupled with the fragmented nature of the gas storage business should result in a variety of acquisition and/or development opportunities for us to consider. In addition, over time and working in conjunction with PAA, we intend to evaluate opportunities to acquire or develop other natural gas-related assets or businesses that complement our natural gas storage business and allow us to leverage our asset base and industry experience.

	•	Leasing storage capacity and transportation services from third parties to enhance operational flexibility.  In order to supplement our owned storage capacity, increase our operating flexibility, enhance the services that we are capable of offering to our customers and optimize the commercial performance of our assets, we periodically lease storage and/or transportation capacity from third parties. As of December 31, 2009, we had 3 Bcf of storage capacity under lease from third parties and had secured the right to 379 MMcf per day of firm transportation service on various pipelines.
	•	Utilizing a portion of our owned and leased storage capacity to enhance our commercial management activities.  Similar to the business model successfully employed by PAA, and without altering our basic commercial strategy of committing a high percentage of our storage capacity under multi-year firm storage contracts at attractive rates, we intend to establish a dedicated commercial marketing group that will capture short-term market opportunities by utilizing a portion of our owned or leased storage capacity for our own account and engaging in related commercial marketing activities. Consistent with PAA’s experience marketing crude oil and refined products, we anticipate that having a dedicated commercial marketing group that has a consistent presence in our markets will enhance our ability to

		properly price our storage and hub service offerings and will increase our earnings by capitalizing on volatility and inefficiencies in the natural gas markets. We will conduct these commercial activities within pre-defined risk parameters, and our general policy will be (i) to purchase natural gas only in situations where we have a market for such gas, (ii) to utilize physical natural gas inventory and financial derivatives to manage and optimize seasonal and spread risks inherent in our operations and commercial management activities and to structure our transactions so that commodity price fluctuations will not have a material adverse impact on our cash flow and (iii) not to acquire or hold natural gas, futures contracts or other derivative products for the purpose of speculating on outright commodity price changes.

 

Our Financial Strategy

	•	a long-term debt-to-total capitalization ratio of 40% or less;
	•	an average long-term debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA multiple of approximately 3.5x (Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation, depletion and amortization, equity compensation plan charges, gains and losses from derivative activities and selected items that are generally unusual or non-recurring); and
	•	an average Adjusted EBITDA-to-interest coverage multiple of approximately 3.3x or better.

Our Competitive Strengths

	•	Our natural gas storage assets are strategically located and operationally flexible.  Our Pine Prairie and Bluewater facilities are strategically positioned relative to several major market hubs and have

		significant connectivity that enable them to serve a variety of major producing regions, LNG importers and the primary consumer and industrial markets in the Gulf Coast, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast regions of the U.S. as well as eastern Ontario, Canada. Collectively, our facilities have aggregate peak injection and withdrawal capacity of 1.7 Bcf per day and 3.2 Bcf per day, respectively. Upon the completion of current expansion activities, these capabilities will increase to 2.9 Bcf per day of peak rate injection capability and 4.0 Bcf per day of peak rate withdrawal capability.

	•	Our business generates relatively stable and predictable cash flow.  Given the high percentage of our cash flow that is derived from fixed-capacity reservation fees under multi-year contracts with a diverse portfolio of customers, our baseline cash flow profile is relatively stable and predictable, which we believe significantly mitigates the risk to us of negative cash flow fluctuations caused by changing supply and demand conditions and other market factors. In addition, we do not take title to the natural gas that we store for our customers and, accordingly, are not exposed to commodity price fluctuations on the gas that is stored in our facilities by our customers. Except for the base gas we purchase and use in our facilities, which we consider to be a long-term asset, and volume and pricing variations related to small amounts of natural gas we are entitled to retain from our customers as compensation for our fuel costs, our current and planned business strategies are designed to minimize our exposure to fluctuations in the outright price of natural gas.

	•	Our Pine Prairie storage facility has the ability to be significantly expanded at competitive costs and with a relatively high degree of schedule certainty.  We own and/or lease 320 acres of land on the salt dome that underlies Pine Prairie. Our existing facilities and planned expansions through 2012 to five caverns will utilize only approximately 120 of these acres. Subject to market demand, project execution, sufficient pipeline capacity, available financing and receipt of future permits, we have the property rights and operational capacity to expand our Pine Prairie facility significantly beyond our current permitted capacity of 48 Bcf to over 150 Bcf. In addition, because our existing infrastructure at Pine Prairie has been specifically designed to facilitate future expansion, we expect it to both reduce our overall capital costs per additional Bcf of storage capacity and shorten the length and enhance the predictability of our development cycle.

	•	We have the evaluation, integration and engineering skill sets in-house that are necessary to successfully pursue acquisition and expansion opportunities.  We possess the in-house capabilities and expertise necessary to develop, construct, own, acquire and operate both depleted reservoir and salt-cavern storage capacity. We have been involved in substantially all aspects of the natural gas storage business since 2005 and our operational and management team has extensive energy industry and acquisition experience. In addition, from 1998 to 2009, PAA has (i) successfully acquired and integrated over $6 billion of acquisitions in over 50 separate transactions involving midstream energy assets, and (ii) executed over 100 organic growth and expansion projects with total capital expenditures of over $2.4 billion. We believe that the experience and skill sets of our collective management team provide us with a competitive advantage that enables us to appropriately identify, assess and evaluate the risks and opportunities that are likely to arise during the development and operational phases of potential gas storage acquisition and expansion opportunities.
	•	We have the financial flexibility to pursue acquisition and expansion opportunities.  At the closing of this offering, we expect to have approximately $200 million of borrowing capacity available to us under our revolving credit facility. We believe our borrowing capacity and our ability to access private and public debt and equity capital should provide us with the financial flexibility necessary to execute our growth and expansion strategy. Additionally, PAA may elect, but is not obligated, to provide us with financial support in connection with acquisitions or expansion capital projects in certain circumstances.
	•	Our general partner has an experienced executive management team with specialized knowledge of natural gas storage and markets and whose interests are aligned with those of our unitholders.  Our general partner has an executive management team that has extensive experience managing, operating, building, acquiring and integrating energy assets, including natural gas storage assets and other midstream energy assets. On average, the members of our general partner’s executive management team have in

Our Relationship with Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.

Risk Factors

	•	We may not have sufficient cash following the establishment of reserves and payment of fees and expenses, including cost reimbursements to our general partner, to enable us to pay the minimum quarterly distribution to holders of our common units and Series A subordinated units.

	•	On a pro forma basis, we would not have had sufficient available cash from distributable cash flow to pay the full minimum quarterly distribution on our common units or any distributions on our Series A subordinated units for the year ended December 31, 2009.

	•	The amount of cash we have available for distribution to holders of our common units and Series A subordinated units depends primarily on our cash flow rather than on our profitability, which may prevent us from making distributions, even during periods in which we record net income.

	•	The assumptions underlying our minimum estimated available cash from distributable cash flow included in “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” involve inherent and significant business, economic, financial, regulatory and competitive risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated.

	•	Increased competition from other companies that provide natural gas storage services or services that can substitute for storage services could have a negative impact on the demand for our services, which could adversely affect our financial results.

	•	Our natural gas storage operations are subject to regulation by federal, state and local regulatory authorities; regulatory measures adopted by such authorities could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions.

	•	We may not be able to maintain or replace expiring storage contracts.

	•	We may not be able to achieve our current expansion plans at our Pine Prairie facility on economically viable terms.

	•	Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash, which could limit our ability to grow and make acquisitions.

	•	Cost reimbursements due to PAA’s general partner and our general partner for services provided to us or on our behalf will be substantial and will reduce our cash available for distribution to you. The amount and timing of such reimbursements will be determined by PAA’s general partner.

	•	Holders of our common units have limited voting rights and are not entitled to elect the directors of our general partner.

	•	Even if holders of our common units are dissatisfied, they cannot initially remove our general partner without its consent.

	•	Upon the closing of the offering, investors in our common units will experience immediate and substantial dilution in pro forma net tangible book value of $      per common unit.

	•	PAA owns and controls our general partner, which has sole responsibility for conducting our business and managing our operations. PAA and our general partner have conflicts of interest and may favor PAA’s interests to your detriment.

	•	PAA may engage in competition with us.

	•	Our partnership agreement defines and modifies the duties of our general partner and restricts the remedies available to holders of our common and subordinated units for actions taken by our general partner.

	•	Our tax treatment depends on our status as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, as well as our not being subject to a material amount of additional entity-level taxation by individual states. If the IRS were to treat us as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or we were to become subject to material additional amounts of entity-level taxation for state tax purposes, then our cash available for distribution to you could be substantially reduced.

	•	The tax treatment of (i) publicly traded partnerships or (ii) an investment in our units could be subject to potential legislative, judicial or administrative changes and differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis.

	•	You will be required to pay taxes on your share of our income even if you do not receive any cash distributions from us.

Formation Transactions and Partnership Structure

	•	PAA will contribute to us 98.0% of the equity interests in the entities that own its gas storage business, in exchange for           common units,          Series A subordinated units, and           Series B subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us;
	•	PNGS GP LLC, our general partner and a subsidiary of PAA, will contribute to us 2.0% of the equity interests in the entities that own PAA’s gas storage business, in exchange for a 2.0% general partner interest in us as well as all of our incentive distribution rights, which will entitle our general partner to increasing percentages of the cash we distribute in excess of $      per quarter;
	•	we will issue           common units to the public, representing a     % limited partner interest in us;
	•	we will receive net proceeds of approximately $      million from the issuance and sale of           common units at an assumed initial offering price of $      per common unit and we will use the proceeds from this offering as described in “Use of Proceeds;”
	•	we expect to enter into a new $400 million credit facility and use the credit facility to repay approximately $200 million of intercompany indebtedness owed to PAA; and
	•	we will also enter into an omnibus agreement with PAA and certain of its affiliates, pursuant to which we will agree upon certain aspects of our relationship with them, including the provision by PAA’s general partner to us of certain general and administrative services and employees, our agreement to reimburse PAA’s general partner for the cost of such services and employees, certain indemnification obligations, the use by us of the name “Plains All American,” “PAA” and related marks, and other matters. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions — Agreements Governing the Transactions — Omnibus Agreement.”

 

Ownership of PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P.

Public Common Units				%
Common Units owned by PAA				%
Series A Subordinated Units owned by PAA				%
Series B Subordinated Units owned by PAA				%(1)
General Partner Interest			2.0	%
Total			100.0	%

(1)		The Series B subordinated units will not be entitled to participate in our quarterly distributions unless and until they convert into Series A subordinated units or common units. The Series B subordinated units are, however, entitled to vote on matters submitted to a vote to our unitholders.

 

Management of PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P.

 

Principal Executive Offices and Internet Address

 

Summary of Conflicts of Interest and Fiduciary Duties

 

The Offering

Common units offered to the public		common units.
		common units if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units.
Units outstanding after this offering		common units,1          Series A subordinated units and          Series B subordinated units for a total of     limited partner units. The Series B subordinated units will not be entitled to participate in our quarterly distributions, but will convert into Series A subordinated units on a one-for-one basis upon the satisfaction of certain operational and financial conditions, which include achievement of expansion activities and increases in our distribution level. If at the time the operational and financial conditions are satisfied, the subordination period has already ended, the Series B subordinated units will instead convert directly into common units on a one-for-one basis. In addition, our general partner will own a 2.0% general partner interest in us. For additional information regarding our Series B subordinated units, please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions — Subordination Period — Series B Subordinated Units.”
Use of proceeds		We intend to use the net proceeds of approximately $     , after deducting underwriting discounts, but before paying offering expenses, together with borrowings under our credit facility, to repay intercompany indebtedness owed to PAA in the amount of approximately $     .
		If the underwriters’ option to purchase     additional common units is exercised in full, we will use the net proceeds to redeem from PAA a number of common units equal to the number of common units issued upon exercise of the underwriters’ option, at a price per common unit equal to the proceeds per common unit before expenses but after underwriting discounts. Please read “Use of Proceeds.”

Cash distributions		Upon completion of this offering, our general partner will establish a minimum quarterly distribution of $     per common unit and Series A subordinated unit ($     per common unit and Series A subordinated unit on an annualized basis) to the extent we have sufficient cash after establishment of reserves and payment of fees and expenses, including payments to our general partner and its affiliates. We refer to this cash as “available cash,” and it is defined in our partnership agreement included in this prospectus as Appendix A and in the glossary included in this prospectus as Appendix B. Our ability to pay the minimum quarterly distribution is subject to various restrictions and other factors described in more detail under the caption “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions On Distributions.” We will adjust the minimum quarterly distribution payable for the period from the completion of this offering through June 30, 2010, based on the actual length of that period.
		Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash each quarter in the following manner:
		•		first, 98.0% to the holders of common units and 2.0% to our general partner, until each common unit has received the minimum quarterly distribution of $     , plus any arrearages from prior quarters; and
		•		second, 98.0% to the holders of Series A subordinated units and 2.0% to our general partner, until each Series A subordinated unit has received the minimum quarterly distribution of $     .
		If cash distributions to our unitholders exceed $     per common unit and Series A subordinated unit in any quarter, our general partner will receive, in addition to distributions on its 2.0% general partner interest, increasing percentages, up to 48.0%, of the cash we distribute in excess of that amount. We refer to these distributions as “incentive distributions.” Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions.”
		The amount of pro forma available cash from distributable cash flow generated during the year ended December 31, 2009 would have been sufficient to allow us to pay only     % of the minimum quarterly distribution ($     per unit per quarter, or $     on an annualized basis) on our common units for such period and would not have been sufficient to pay any distributions on our Series A subordinated units for such period. Please read “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

		We believe that, based on the Statement of Minimum Estimated Available Cash from Distributable Cash Flow included under the caption “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions,” we will have sufficient distributable cash flow to pay the minimum quarterly distribution of $     per unit on all common units and Series A subordinated units and the corresponding distributions on our general partner’s 2.0% interest for the four quarters ending June 30, 2011. This should be read in conjunction with “Risk Factors” and “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”
Series A subordinated units		PAA will initially own all of our Series A subordinated units. The principal difference between our common units and Series A subordinated units is that in any quarter during the subordination period, holders of the Series A subordinated units are not entitled to receive any distribution until the common units have received the minimum quarterly distribution plus any arrearages in the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution from prior quarters. Series A subordinated units will not accrue arrearages.
Conversion of Series A subordinated units		The subordination period will end on the first business day after we have earned and paid from distributable cash flow at least (i) $     (the minimum quarterly distribution on an annualized basis) on each outstanding common unit and Series A subordinated unit and the corresponding distribution on our general partner’s 2.0% interest for each of three consecutive, non-overlapping four quarter periods ending on or after June 30, 2013 from distributable cash flow or (ii) $     per quarter (150.0% of the minimum quarterly distribution, which is $     on an annualized basis) on each outstanding common unit and Series A subordinated unit and the corresponding distributions on our general partner’s 2.0% interest and the related distributions on the incentive distribution rights for each of four consecutive quarters ending on or after June 30, 2011.
		Distributable cash flow is defined as net income adjusted for (i) any gain or loss from the sale of assets not in the ordinary course of business, (ii) any gain or loss as a result of a change in accounting principles, (iii) any non-cash gains or items of income and any non-cash losses or expenses, including mark-to-market activity associated with hedging and with non-cash revaluation and/or fair valuation of assets or liabilities, (iv) any acquisition-related expenses associated with (a) successful acquisitions or (b) all other acquisitions until the earlier to occur of the abandonment of such acquisition or one year from the date of incurrence and (v) earnings or losses from unconsolidated subsidiaries except to the extent of actual cash distributions received; plus depreciation, depletion and amortization expense; and less maintenance capital expenditures.
		In addition, the subordination period will end upon the removal of our general partner other than for cause if the units held by our general partner and its affiliates are not voted in favor of such removal.

		When the subordination period ends, all Series A subordinated units will convert into common units on a one-for-one basis, and all common units thereafter will no longer be entitled to arrearages.
Series B subordinated units		PAA will initially own all of the Series B subordinated units. The Series B subordinated units will not be entitled to participate in our quarterly distributions until they convert into Series A subordinated units or common units.
		The Series B subordinated units are designed to compensate PAA for prior capital expenditures made by it to expand the working gas storage capacity at Pine Prairie and the future financial contribution expected to result from such investment. As of the closing of this offering, we expect to have approximately 24 Bcf of aggregate working gas storage capacity at Pine Prairie, including approximately 10 Bcf of new capacity that is substantially complete and that we currently expect to place into service during the second quarter of 2010.
Conversion of Series B subordinated units		The Series B subordinated units will convert into Series A subordinated units upon satisfaction of the following operational and financial conditions:
		•		Series B subordinated units will convert into Series A subordinated units on a one-for-one basis if (a) the aggregate amount of working gas storage capacity at Pine Prairie that has been placed into service totals at least 29.6 Bcf, (b) we generate distributable cash flow for two consecutive quarters sufficient to pay a quarterly distribution of at least $     per unit (representing an annualized distribution of $     per unit) on all outstanding common units, Series A subordinated units and such Series B subordinated units and (c) we make a quarterly distribution of at least $     per quarter for two consecutive quarters on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units (including such Series B subordinated units in the case of the second of such consecutive quarters);
		•		Series B subordinated units will convert into Series A subordinated units on a one-for-one basis if (a) the aggregate amount of working gas storage capacity at Pine Prairie that has been placed into service totals at least 35.6 Bcf, (b) we generate distributable cash flow for two consecutive quarters sufficient to pay a quarterly distribution of at least $     per unit (representing an annualized distribution of $     per unit) on all outstanding common units, Series A subordinated units and such Series B subordinated units and (c) we make a quarterly distribution of at least $     per quarter for two consecutive quarters on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units (including such Series B subordinated units in the case of the second of such consecutive quarters); and

		•		Series B subordinated units will convert into Series A subordinated units on a one-for-one basis if (a) the aggregate amount of working gas storage capacity at Pine Prairie that has been placed into service totals at least 41.6 Bcf, (b) we generate distributable cash flow for two consecutive quarters sufficient to pay a quarterly distribution of at least $     per unit (representing an annualized distribution of $     per unit) on all outstanding common units, Series A subordinated units and such Series B subordinated units and (c) we make a quarterly distribution of at least $     per quarter for two consecutive quarters on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units (including such Series B subordinated units in the case of the second of such consecutive quarters).
		Our general partner will determine whether the in-service operational tests set forth above have been satisfied. To the extent that the above operational and financial tests are satisfied, the Series B subordinated units will convert into Series A subordinated units and participate in the quarterly distribution payable to Series A subordinated units.
		Any Series B subordinated units that remain outstanding as of December 31, 2018 will automatically be cancelled.
		Following conversion of any Series B subordinated units into Series A subordinated units, such converted Series B subordinated units will further convert into common units (together with any other outstanding Series A subordinated units) to the extent that the tests for conversion of the Series A subordinated units are satisfied. In determining whether such conversion tests have been satisfied, the Series B subordinated units that have converted into Series A subordinated units will be treated as Series A subordinated units from and after the date of their conversion into Series A subordinated units.
		If at the time the above operational and financial tests are satisfied, the subordination period has already ended and all outstanding Series A subordinated units have converted into common units, the Series B subordinated units will instead convert directly into common units on a one-for-one basis and participate in the quarterly distribution payable to common units.
		For additional information regarding our Series B subordinated units, please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions — Subordination Period — Series B Subordinated Units.”

General partner’s right to reset the target distribution levels		Our general partner has the right, at any time when there are no Series A subordinated units outstanding and it has received incentive distributions at the highest level to which it is entitled (48.0%) for each of the prior four consecutive fiscal quarters, to reset the initial target distribution levels at higher levels based on our cash distributions at the time of the exercise of the reset election. Following a reset election by our general partner, the minimum quarterly distribution will be adjusted to equal the reset minimum quarterly distribution, and each target distribution level will be reset to the correspondingly higher amount that causes such reset target distribution level to exceed the reset minimum quarterly distribution by the same percentage that such distribution level exceeds the then-current minimum quarterly distribution.
		If our general partner elects to reset the target distribution levels, it will be entitled to receive common units and a general partner interest necessary to maintain its general partner interest in us immediately prior to the reset election. The number of common units to be issued to our general partner will equal the number of common units which would have entitled their holder to an average aggregate quarterly cash distribution in the prior two quarters equal to the average of the distributions to our general partner on the incentive distribution rights in the prior two quarters. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions — General Partner’s Right to Reset Incentive Distribution Levels.”
Issuance of additional units		We have the ability to issue an unlimited number of units without the consent of our unitholders. Please read “Units Eligible for Future Sale” and “The Partnership Agreement — Issuance of Additional Securities.”
Limited voting rights		Our general partner will manage and operate us. Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, you will have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business. You will have no right to elect our general partner or its directors on an annual or continuing basis. Our general partner may not be removed except by a vote of the holders of at least 662/3% of the outstanding units, voting together as a single class, including any units owned by our general partner and its affiliates, including PAA. Upon consummation of this offering, PAA will own an aggregate of approximately     % of our outstanding units. This will give PAA the ability to prevent the involuntary removal of our general partner. Please read “The Partnership Agreement — Voting Rights.”
Limited call right		If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than 80.0% of the outstanding common units, our general partner has the right, but not the obligation, to purchase all of the remaining common units at a price that is not less than the then-current market price of the common units.

Estimated ratio of taxable income to distributions		We estimate that if you own the common units you purchase in this offering through the record date for distributions for the period ending December 31, 2012, you will be allocated, on a cumulative basis, an amount of federal taxable income for that period that will be     % or less of the cash distributed to you with respect to that period. For example, if you receive an annual distribution of $     per unit, we estimate that your average allocable federal taxable income per year will be no more than $     per unit. Please read “Material Income Tax Consequences — Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Ratio of Taxable Income to Distributions.”
Material income tax consequences		For a discussion of other material federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to prospective unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States, please read “Material Income Tax Consequences.”
Exchange listing		We intend to apply to list our common units on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PNG.”

 

Summary Historical Financial and Operating Data

		Predecessor																	Successor				Pro Forma
														January 1,					September 3,
														2009					2009
		Year Ended				Year Ended				Year Ended				through					through				Year Ended
		December 31,				December 31,				December 31,				September 2,					December 31,				December 31,
		2006				2007				2008				2009					2009				2009
		($ in thousands except for /Mcf numbers)
Statement of operations data:
Total revenues		$	30,831			$	36,945			$	49,177			$	46,929				$	25,251			$	72,180
Storage related costs			100				3,847				8,934				8,792					7,003				15,795
Operating costs (except those shown below)			3,658				3,947				4,059				4,820					3,257				8,077
Fuel expense			613				1,140				2,320				1,816					578				2,394
General and administrative expenses			3,402				3,755				3,874				3,562					4,083				8,897
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			3,986				4,520				6,245				8,054					3,578				11,442
Total costs and expenses			11,759				17,209				25,432				27,044					18,499				46,605
Operating income			19,072				19,736				23,745				19,885					6,752				25,575
Interest expense			(8,389	)			(7,108	)			(4,941	)			(4,352	)				(4,262	)			(759	)
Interest income and other income (expense), net			2,030				5,378				1,669				458					(2	)			456
Income tax expense			—				—				(887	)			(473	)				—				(473	)
Net income		$	12,713			$	18,006			$	19,586			$	15,518				$	2,488			$	24,799

		Predecessor																	Successor				Pro Forma
														January 1,					September 3,
														2009					2009
		Year Ended				Year Ended				Year Ended				through					through				Year Ended
		December 31,				December 31,				December 31,				September 2,					December 31,				December 31,
		2006				2007				2008				2009					2009				2009
		($ in thousands except for /Mcf numbers)
Balance sheet data (at end of period):
Total assets		$	518,092			$	674,765			$	811,436								$	900,407			$	900,407
Long-term debt(1)			227,300				352,713				415,263									450,523
Total debt(1)			227,300				355,163				417,713									450,523
Members’/partners’ capital			264,109				294,717				363,229									432,744
Other financial data:
Adjusted EBITDA(2)		$	27,395			$	29,663			$	31,001			$	28,701				$	12,165	(3)		$	39,614
Distributable cash flow(2)		$	19,006			$	22,156			$	25,577			$	23,965				$	7,200			$	37,768
Maintenance capital expenditures		$	—			$	—			$	377			$	384				$	320			$	704
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		$	13,973			$	22,343			$	21,818			$	22,603				$	15,265
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities		$	(206,612	)		$	(177,280	)		$	(118,890	)		$	(58,561	)			$	(9,656	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		$	158,771			$	145,743			$	122,344			$	23,636				$	(22,813	)
Operating data:
Average monthly working capacity (Bcf)(4)(5)			24				26				28				40					43				41
Average monthly Firm Storage Services revenue/Mcf		$	0.09			$	0.10			$	0.13			$	0.13				$	0.14			$	0.14
Average monthly Hub Services revenue/Mcf		$	0.01			$	0.02			$	0.01			$	0.02				$	0.01			$	0.01
Adjusted EBITDA/Mcf		$	1.14			$	1.14			$	1.11			$	0.72				$	0.28			$	1.00

(1)		At December 31, 2009, the long-term debt and total debt balances consist of an intercompany note payable to PAA.
(2)		Adjusted EBITDA and distributable cash flow are defined in “— Non-GAAP and Segment Financial Measures” below.
(3)		The successor period includes total expenses of approximately $1 million associated with increased personnel costs, including added staffing, and accelerated audit and other costs related to our increased acquisition activities and our efforts to become a publicly traded entity as well as increased overhead allocations from PAA.
(4)		Calculated as the sum of the capacity at the end of each month divided by the number of months in the period.
(5)		Includes up to 3 Bcf of storage capacity under lease from third parties.

 

Non-GAAP and Segment Financial Measures

	•	our operating performance as compared to other publicly traded partnerships in the midstream energy industry, without regard to financing methods, capital structure or historical cost basis;
	•	the ability of our assets to generate sufficient cash flow to make distributions to our unitholders; and
	•	the viability of acquisitions and capital expenditure projects and the returns on investment of various investment opportunities.

			Predecessor																									Successor				Pro Forma
			August 18,																				January 1					September 3
			through					Year Ended					Year Ended					Year Ended					through					through				Year Ended
			December 31,					December 31,					December 31,					December 31,					September 2,					December 31,				December 31,
			2005					2006					2007					2008					2009					2009				2009
			($ in thousands)
Adjusted EBITDA reconciliation
Net income			$	1,696				$	12,713				$	18,006				$	19,586				$	15,518				$	2,488			$	24,799
Income tax expense				—					—					—					887					473					—				473
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized				1,684					8,389					7,108					4,941					4,352					4,262				759
Depreciation, depletion and amortization				1,223					3,986					4,520					6,245					8,054					3,578				11,442
Selected items impacting EBITDA
Equity compensation expense				—					515					553					(110	)				304					1,467				1,771
Mark-to-market of open derivative positions				—					1,792					(524	)				(548	)				—					370				370
Adjusted EBITDA			$	4,603				$	27,395				$	29,663				$	31,001				$	28,701				$	12,165			$	39,614
Distributable cash flow reconciliation
Net income			$	1,696				$	12,713				$	18,006				$	19,586				$	15,518				$	2,488			$	24,799
Depreciation, depletion and amortization				1,223					3,986					4,520					6,245					8,054					3,578				11,442
Income tax expense				—					—					—					887					473					—				473
Maintenance capital expenditures				—					—					—					(377	)				(384	)				(320	)			(704	)
Other non-cash items:
Non-cash equity compensation expense				—					515					154					(216	)				304					1,084				1,388
Mark-to-market of open derivative positions				—					1,792					(524	)				(548	)				—					370				370
Distributable cash flow			$	2,919				$	19,006				$	22,156				$	25,577				$	23,965				$	7,200			$	37,768

 

Limited partner units are inherently different from capital stock of a corporation, although many of the business risks to which we are subject are similar to those that would be faced by a corporation engaged in similar businesses. We urge you to carefully consider the following risk factors together with all of the other information included in this prospectus in evaluating an investment in our common units.

 

If any of the following risks were to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In that case, we might not be able to pay the minimum quarterly distribution on our common units, the trading price of our common units could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment in us.

 

We may not have sufficient cash following the establishment of reserves and payment of fees and expenses, including cost reimbursements to our general partner, to enable us to pay the minimum quarterly distribution to holders of our common units and Series A subordinated units.

 

In order to pay the minimum quarterly distribution of $      per common unit and Series A subordinated unit per quarter, or $      per common unit and Series A subordinated unit per year, we will require available cash of approximately $      million per quarter, or $      million per year, based on the number of common units and Series A subordinated units to be outstanding immediately after completion of this offering, regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units. We may not have sufficient available cash from distributable cash flow each quarter to enable us to pay the minimum quarterly distribution. The amount of cash we can distribute on our units principally depends upon the amount of cash we generate from our operations, which will fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on, among other things:

 

 

In addition, the actual amount of cash we will have available for distribution will depend on other factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

 

 

For a description of additional restrictions and factors that may affect our ability to make cash distributions, please read “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

 

On a pro forma basis, we would not have had sufficient available cash from distributable cash flow to pay the full minimum quarterly distribution on our common units or any distributions on our Series A subordinated units for the year ended December 31, 2009.

 

The amount of available cash from distributable cash flow we need to pay the minimum quarterly distribution for four quarters on all of our common units and Series A subordinated units outstanding immediately after this offering is approximately $     . The amount of our pro forma available cash from distributable cash flow generated during the year ended December 31, 2009 would have been sufficient to allow us to pay only     % of the minimum quarterly distribution on our common units during this period and would not have been sufficient to pay any distributions on our Series A subordinated units during this period. For a calculation of our ability to make distributions to unitholders based on our pro forma results for the year ended December 31, 2009 and for the twelve months ending June 30, 2011, please read, “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

 

The amount of cash we have available for distribution to holders of our common units and Series A subordinated units depends primarily on our cash flow rather than on our profitability, which may prevent us from making distributions, even during periods in which we record net income.

 

The amount of cash we have available for distribution depends primarily upon our cash flow and not solely on profitability, which will be affected by non-cash items. As a result, we may make cash distributions during periods when we record losses for financial accounting purposes and may not make cash distributions during periods when we record net earnings for financial accounting purposes.

 

The assumptions underlying our minimum estimated available cash from distributable cash flow included in “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” involve inherent and significant business, economic, financial, regulatory and competitive risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated.

 

Our estimate of available cash from distributable cash flow set forth in “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” has been prepared by management, and we have not received an opinion or report on it from our or any other independent registered public accounting firm. The assumptions underlying the forecast are inherently uncertain and are subject to significant business, economic, financial, regulatory and competitive risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forecasted. If we do not achieve the forecasted results, we may not be able to pay the full minimum quarterly distribution or any amount on our common units or Series A subordinated units, in which event the market price of our common units may decline materially. For further discussion on our ability to pay our minimum quarterly distribution, please read “Our Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

 

Increased competition from other companies that provide natural gas storage services or services that can substitute for storage services could have a negative impact on the demand for our services, which could adversely affect our financial results.

 

We compete primarily with other providers of natural gas storage services who own or operate salt-dome, depleted reservoir and/or converted aquifer gas storage facilities. Such competitors include independent storage developers and operators, local distribution companies, utilities, interstate and intrastate gas transmission companies with storage facilities connected to their pipelines and midstream energy companies. FERC has adopted policies that favor the development of new storage projects and there are numerous projects, including expansions of existing facilities and greenfield construction projects, at various stages of development in the markets where Pine Prairie and Bluewater operate. According to FERC data, since 2000, permits have been issued by the FERC for new interstate gas storage facilities or expansions in the Gulf Coast (excluding intrastate facilities and FERC pre-filings for additional storage capacity) representing aggregate additional working gas capacity of approximately 576 Bcf. These projects, if developed and placed into service, may

compete with our storage operations. The principal elements of competition among storage facilities are rates, terms of service, types of service, deliverability, supply and market access, flexibility and reliability of service.

 

We also compete with certain pipelines, marketers and LNG facilities that provide services that can substitute for certain of the storage services we offer. In addition, natural gas as a fuel competes with other forms of energy available to end-users, including electricity, coal and liquid fuels. Increased demand for such forms of energy at the expense of natural gas could lead to a reduction in demand for natural gas storage services.

 

All of these competitive pressures could make it more difficult for us to retain our existing customers and/or attract new customers as we seek to expand our business. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions. In addition, competition could intensify the negative impact of factors that decrease demand for natural gas storage in our markets, such as adverse economic conditions, weather, higher fuel costs and taxes or other governmental or regulatory actions that directly or indirectly increase the cost or limit the use of natural gas.

 

Our natural gas storage operations are subject to regulation by federal, state and local regulatory authorities; regulatory measures adopted by such authorities could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions.

 

Our natural gas storage operations are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations administered by a number of authorities. Because we store natural gas that is transported in interstate commerce, our natural gas storage facilities are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FERC under the Natural Gas Act of 1938, or NGA. Federal regulation under the NGA extends to such matters as:

 

 

The NGA requires that tariff rates for our interstate gas storage facilities be “just and reasonable.” In addition, under the NGA and applicable FERC regulations, we are prohibited from unduly preferring or unreasonably discriminating against any person with respect to rates or terms and conditions of service.

 

The rates and terms and conditions for interstate services provided by our Pine Prairie and Bluewater facilities are set forth in FERC-approved tariffs, which currently permit both Pine Prairie and Bluewater to charge market-based rates. Market-based rate authority allows Pine Prairie and Bluewater to negotiate rates with individual customers based on market demand. This right to charge market-based rates may be challenged by a party filing a complaint with FERC. Our market-based rate authorization may also be re-examined if we add substantial new storage capacity through expansion or acquisition and as a result obtain market power. Any successful complaint or protest against our rates could have an adverse impact on our revenues associated with providing storage services.

 

Should we fail to comply with all applicable FERC-administered statutes, rules, regulations and orders, we could be subject to substantial penalties and fines. Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, or EPAct 2005,

FERC has civil penalty authority under the NGA to impose penalties for certain violations of up to $1,000,000 per day for each violation. FERC also has the authority to order disgorgement of profits from transactions deemed to violate the NGA and the EPAct 2005. Please read “Business — Regulation.”

 

Finally, new rules, regulations or laws may be passed or implemented that impose additional costs, burdens or restrictions on us. We cannot give any assurance regarding the likelihood of such future rules, regulations or laws or the effect they could have on our business, financial condition, results of operations or ability to make distributions to you.

 

Pine Prairie’s and Bluewater’s authorizations to charge “market-based rates” are subject to the continued existence of certain conditions related to these facilities’ competitive position in their respective markets and, if those conditions change, the right to charge “market-based rates” could be terminated.

 

The rates Pine Prairie and Bluewater charge for storage services are regulated by FERC pursuant to its “market-based rate” policy, which allows regulated entities to charge rates different from, and in some cases, less than, those which would be permitted under traditional cost-of-service regulation. Pine Prairie’s and Bluewater’s authorization to charge “market-based rates” is based on determinations by FERC that neither Pine Prairie nor Bluewater have “market power” in their respective markets. The determination that storage facilities lack market power is subject to review and revision by FERC if there is a change in circumstances that could affect the ability of additional storage or interconnected pipeline facilities at Pine Prairie or Bluewater to exercise market power. Among the sorts of changes in circumstances that could raise market power concerns would be an expansion of Pine Prairie’s or Bluewater’s capacity, acquisitions, or other changes in market dynamics. If the FERC were to conclude that Pine Prairie or Bluewater may have acquired and cannot mitigate market power, their rates could become subject to cost-of-service regulation.

 

If Pine Prairie or Bluewater’s rates become subject to cost-of-service regulation, the maximum rates that may be charged for storage services would be established through FERC’s ratemaking process, and Pine Prairie or Bluewater would no longer be able to charge a rate demanded by the market. Generally, cost-of-service based rates for interstate natural gas services are based on the cost of providing service including recovery of, and a reasonable return on, the entity’s actual prudent historical cost investment for providing jurisdictional service. Key determinants in the ratemaking process are costs of providing service, allowed rate of return, and billing determinants, which are based upon storage volumes and contractual capacity commitment assumptions. Rate design and the allocation of costs underlying cost-of-service based rates must also be approved by FERC as part of each rate case. The resolution of these key determinants, particularly the allowed rate of return and billing determinants that would underlie the cost-of-service based rates through the FERC’s ratemaking process, could adversely impact Pine Prairie or Bluewater’s profitability, and have adverse consequences on our cash flow and our ability to make distributions. Additionally, changes in generally applicable FERC ratemaking policies could also affect Bluewater and Pine Prairie.

 

Certain risks are amplified by the current economic environment.

 

During 2007, the U.S. and many key countries began to exhibit signs of economic weakness, which continued throughout 2008 and 2009, and into 2010. This weakness had a severe adverse impact on the global financial system, stressing a number of large financial institutions to the point of failure, merger or requiring government assistance and resulting in a severe reduction in available capital. Capital constraints coupled with significant energy price volatility have produced pervasive liquidity issues for many companies. Such events have created pronounced uncertainty in the economic outlook, and have amplified the potential impact and likelihood of the occurrence of certain risks inherent in our business. Such amplified risks include:

 

 

 

Any significant and prolonged change in or stabilization of natural gas prices could have a negative impact on our business.

 

Historically, natural gas prices have been seasonal and volatile, which has enhanced demand for our storage services. The storage business has benefited from significant price fluctuations resulting from seasonal price sensitivity, which impacts the level of demand for our services and the rates we are able to charge for such services. On a system-wide basis, natural gas is typically injected into storage between April and October when natural gas prices are generally lower and withdrawn during the winter months of November through March when natural gas prices are typically higher. However, the market for natural gas may not continue to experience volatility and seasonal price sensitivity in the future at the levels previously seen. If volatility and seasonality in the natural gas industry decrease, because of increased production capacity or otherwise, the demand for our services and the prices that we will be able to charge for those services may decline.

 

In addition to volatility and seasonality, an extended period of high gas prices would increase the cost of acquiring base gas and likely place upward pressure on the costs of associated expansion activities. An extended period of low natural gas prices could adversely impact storage values for some period of time until market conditions adjust. These commodity price impacts could have a negative impact on our business and financial results.

 

We may not be able to maintain or replace expiring storage contracts.

 

Our primary exposure to market risk occurs at the time our existing storage contracts expire and are subject to renegotiation and renewal. Effective as of April 1, 2010, the weighted average remaining tenor of our existing portfolio of firm storage contracts will be approximately 3.9 years at Pine Prairie and approximately 2.2 years at Bluewater. For the year ended December 31, 2009, Iberdrola Renewables, Inc. and Guardian Pipeline, LLC accounted for approximately 17% and 13% of our revenues, respectively. The extension or replacement of existing contracts, including our contracts with Iberdrola Renewables, Inc. and Guardian Pipeline, LLC, depends on a number of factors beyond our control, including:

 

 

Any failure to extend or replace a significant portion of our existing contracts, or extending or replacing them at unfavorable or lower rates, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions.

 

Our storage business depends on third-party pipelines connected to our storage facilities, and we could be negatively impacted by circumstances beyond our control that temporarily or permanently interrupt the operation of such pipelines.

 

We depend on the continued operation of third-party pipelines and other facilities that provide delivery options to and from our storage facilities. For example, at our Pine Prairie facility, we have nine separate interconnect points with eight different interstate pipelines, and at our Bluewater facility, we are connected to three interstate and three intrastate natural gas pipelines. Because we do not own the pipelines that are interconnected to our facilities, their continued operation is not within our control. If any of the pipelines to which we are connected were to become unavailable for current or future withdrawals or injections of natural gas due to repairs, damage to the facility, lack of capacity or any other reason, our ability to operate efficiently and satisfy our customers needs could be compromised, thereby potentially reducing our revenues. Any temporary or permanent interruption at any key pipeline or other interconnect point with our gas storage

facilities that caused a material reduction in the volume of storage services provided by us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation and ability to make distributions.

 

In addition, the rates charged by pipelines interconnected with our storage facilities for transportation to and from our facilities affects the utilization and value of the storage services we provide. Significant changes in the rates charged by these pipelines or their competitors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions.

 

We may not be able to achieve our current expansion plans at our Pine Prairie facility on economically viable terms.

 

Our current expansion plans include the addition of 31 Bcf of working gas storage capacity at our Pine Prairie facility, 28 Bcf of which we expect to place into service by mid-2012, including 10 Bcf of new capacity that is substantially complete and that we currently expect to place into service during the second quarter of 2010. In connection with these expansion efforts, we may encounter difficulties in the drilling required to access subsurface storage caverns, the drilling of raw water wells or salt water disposal wells and the completion of the wells. These risks include the following:

 

 

Specifically, the creation of a salt-cavern storage facility requires sourcing, injecting, withdrawing and disposing of significant volume of water. For example, to create 10 Bcf of working capacity, a salt cavern requires approximately 73 million barrels of raw water supply and an equivalent volume of salt water disposal. Additionally, the rate of access to raw water and the rate of disposal of salt water have a direct impact on the time it takes to create a salt cavern. Any physical or regulatory restriction imposed on our current operations with respect to accessing raw water or disposing of salt water would have an adverse impact on our ability to timely and fully expand our facility at Pine Prairie. During the initial construction of Pine Prairie, we encountered challenges related to many of the factors listed above and specifically with respect to the ability to efficiently dispose of salt water, all of which resulted in substantial delays and the incurrence of significant costs in excess of our original estimates. There can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar situations in the future or that our ability to access raw water or dispose of salt water will not be adversely impacted in the future. Additionally, the occurrence of uninsured or under-insured losses, delays or operating cost overruns associated with these drilling efforts could have a negative impact on our operations and financial results.

 

We may not be able to increase the capacity of our Pine Prairie facility beyond our current expansion plans.

 

While we have both the property rights and operational capacity necessary to expand our Pine Prairie facility beyond the currently permitted capacity of 48 Bcf to a potential of over 150 Bcf of total working gas storage capacity, we may not be able to secure the financing or permits necessary to pursue such expansion and the necessary infrastructure modifications that would be needed to accommodate such expansion. Additionally, such expansion will be subject to market demand, the successful execution of any expansion projects and the availability of sufficient third-party interstate and intrastate pipelines receipt and deliverability capacity to accommodate the increased capacity. Any combination of these factors may prevent us from expanding our Pine Prairie facility beyond its current permitted capacity.

 

We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers in the ordinary course of our business.

 

As a normal part of our business we extend credit to our customers. As a result, we are exposed to the risk of loss resulting from the nonpayment and/or nonperformance of our customers. While we have established credit policies that include assessing the creditworthiness of our customers as permitted by Pine Prairie’s and Bluewater’s tariffs and requiring appropriate terms or credit support from them based on the results of such assessments, there can be no assurance that we have adequately assessed the creditworthiness of our existing or future customers or that there will not be unanticipated deterioration in their creditworthiness. Resulting nonpayment and/or nonperformance by our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation and ability to make distributions.

 

Additionally, in instances where we loan natural gas to third parties, the magnitude of our credit risk is significantly increased, as the failure of the third party to return the loaned volumes would result in losses equal to the full value of the loaned natural gas rather than, in the case of firm storage or hub services contracts, losses equal to fees on volumes nominated for injection or withdrawal.

 

For various operating and commercial reasons, we may not be able to perform all of our obligations under our contracts, which could lead to increased costs and negatively impact our financial results.

 

Various operational and commercial factors could result in an inability on our part to satisfy our contractual commitments and obligations. For example, in connection with our provision of firm storage services and hub services to our customers, we enter into contracts that obligate us to honor our customers’ requests to inject gas into our storage facilities, withdraw gas from our facilities and wheel gas through our facilities, in each case subject to volume, timing and other limitations set forth in such contracts. The following factors could adversely impact our ability to perform our obligations under these contracts:

 

 

 

 

 

Although we manage and monitor all of these various factors in connection with the ongoing operation of our natural gas storage facilities with the goal of performing all of our contractual commitments and obligations and optimizing our revenue, one or more of the above factors may adversely impact our ability to satisfy our injection, withdrawal or wheeling obligations under our storage contracts. In such event, we may be liable to our customers for losses or damages they suffer and/or we may need to incur costs or expenses in order to permit us to satisfy our obligations and avoid a breach or increase our costs in doing so.

 

For example, if Pine Prairie experiences sustained periods of high injections as it approaches full capacity and the resulting cavern temperature and pressure would otherwise exceed the maximum operating pressure, we may be required to loan a portion of our base gas to third parties in order to create the space we need to permit us to honor our customers’ injection requests. In connection with any such base gas loans, we will be required to pay fees that could be significant. Conversely, if Pine Prairie experiences sustained periods of high withdrawals as customers withdraw their inventory and an abnormally low cavern temperature results in a significant reduction in pressure, we may be required to borrow gas from a third party and inject it into our facility or inject raw water into our facility, in each case in order to maintain our minimum operating pressure or create the operating pressure needed to satisfy our customers’ withdrawal requests. In such a circumstance we would have to (i) pay fees to a third party to borrow additional gas or (ii) incur operating costs associated with raw water injection, removal and disposal and opportunity costs associated with the temporary loss of usable storage capacity displaced by the injected water.

 

Our marketing activities could result in financial losses.

 

Without altering our basic commercial strategy of committing a high percentage of our storage capacity under multi-year firm storage contracts at attractive rates, we intend to establish a dedicated commercial marketing group that will capture short-term market opportunities by utilizing a portion of our owned or leased storage capacity for our own account and engaging in related commercial marketing activities. Through these transactions, we will seek to maintain a position that is substantially balanced between purchases on the one hand and sales or future delivery obligations on the other hand. Our general policy will be (i) to purchase natural gas only in situations where we have a market for such gas, (ii) to utilize physical natural gas inventory and financial derivatives to manage and optimize seasonal and spread risks inherent in our operations and commercial management activities and to structure our transactions so that commodity price fluctuations will not have a material adverse impact on our cash flow and (iii) not to acquire or hold natural gas, futures contracts or other derivative products for the purpose of speculating on outright commodity price changes. While we intend to conduct these transactions within these pre-defined risk parameters, these policies will not eliminate all risks. For example, any event that disrupts our anticipated physical supply of or market for natural gas could expose us to significant costs or expenses in order to enable us to satisfy our obligations to store or deliver contracted natural gas volumes.

 

We are subject to environmental laws and regulations that may expose us to significant costs and liabilities.

 

Our natural gas storage operations are subject to stringent and complex federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. We may incur substantial costs in order to conduct our operations in compliance with these laws and regulations. These laws and regulations may impose numerous obligations that are applicable to our operations, including the acquisition of permits to conduct certain activities, increases in operating expenses or curtailment of certain operations to limit or prevent releases of materials from our

facilities, the incurrence of capital expenditures associated with the installation of pollution control equipment, and the imposition of substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from our operations. Moreover, new, stricter environmental laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be implemented that significantly increase our compliance costs or the costs of any remediation of environmental contamination that may become necessary, and these costs could be material. For example, the adoption and implementation of any climate change legislation or regulations imposing reporting obligations with respect to, or limiting emissions of, “greenhouse gases” could result in increased operating costs and adversely affect demand for natural gas.

 

Numerous governmental authorities, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and analogous state agencies, have the power to enforce compliance with these laws and regulations and the permits issued under them, oftentimes requiring difficult and costly corrective actions. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations and permits may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial obligations, and the issuance of injunctions limiting or preventing some or all of our operations. In addition, joint and several liability or strict liability may be imposed under certain environmental laws, which could cause us to become liable for the conduct of others or for consequences of our own actions that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time those actions were taken. Private parties may also have the right to pursue legal actions to enforce compliance as well as to seek damages for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations or for personal injury or property damage that may result from environmental and other impacts of our operations. We may not be able to recover all or any of these costs through insurance or other means, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation and ability to make distributions. Please read “Business — Environmental Matters” for more information.

 

If we do not complete expansion projects or make and integrate acquisitions, our future growth may be limited.

 

A principal focus of our strategy is to continue to grow the cash distributions on our units by expanding our business. Our ability to grow depends on our ability to complete expansion projects and make acquisitions that result in an increase in cash generated from operations on a per unit basis (i.e., are accretive). We may be unable to complete successful, accretive expansion projects or acquisitions for any of the following reasons:

 

 

 

 

Acquisitions or expansion projects that we complete may not perform as anticipated and could result in a reduction of our distributable cash flow on a per unit basis.

 

Even if we complete expansion projects or acquisitions that we believe will be accretive, such projects or acquisitions may nevertheless reduce our available cash from distributable cash flow on a per unit basis due to the following factors:

 

 

 

If we consummate any future expansion projects or acquisitions, our capitalization and results of operations may change significantly, and you will not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic, financial and other relevant information that we will consider in determining the application of these funds and other resources. If any expansion projects or acquisitions we ultimately complete are not accretive to our distributable cash flow per common unit and Series A subordinated unit, our ability to make distributions may be reduced.

 

We could lose the benefits of the Pine Prairie tax abatement.

 

In May 2006, we entered into an arrangement with the Industrial Development Board No. 1 of the Parish of Evangeline, State of Louisiana, Inc. (the “Industrial Development Board”), pursuant to which we sold a portion of the Pine Prairie facility located in the parish to the Industrial Development Board and entered into a 15-year agreement, which commenced in January of 2008, to lease back such portion of the facility. Pursuant to this arrangement and in exchange for certain payments in lieu of taxes, we are not subject to ad valorem property tax in Evangeline Parish except for ad valorem tax on inventory. As of December 31, 2009, the present value of the tax abatement was approximately $23 million. We classify the present value of the tax abatement as an intangible asset, so if we were to lose the tax abatement due to a successful legal challenge of the arrangement, our violation of the terms of the lease, or for any other reason, it would be a charge to our earnings and could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and ability to make distributions. See “Business — Title to Properties and Rights-of-Way.”

 

Our natural gas storage facilities are new and have limited operating history. The facilities may not be able to deliver as anticipated, which could prevent us from meeting our contractual obligations and cause us to incur significant costs.

 

Although we believe that our operating gas storage facilities at Bluewater and Pine Prairie have been designed to meet our contractual obligations with respect to wheeling, injection, withdrawal and gas specifications, the facilities are new and have a limited operating history. If we fail to wheel, inject or withdraw natural gas at contracted rates, or cannot deliver natural gas consistent with contractual quality specifications, we could incur significant costs to satisfy our contractual obligations. These costs could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions.

 

Our business involves many hazards and operational risks, some of which may not be fully covered by insurance. If a significant accident or event occurs for which we are not fully insured, our operations and financial results could be adversely affected.

 

Our operations are subject to all of the risks and hazards inherent in the natural gas storage business, including:

 

 

 

These risks could result in substantial losses due to breaches of contractual commitments, personal injury and/or loss of life, damage to and destruction of property and equipment and pollution or other environmental damage. These risks may also result in curtailment or suspension of our operations. A natural disaster or other hazard affecting the areas in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our operations. We are not fully insured against all risks inherent in our business. In addition, we are not insured against all environmental accidents that might occur, some of which may result in toxic tort claims. If a significant accident or event occurs for which we are not fully insured, it could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions. Furthermore, we may not be able to maintain or obtain insurance of the type and amount we desire at reasonable rates. As a result of market conditions, premiums and deductibles for certain of our insurance policies may substantially increase. In some instances, certain insurance could become unavailable or available only for reduced amounts of coverage. Additionally, we may be unable to recover from prior owners of our assets, pursuant to our indemnification rights, for potential environmental liabilities.

 

In addition, we share insurance coverage with PAA, for which we reimburse PAA’s general partner pursuant to the terms of the omnibus agreement. To the extent PAA experiences covered losses under the insurance policies, the limit of our coverage for potential losses may be decreased.

 

If leakage or migration of natural gas or other hydrocarbons occurs from any of our storage facilities, our operations and financial results could be adversely affected.

 

Our operations are subject to the risk that natural gas or other hydrocarbons could leak or migrate from our storage facilities, causing a loss of volumes stored in the storage facilities. This risk could cause substantial losses due to our inability to deliver the stored volumes back to our customers. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain insurance to protect against this risk and we may not be able to maintain insurance of the type and amount we desire at reasonable rates to insure against this risk.

Restrictions in our anticipated credit facility could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, ability to make distributions to unitholders and value of our units.

 

We expect to have a credit facility available to us concurrent with the closing of the offering. Our credit facility is likely to restrict our ability to, among other things:

 

 

Furthermore, our credit facility may contain covenants requiring us to maintain certain financial ratios.

 

The provisions of our credit facility may affect our ability to obtain future financing and pursue attractive business opportunities and our flexibility in planning for, and reacting to, changes in business conditions. In addition, a failure to comply with the provisions of our credit facility could result in an event of default which could enable our lenders, subject to the terms and conditions of the anticipated credit facility, to declare the outstanding principal of that debt, together with accrued interest, to be immediately due and payable. If the payment of our debt is accelerated, our assets may be insufficient to repay such debt in full, and the holders of our units could experience a partial or total loss of their investment.

 

Debt we incur in the future may limit our flexibility to obtain financing and to pursue other business opportunities.

 

Our future level of debt could have important consequences to us, including the following:

 

 

Our ability to service our debt will depend upon, among other things, our future financial and operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If our operating results are not sufficient to service any future indebtedness, we will be forced to take actions such as reducing distributions, reducing or delaying our business activities, acquisitions, investments or capital expenditures, selling assets or seeking additional equity capital. We may not be able to effect any of these actions on satisfactory terms or at all.

 

For more information regarding our debt agreements, please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

 

We are considered a subsidiary of PAA under its debt instruments and, as such, we may be directly or indirectly subject to and impacted by certain restrictions in PAA’s existing and future credit facilities and indentures. These restrictions may limit our access to credit, prevent us from engaging in beneficial activities, and in certain circumstances, require us to guarantee PAA’s indebtedness.

 

Although we are not contractually bound by and are not liable for PAA’s debt under its debt instruments, we are subject to and indirectly affected by certain prohibitions and limitations contained therein. Such restrictions may prevent us from obtaining the most advantageous financing terms or from engaging in certain transactions that might otherwise be considered beneficial. For example (by reference to the most restrictive of any applicable covenant):

 

 

 

 

Although we believe that the restrictions in PAA’s debt instruments will not have a material impact on our operations or access to credit, no assurance can be given to that effect, and PAA’s ability to comply with any restrictions in PAA’s debt instruments may be affected by events beyond our control.

 

Any debt instruments that PAA enters into in the future, including any amendments to its existing credit facilities, may include additional or more restrictive limitations on our ability to conduct our business. These additional restrictions could adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs or engage in, expand or pursue our business activities. In addition, PAA has the ability to prevent us from taking actions that would cause PAA to violate any covenants in its credit facilities or indentures, or otherwise to be in default under any of its debt instruments. In deciding whether to prevent us from taking any such action, PAA will have no fiduciary duty to us or our unitholders.

 

The credit and risk profile of our general partner and its owner, PAA, could adversely affect our credit ratings and risk profile, which could increase our borrowing costs or hinder our ability to raise capital.

 

The credit and business risk profiles of our general partner and PAA may be factors considered in credit evaluations of us. This is because our general partner, which is owned by PAA, controls our business activities, including our cash distribution policy and expansion strategy. Any adverse change in the financial condition of PAA, including the degree of its financial leverage and its dependence on cash flow from us to service its indebtedness, may adversely affect our credit ratings and risk profile.

 

If we were to seek a credit rating in the future, our credit rating may be adversely affected by the leverage of our general partner or PAA, as credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Service may consider the leverage and credit profile of PAA and its affiliates because of their ownership interest in and control of us. Any adverse effect on our credit rating would increase our cost of borrowing or hinder our ability to raise financing in the capital markets, which would impair our ability to grow our business and make distributions to unitholders.

 

Increases in interest rates could adversely impact our unit price, our ability to issue equity or incur debt for acquisitions or other purposes, and our ability to make cash distributions at our intended levels.

 

Interest rates on future credit facilities and debt offerings could be higher than current levels, causing our financing costs to increase accordingly. As with other yield-oriented securities, our unit price is impacted by

the level of our cash distributions and our implied distribution yield. The distribution yield is often used by investors to compare and rank yield-oriented securities for investment decision-making purposes. Therefore, changes in interest rates, either positive or negative, may affect the yield requirements of investors who invest in our units, and a rising interest rate environment could have an adverse impact on our unit price, our ability to issue equity or incur debt for acquisitions or other purposes and to make cash distributions at our intended levels.

 

If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or prevent fraud, which would likely have a negative impact on the market price of our common units.

 

Prior to this offering, we have not been required to file reports with the SEC. Upon the completion of this offering, we will become subject to the public reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, but our internal accounting controls may not currently meet all standards applicable to companies with publicly traded securities. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and to operate successfully as a publicly traded partnership. Our efforts to develop and maintain our internal controls may not be successful, and we may be unable to maintain effective controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future or to comply with our obligations under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which we refer to as Section 404. For example, Section 404 will require us, among other things, to annually review and report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. We must comply with Section 404 for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2011. Any failure to develop, implement or maintain effective internal controls or to improve our internal controls could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Given the difficulties inherent in the design and operation of internal controls over financial reporting, we can provide no assurance as to our, or our independent registered public accounting firm’s, conclusions about the effectiveness of our internal controls, and we may incur significant costs in our efforts to comply with Section 404. Ineffective internal controls will subject us to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of confidence in our reported financial information, which could have an adverse effect on our business and would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our common units.

 

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash, which could limit our ability to grow and make acquisitions.

 

We expect that we will distribute all of our available cash to our unitholders and will rely primarily upon external financing sources, including commercial bank borrowings and the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund our acquisitions and expansion capital expenditures. As a result, to the extent we are unable to finance growth externally, our cash distribution policy will significantly impair our ability to grow.

 

In addition, because we distribute all of our available cash, our growth may not be as fast as that of businesses that reinvest their available cash to expand ongoing operations. To the extent we issue additional units in connection with any acquisitions or expansion capital expenditures, the payment of distributions on those additional units may increase the risk that we will be unable to maintain or increase our per unit distribution level. There are no limitations in our partnership agreement on our ability to issue additional units, including units ranking senior to the common units. The incurrence of additional commercial borrowings or other debt to finance our growth strategy would result in increased interest expense, which, in turn, may impact the available cash that we have to distribute to our unitholders.

Cost reimbursements due to PAA’s general partner and our general partner for services provided to us or on our behalf will be substantial and will reduce our cash available for distribution to you. The amount and timing of such reimbursements will be determined by PAA’s general partner.

 

Prior to making distributions on our common units, we will reimburse PAA’s general partner and its affiliates for all expenses they incur on our behalf. These expenses will include all costs incurred by PAA, its general partner or our general partner in managing and operating us. These operating expense reimbursements and the reimbursement of incremental general and administrative expenses we will incur as a result of becoming a publicly traded partnership are not capped. In addition, PAA and our general partner will have substantial discretion in incurring third-party expenses on our behalf. Our partnership agreement provides that our general partner will determine in good faith the expenses that are allocable to us. The reimbursements to PAA’s general partner and our general partner will reduce the amount of cash otherwise available for distribution to our unitholders.

 

Our general partner may elect to cause us to issue common units to it in connection with a resetting of the target distribution levels related to its incentive distribution rights, without the approval of the conflicts committee of its board of directors or the holders of our common units. This could result in lower distributions to holders of our common units.

 

Our general partner has the right, at any time when there are no Series A subordinated units outstanding and it has received incentive distributions at the highest level to which it is entitled (48.0%) for each of the prior four consecutive fiscal quarters, to reset the initial target distribution levels at higher levels based on our distributions at the time of the exercise of the reset election. Following a reset election by our general partner, the minimum quarterly distribution will be adjusted to equal the reset minimum quarterly distribution and each target distribution level will be reset to the correspondingly higher amount that causes such reset target distribution level to exceed the reset minimum quarterly distribution by the same percentage that such distribution level exceeds the then-current minimum quarterly distribution.

 

If our general partner elects to reset the target distribution levels, it will be entitled to receive a number of common units and will retain its then-current general partner interest. The number of common units to be issued to our general partner will equal the number of common units which would have entitled their holder to an average aggregate quarterly cash distribution in the prior two quarters equal to the average of the distributions to our general partner on the incentive distribution rights in the prior two quarters. We anticipate that our general partner would exercise this reset right in order to facilitate acquisitions or internal growth projects that would not be sufficiently accretive to cash distributions per common unit without such conversion. It is possible, however, that our general partner could exercise this reset election at a time when it is experiencing, or expects to experience, declines in the cash distributions it receives related to its incentive distribution rights and may, therefore, desire to be issued common units rather than retain the right to receive incentive distributions based on the initial target distribution levels. As a result, a reset election may cause our common unitholders to experience a reduction in the amount of cash distributions that our common unitholders would have otherwise received had we not issued new common units to our general partner in connection with resetting the target distribution levels. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions — General Partner’s Right to Reset Target Distribution Levels.”

 

Unitholders may have liability to repay distributions that were wrongfully distributed to them.

 

Under certain circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them. Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, we may not make a distribution to you if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that for a period of three years from the date of an impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Substituted limited partners are liable both for the obligations of the assignor to make contributions to the partnership that were known to the substituted limited partner at the time it became a limited partner and for those obligations that were unknown if the liabilities could have been determined from the partnership agreement. Neither liabilities to partners on

account of their partnership interest nor liabilities that are non-recourse to the partnership are counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.

 

Your liability may not be limited if a court finds that unitholder action constitutes control of our business.

 

A general partner of a partnership generally has unlimited liability for the obligations of the partnership, except for those contractual obligations of the partnership that are expressly made without recourse to the general partner. Our partnership is organized under Delaware law, and we conduct business in other states. The limitations on the liability of holders of limited partner interests for the obligations of a limited partnership have not been clearly established in some states in which we do business or may do business in from time to time in the future. You could be liable for any and all of our obligations as if you were a general partner if a court or government agency were to determine that:

 

 

For a discussion of the implications of the limitations of liability on a unitholder, please read “The Partnership Agreement — Limited Liability.”

 

Holders of our common units have limited voting rights and are not entitled to elect the directors of our general partner.

 

Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence management’s decisions regarding our business. Unitholders will have no right on an annual or ongoing basis to elect the directors of our general partner. The board of directors of our general partner will be chosen by PAA. Furthermore, if the unitholders are dissatisfied with the performance of our general partner, they will have little ability to remove our general partner. As a result of these limitations, the price at which the common units will trade could be diminished because of the absence or reduction of a takeover premium in the trading price. Our partnership agreement also contains provisions limiting the ability of unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the unitholders’ ability to influence the manner or direction of management.

 

Even if holders of our common units are dissatisfied, they cannot initially remove our general partner without its consent.

 

The unitholders initially will be unable to remove our general partner without its consent because our general partner and its affiliates will own sufficient units upon completion of this offering to be able to prevent its removal. The vote of the holders of at least 662/3% of all outstanding units voting together as a single class is required to remove our general partner. Following the closing of this offering, PAA will own an aggregate of approximately     % of our outstanding units. Also, if our general partner is removed without cause during the subordination period and units held by our general partner and its affiliates are not voted in favor of that removal, all remaining Series A subordinated units and Series B subordinated units will automatically convert into common units and any existing arrearages on our common units will be extinguished. A removal of our general partner under these circumstances would adversely affect our then-existing common units by prematurely eliminating their distribution and liquidation preference over our Series A subordinated units and Series B subordinated units, which would otherwise have continued until we had met certain distribution, performance and operational tests. Cause is narrowly defined to mean that a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non-appealable judgment finding our general partner liable for actual fraud, gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct in its capacity as our general partner. Cause does not include most cases of charges of poor management of the business, so the removal of our general partner because of the unitholder’s dissatisfaction with our general partner’s performance in managing our partnership will most

likely result in the termination of the subordination period and conversion of all Series A subordinated units and Series B subordinated units to common units.

 

Our partnership agreement restricts the voting rights of unitholders owning 20% or more of our common units.

 

Unitholders’ voting rights are further restricted by a provision of our partnership agreement providing that any units held by a person that owns 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our general partner, its affiliates, their transferees and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner, cannot vote on any matter.

 

Our general partner interest or the control of our general partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.

 

Our general partner may transfer its general partner interest to a third party in a merger or in a sale of all or substantially all of its assets without the consent of the unitholders. Furthermore, our partnership agreement does not restrict the ability of PAA to transfer all or a portion of its ownership interest in our general partner to a third party. The new owner of our general partner may then be in a position to replace the board of directors and officers of our general partner with its own designees and thereby exert significant control over the decisions made by the board of directors and officers.

 

Upon closing of the offering, investors in our common units will experience immediate and substantial dilution in pro forma net tangible book value of $      per common unit.

 

The estimated initial public offering price of $      per common unit exceeds our pro forma net tangible book value of $      per common unit. Based on the estimated initial public offering price of $      per common unit, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution of $      per common unit. This dilution results primarily because the assets contributed by our general partner and its affiliates are recorded in accordance with GAAP at their historical cost, and not their fair value. Please read “Dilution.”

 

We may issue additional units without your approval, which would dilute your existing ownership interests.

 

Our partnership agreement does not limit the number of additional limited partner interests that we may issue at any time without the approval of our unitholders. The issuance by us of additional common units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank will have the following effects:

 

 

PAA may sell units in the public or private markets, and such sales could have an adverse impact on the trading price of the common units.

 

After the sale of the common units offered by this prospectus, assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units, PAA will hold          common units,           Series A subordinated units and          Series B subordinated units. All of the Series A subordinated units will convert into common units at the end of the subordination period and may convert earlier under certain

circumstances. The Series B subordinated units are also eligible for conversion into common units if certain operational and financial conditions are satisfied and the end of the subordination period has occurred. The sale of these units in the public or private markets could have an adverse impact on the price of the common units or on any trading market that may develop. A sale or transfer, including certain deemed transfers, by PAA of all or portions of its interests in us may cause our partnership to terminate for federal income tax purposes. For a discussion of the impact this could have on common unitholders, please read “Tax Risks to Common Unitholders — The sale or exchange of 50% or more of our capital and profits interests during any twelve-month period will result in the termination of our partnership for federal income tax purposes.”

 

There is no existing market for our common units, and a trading market that will provide you with adequate liquidity may not develop. The price of our common units may fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common units. After this offering, there will be only           publicly traded common units, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units. We do not know the extent to which investor interest will lead to the development of a trading market or how liquid that market might be. You may not be able to resell your common units at or above the initial public offering price. Additionally, the lack of liquidity may result in wide bid-ask spreads, contribute to significant fluctuations in the market price of the common units and limit the number of investors who are able to buy the common units.

 

The initial public offering price for the common units will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives of the underwriters and may not be indicative of the market price of the common units that will prevail in the trading market. The market price of our common units may decline below the initial public offering price. The market price of our common units may also be influenced by many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

 

 

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a publicly traded partnership.

 

We have no history operating as a publicly traded partnership. As a publicly traded partnership, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the NYSE have required changes in the corporate governance practices of publicly traded companies. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, as a result of becoming a publicly traded partnership, we are required to have at least three independent directors, create an audit committee and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures, including the preparation of reports on internal controls over financial reporting. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our publicly traded partnership reporting requirements. We also expect these new rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for our general partner to obtain director and officer liability insurance and to possibly result in our general partner having to accept reduced policy limits and coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for our general partner to attract and retain