Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)

Registration No. 333-164492

PROSPECTUS

 

 

11,720,000 Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests

 

This is the initial public offering of our common units. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common units. Our common units have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance, 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 1,758,000 common units from us on the same terms and conditions as set forth above if the underwriters sell more than 11,720,000 common units in this offering.

 

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 May 5, 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

April 29, 2010

 

 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

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 2016.
(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.
	•	Organically expanding our existing natural gas storage facilities.
	•	Pursuing strategic and accretive acquisition or development projects.
	•	Leasing storage capacity and transportation services from third parties to enhance operational flexibility.
	•	Utilizing a portion of our owned and leased storage capacity to enhance our commercial management activities.

 

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 business generates relatively stable and predictable cash flow.

	•	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 have the evaluation, integration and engineering skill sets in-house that are necessary to successfully pursue acquisition and expansion opportunities.
	•	We have the financial flexibility to pursue acquisition and expansion opportunities.
	•	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 Relationship with Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.

 

Expansion Activity and First Quarter 2010 Performance Update

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 $10.56 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 19,864,529 common units(1), 13,934,351 Series A subordinated units, and 11,500,000 Series B subordinated units, representing an aggregate approximate 77.9% 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 $0.3375 per quarter;

	•	we will issue 11,720,000 common units to the public, representing an approximate 20.1% limited partner interest in us;
	•	we will receive, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, net proceeds of approximately $233.9 million from the issuance and sale of 11,720,000 common units at an initial offering price of $21.50 per common unit; we will use these net proceeds, together with $200 million of borrowings under our new $400 million credit facility, to repay intercompany indebtedness owed to PAA as described in “Use of Proceeds;” we expect that any intercompany indebtedness not repaid in connection with this offering will be extinguished and treated as a capital contribution and part of PAA’s investment in us; 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 “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			20.1	%
Common Units owned by PAA			34.2	%
Series A Subordinated Units owned by PAA			23.9	%
Series B Subordinated Units owned by PAA			19.8	%(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		11,720,000 common units.
		13,478,000 common units if the underwriters fully exercise their option to purchase additional common units.
Units outstanding after this offering		31,584,529 common units,(1) 13,934,351 Series A subordinated units and 11,500,000 Series B subordinated units for a total of 57,018,880 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 $236.5 million, 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 $433.9 million. We expect that any intercompany indebtedness not repaid in connection with this offering will be extinguished and treated as a capital contribution and part of PAA’s investment in us.
		If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units is exercised, we will use the net proceeds to reimburse PAA for capital expenditures it incurred with respect to the assets contributed to us. Please read “Use of Proceeds.”

Cash distributions		Upon completion of this offering, our general partner will establish a minimum quarterly distribution of $0.3375 per common unit and Series A subordinated unit ($1.35 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 $0.3375, 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 $0.3375.
		If cash distributions to our unitholders exceed $0.3375 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 approximately 82.6% of the minimum quarterly distribution ($0.3375 per unit per quarter, or $1.35 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 $0.3375 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		At any time on or after June 30, 2013, the subordination period will end on the first business day following the quarter in respect of which we have, for each of three consecutive, non-overlapping four quarter periods (i) generated from distributable cash flow at least $1.35 (the minimum quarterly distribution on an annualized basis) on the weighted average number of outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units on a fully diluted basis, plus the corresponding distribution on our general partner’s 2.0% interest and (ii) paid from available cash at least $1.35 on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units, plus the corresponding distribution on our general partner’s 2.0% interest. Additionally, at any time on or after June 30, 2011, if we have, for a period of four consecutive quarters (i) generated from distributable cash flow at least $0.5063 per quarter (150% of the minimum quarterly distribution, which is approximately $2.03 on an annualized basis) on the weighted average number of outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units on a fully diluted basis, plus the corresponding distributions on our general partner’s 2.0% interest and the related distributions on the incentive distribution rights and (ii) paid from available cash at least $0.5063 per quarter (150% of the minimum quarterly distribution, which is approximately $2.03 on an annualized basis) on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units, plus the corresponding distribution on our general partner’s 2.0% interest and the related distributions on the incentive distribution rights, the subordination period will end.

		Distributable cash flow will be determined by our general partner and is defined as: (i) net income; plus or minus, as applicable, (ii) any amounts necessary to offset the impact of any items included in net income that do not impact the amount of available cash; plus (iii) any acquisition-related expenses deducted from net income and associated with (a) successful acquisitions or (b) any other potential acquisitions that have not been abandoned; minus (iv) any acquisition related expenses covered by clause (iii)(b) immediately preceding that relate to (a) potential acquisitions that have since been abandoned or (b) potential acquisitions that have not been consummated within one year following the date such expense was incurred (except that if the potential acquisition is the subject of a pending purchase and sale agreement as of such one-year date, such one-year period of time shall be extended until the first to occur of the termination of such purchase and sale agreement or the first day following the closing of the acquisition contemplated by such purchase and sale agreement); and minus (v) maintenance capital expenditures. The types of items covered by clause (ii) above include (a) depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, (b) any gain or loss from the sale of assets not in the ordinary course of business, (c) any gain or loss as a result of a change in accounting principle, (d) any non-cash gains or items of income and any non-cash losses or expenses, including asset impairments, amortization of debt discounts, premiums or issue costs, mark-to-market activity associated with hedging and with non-cash revaluation and/or fair valuation of assets or liabilities and (e) earnings or losses from unconsolidated subsidiaries except to the extent of actual cash distributions received.
		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:
		•		4,600,000 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 $0.36 per unit (representing an annualized distribution of $1.44 per unit) on the weighted average number of outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units and all of such Series B subordinated units and (c) we make a quarterly distribution of available cash of at least $0.36 per quarter for two consecutive quarters on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units and the corresponding distributions on our general partner’s 2.0% interest and the related distributions on the incentive distribution rights;
		•		3,833,333 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 $0.3825 per unit (representing an annualized distribution of $1.53 per unit) on the weighted average number of outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units and all of such Series B subordinated units and, if any, the Series B subordinated units described in the prior bullet, and (c) we make a quarterly distribution of available cash of at least $0.3825 per quarter for two consecutive quarters on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units and the corresponding distributions on our general partner’s 2.0% interest and the related distributions on the incentive distribution rights; and
		•		3,066,667 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 $0.4075 per unit (representing an annualized distribution of $1.63 per unit) on the weighted average number of outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units and all of such Series B subordinated units and, if any, the Series B subordinated units described in the prior two bullets, and (c) we make a quarterly distribution of available cash of at least $0.4075 per quarter for two consecutive quarters on all outstanding common units and Series A subordinated units and the corresponding distributions on our general partner’s 2.0% interest and the related distributions on the incentive distribution rights.

		Our general partner will determine whether the in-service operational tests set forth above have been satisfied. To the extent that the operational tests described above are satisfied prior to or during the two-quarter period applicable to the financial tests described above, the holder of the Series B subordinated units subject to conversion will be entitled to receive the quarterly distribution payable with respect to the second quarter of such two-quarter period. In all other circumstances, where the operational tests are satisfied following the two-quarter period applicable to the financial tests, the holder of the Series B subordinated units subject to conversion will be entitled to receive any distribution payable following the satisfaction of such operational tests.
		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 79.4% of our outstanding limited partner 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 20% or less of the cash distributed to you with respect to that period. For example, if you receive an annual distribution of $1.35 per unit, we estimate that your average allocable federal taxable income per year will be no more than $0.27 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		Our common units have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance, under the symbol “PNG.”

 

Summary Historical and Pro Forma 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				12,242
Total costs and expenses			11,759				17,209				25,432				27,044					18,499				47,405
Operating income			19,072				19,736				23,745				19,885					6,752				24,775
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			$	23,999
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				200,000
Total debt(1)			227,300				355,163				417,713									450,523				200,000
Members’/partners’ capital			264,109				294,717				363,229									432,744				683,267
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			$	0.01				$	0.01			$	0.01
Adjusted EBITDA/Mcf		$	1.14			$	1.14			$	1.11			$	0.72				$	0.28			$	0.97

(1)		At December 31, 2009 on a historical basis, the long-term debt and total debt balances consist of an intercompany note payable to PAA. At December 31, 2009 on a pro forma basis, the long-term debt and total debt balances consist of borrowings under our new revolving credit facility.
(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			$	23,999
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				12,242
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			$	23,999
Depreciation, depletion and amortization				1,223					3,986					4,520					6,245					8,054					3,578				12,242
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 $0.3375 per common unit and Series A subordinated unit per quarter, or $1.35 per common unit and Series A subordinated unit per year, we will require available cash of approximately $15.7 million per quarter, or $62.7 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 $62.7 million. 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 approximately 82.6% 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. As of April 1, 2010, the weighted average remaining tenor of our existing portfolio of firm storage contracts is approximately 3.7 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 natural gas utility 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 72 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, during 2010 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 credit facility could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, ability to make distributions to unitholders and value of our units.

 

Our credit agreement restricts our ability to, among other things:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furthermore, our credit facility contains covenants requiring us to maintain certain financial ratios related to our consolidated EBITDA, consolidated interest charges and consolidated funded indebtedness, as such terms are defined in our credit agreement.

 

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 any outstanding principal of that debt, together with accrued interest, to be immediately due and payable. If the payment of any such 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 or any of its affiliates enters into in the future, including any amendments to 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 79.4% of our outstanding limited partner 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 $10.56 per common unit.

 

The initial public offering price of $21.50 per common unit exceeds our pro forma net tangible book value of $10.94 per common unit. Based on the initial public offering price of $21.50 per common unit, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution of $10.56 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 book value, 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 19,864,529 common units, 13,934,351 Series A subordinated units and 11,500,000 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 11,720,000 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 qualified persons to serve on its board of directors or as executive officers. We have included $2.6 million of estimated incremental costs per year associated with being a publicly traded partnership in our financial forecast included elsewhere in this prospectus. However, it is possible that our actual incremental costs of being a publicly traded partnership will be higher than we currently estimate.

 

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.

 

Following this offering, PAA will own and control our general partner, as well as appoint all of the officers and directors of our general partner, and some of the officers of our general partner are also officers of PAA’s general partner (and one such officer is also a member of the board of directors of PAA’s general partner). Although our general partner has a legal duty to manage us in a manner that is beneficial to us and our unitholders, the directors and officers of our general partner have a legal duty to manage our general partner in a manner that is beneficial to its owner, PAA. Conflicts of interest may arise between PAA and our general partner, on the one hand, and us and our unitholders, on the other hand. In resolving these conflicts of interest, our general partner may favor its own interests and the interests of PAA over our interests and the interests of our unitholders. These conflicts include the following situations, among others:

 

 

 

Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Fiduciary Duties.”

 

PAA may engage in competition with us.

 

Although PAA has stated that it intends to utilize our partnership as the primary vehicle through which it will participate in the natural gas storage business, PAA and its affiliates are not limited in their ability to compete 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 partnership agreement contains provisions that define the standard of care that our general partner must exercise and restrict the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our general partner in accordance with that standard of care, including in circumstances that might otherwise be challenged under state law standards. For example, our partnership agreement:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a) approved by the conflicts committee of our general partner after due inquiry, based on a subjective belief that the course of action or determination that is the subject of such approval is fair and reasonable to us;

 

(b) approved by the vote of a majority of the outstanding common units, excluding any common units owned by our general partner and its affiliates, directors and executive officers;

 

(c) determined by our general partner (after due inquiry) to be on terms no less favorable to us than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties; or

 

(d) approved by our general partner (after due inquiry) based on a subjective belief that the course of action or determination that is the subject of such approval is fair and reasonable to us, which may include taking into account the totality of the circumstances and relationships involved (our short-term or long-term interests and other arrangements or relationships that could be considered favorable or advantageous to us); and

 

 

By purchasing a common unit, a common unitholder agrees to become bound by the provisions of the partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above. Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Fiduciary Duties — Duties of our General Partner.”

Our general partner intends to limit its liability regarding our obligations.

 

Our general partner intends to limit its liability under contractual arrangements so that the counterparties to such arrangements have recourse only against our assets, and not against our general partner or its assets. Our general partner may therefore cause us to incur indebtedness or other obligations that are nonrecourse to our general partner. Our partnership agreement provides that any action taken by our general partner to limit its liability is not a breach of our general partner’s duties, even if we could have obtained more favorable terms without the limitation on liability. In addition, we are obligated to reimburse or indemnify our general partner to the extent that it incurs obligations on our behalf. Any such reimbursement or indemnification payments would reduce the amount of cash otherwise available for distribution to our unitholders.

 

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

 

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than 80% of the common units, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, but not the obligation, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the common units held by unaffiliated persons at a price that is not less than their then-current market price. As a result, you may be required to sell your common units at an undesirable time or price and may not receive any return on your investment. You may also incur a tax liability upon a sale of your units. At the closing of this offering, and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units, PAA will own approximately 62.9% of our outstanding common units. At the end of the subordination period, assuming no additional issuances of common units (other than upon the conversion of the Series A subordinated units), PAA will own approximately 74.3% of our outstanding common units. Upon the satisfaction of certain operational and financial conditions and the end of the subordination period having occurred, assuming no additional issuances of common units (other than upon the conversion of the Series A subordinated units and the ultimate conversion of the Series B subordinated units to common units), PAA will own approximately 79.4% of our outstanding common units. For additional information about this right, please read “The Partnership Agreement — Limited Call Right.”

 

In addition to reading the following risk factors, you should read “Material Income Tax Consequences” for a more complete discussion of the expected material federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of common units.

 

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 anticipated after-tax economic benefit of an investment in our common units depends largely on our being treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. We have not requested, and do not plan to request, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, on this or any other tax matter affecting us.

 

Despite the fact that we are classified as a limited partnership under Delaware law, it is possible in certain circumstances for a partnership such as ours to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. Although we do not believe, based upon our current operations, that we will be so treated, a change in our business (or a change in current law) could cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subject us to taxation as an entity.

 

If we were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would pay federal income tax on our taxable income at the corporate tax rate, which is currently a maximum of 35%, and would likely pay state income tax at varying rates. Distributions to you would generally be taxed again as corporate distributions, and no income, gains, losses, deductions or credits would flow through to you. Because a tax

would be imposed upon us as a corporation, our cash available for distribution to you would be substantially reduced. Therefore, treatment of us as a corporation would result in a material reduction in the anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to the unitholders, likely causing a substantial reduction in the value of our common units.

 

Current law may change so as to cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subject us to entity-level taxation. In addition, because of widespread state budget deficits and other reasons, several states are evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise and other forms of taxation. Specifically, we will be subject to an entity-level tax on any portion of our income that is generated in Texas in the prior year. Imposition of any such additional taxes on us will reduce the cash available for distribution to our unitholders. Our partnership agreement provides that if a law is enacted or existing law is modified or interpreted in a manner that subjects us to taxation as a corporation or otherwise subjects us to entity-level taxation for federal income tax purposes, our target distribution amounts will be adjusted to reflect the impact of that law on us.

 

Our partnership agreement provides that if a law is enacted or existing law is modified or interpreted in a manner that subjects us to taxation as a corporation or otherwise subjects us to entity-level taxation for federal, state or local income tax purposes, the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution amounts may be adjusted to reflect the impact of that law on us.

 

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.

 

The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of (i) publicly traded partnerships, including us, or (ii) an investment in our common units may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial interpretation at any time. For example, members of Congress have recently considered substantive changes to the existing federal income tax laws that affect publicly traded partnerships. Any modification to the U.S. federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be applied retroactively and could make it more difficult or impossible to meet the exception for certain publicly traded partnerships to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Although the considered legislation would not appear to have affected our treatment as a partnership, we are unable to predict whether any of these changes, or other proposals will be reintroduced or will ultimately be enacted. Any such changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units.

 

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

 

Because our unitholders will be treated as partners to whom we will allocate taxable income that could be different in amount than the cash we distribute, you will be required to pay any federal income taxes and, in some cases, state and local income taxes on your share of our taxable income whether or not you receive cash distributions from us. You may not receive cash distributions from us equal to your share of our taxable income or even equal to the actual tax liability that results from that income.

 

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.

 

We will be considered to have terminated our partnership for federal income tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a twelve-month period. Immediately following this offering, PAA will own more than 50% of the total interests in our capital and profits interests. Therefore, a transfer by PAA of all or a portion of its interests in us, including a deemed transfer as a result of a termination of PAA’s partnership for federal income tax purposes, could result in a termination of our partnership for federal income tax purposes. Our termination would, among other things, result in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders and could result in a deferral of depreciation deductions allowable in computing our taxable income. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year

other than a fiscal year ending December 31, the closing of our taxable year may also result in more than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being includable in his taxable income for the year of termination. Our termination currently would not affect our classification as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, but instead, we would be treated as a new partnership for tax purposes. If treated as a new partnership, we must make new tax elections and could be subject to penalties if we are unable to determine that a termination occurred. Please read “Material Income Tax Consequences — Disposition of Common Units — Constructive Termination” for a discussion of the consequences of our termination for federal income tax purposes.

 

Tax gain or loss on the disposition of our common units could be more or less than expected.

 

If you sell your common units, you will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and your tax basis in those common units. Because distributions in excess of your allocable share of our net taxable income decrease your tax basis in your common units, the amount, if any, of such prior excess distributions with respect to the units you sell will, in effect, become taxable income to you if you sell such units at a price greater than your tax basis in those units, even if the price you receive is less than your original cost. Furthermore, a substantial portion of the amount realized, whether or not representing gain, may be taxed as ordinary income due to potential recapture items, including depreciation recapture. In addition, because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, if you sell your units, you may incur a tax liability in excess of the amount of cash you receive from the sale. Please read “Material Income Tax Consequences — Disposition of Common Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss” for a further discussion of the foregoing.

 

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

 

Investment in common units by tax-exempt entities, such as employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts (known as IRAs), and non-U.S. persons raises issues unique to them. For example, virtually all of our income allocated to organizations that are exempt from federal income tax, including IRAs and other retirement plans, will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to them. Distributions to non-U.S. persons will be reduced by withholding taxes at the highest applicable effective tax rate, and non-U.S. persons will be required to file U.S. federal tax returns and pay tax on their share of our taxable income. If you are a tax-exempt entity or a non-U.S. person, you should consult your tax advisor before investing in our common units.

 

If the IRS contests the federal income tax positions we take, the market for our common units may be adversely impacted and the cost of any IRS contest will reduce our cash available for distribution to you.

 

The IRS may adopt positions that differ from the positions we take. It may be necessary to resort to administrative or court proceedings to sustain some or all of the positions we take. A court may not agree with some or all of the positions we take. Any contest with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for our common units and the price at which they trade. Our costs of any contest with the IRS will be borne indirectly by our unitholders and our general partner because the costs will reduce our cash available for distribution.

 

We will treat each purchaser of our common units as having the same tax benefits without regard to the actual common units purchased. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could adversely affect the value of the common units.

 

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of common units, we will adopt depreciation and amortization positions that may not conform to all aspects of existing Treasury Regulations. A successful IRS challenge to those positions could adversely affect the amount of tax benefits available to you. It also could affect the timing of these tax benefits or the amount of gain from your sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of our common units or result in audit adjustments to your tax returns. Please

read “Material Income Tax Consequences — Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Section 754 Election” for a further discussion of the effect of the depreciation and amortization positions we adopt.

 

We will adopt certain valuation methodologies that may result in a shift of income, gain, loss and deduction between our general partner and the unitholders. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could adversely affect the value of the common units.

 

When we issue additional units or engage in certain other transactions, we will determine the fair market value of our assets and allocate any unrealized gain or loss attributable to our assets to the capital accounts of our unitholders and our general partner. Our methodology may be viewed as understating the value of our assets. In that case, there may be a shift of income, gain, loss and deduction between certain unitholders and our general partner, which may be unfavorable to such unitholders. Moreover, under our valuation methods, subsequent purchasers of common units may have a greater portion of their Internal Revenue Code Section 743(b) adjustment allocated to our tangible assets and a lesser portion allocated to our intangible assets. The IRS may challenge our valuation methods, or our allocation of the Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to our tangible and intangible assets, and allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction between our general partner and certain of our unitholders.

 

A successful IRS challenge to these methods or allocations could adversely affect the amount of taxable income or loss being allocated to our unitholders. It also could affect the amount of gain from our unitholders’ sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of the common units or result in audit adjustments to our unitholders’ tax returns without the benefit of additional deductions.

 

We will prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our units each month based upon the ownership of our units on the first day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.

 

We generally prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our common units each month based upon the ownership of our common units on the first day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular common unit is transferred. Nonetheless, we allocate certain deductions for depreciation of capital additions based upon the date the underlying property is placed in service. The use of this proration method may not be permitted under existing Treasury Regulations, and, accordingly, our counsel is unable to opine as to the validity of this method. Recently, the U.S. Treasury Department issued proposed Treasury Regulations that provide a safe harbor pursuant to which publicly traded partnerships may use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferor and transferee unitholders. Nonetheless, the proposed regulations do not specifically authorize the use of the proration method we have adopted. If the IRS were to challenge our proration method, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss, and deduction among our unitholders.

 

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

 

Because there is no tax concept of loaning a partnership interest, a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of common units may be considered as having disposed of the loaned units. In that case, he may no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those common units during the period of the loan to the short seller and the unitholder may recognize gain or loss from such disposition. Moreover, during the period of the loan to the short seller, any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those common units may not be reportable by the unitholder and any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those common units could be fully taxable as ordinary income. Unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller should modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing their common units.

You will likely be subject to state and local taxes and return filing requirements in states where you do not live as a result of investing in our common units.

 

In addition to federal income taxes, you will likely be subject to other taxes, including foreign, state and local taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we conduct business or own property, even if you do not live in any of those jurisdictions. You will likely be required to file state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in some or all of these various jurisdictions. Further, you may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. We will initially own assets and conduct business in the states of Louisiana and Michigan. Each of these states currently imposes a personal income tax and also impose income taxes on corporations and other entities. As we make acquisitions or expand our business, we may own assets or conduct business in additional states or foreign jurisdictions that impose a personal income tax. It is your responsibility to file all U.S. federal, foreign, state and local tax returns. Our counsel has not rendered an opinion on the foreign, state or local tax consequences of an investment in our common units.

 

We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $236.5 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before paying offering expenses, from the issuance and sale of 11,720,000 common units offered by this prospectus. We expect to use these net proceeds, together with $200 million of borrowings under our new credit facility, to repay intercompany indebtedness owed to PAA in the amount of approximately $433.9 million. PAA expects to use all or a portion of these proceeds to repay amounts outstanding under its credit facilities and for general partnership purposes.

 

As of December 31, 2009, we had approximately $451 million of intercompany indebtedness outstanding to PAA with a fixed interest rate of 6.5% incurred to refinance project debt and for capital expenditures. We expect that any intercompany indebtedness not repaid in connection with this offering will be extinguished and treated as a capital contribution and part of PAA’s investment in us.

 

The proceeds from any exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units will be used to reimburse PAA for capital expenditures it incurred with respect to the assets contributed to us. If the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units, we will issue 1,758,000 common units to PAA at the expiration of the option period. If and to the extent the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units, the number of units purchased by the underwriters pursuant to such exercise will be issued to the public and the remainder, if any, will be issued to PAA. Accordingly, the exercise of the underwriters’ option will not affect the total number of units outstanding or the amount of cash needed to pay the minimum quarterly distribution on all units. Please read “Underwriting.”

 

Affiliates of Barclays Capital Inc., UBS Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. and RBC Capital Markets Corporation are lenders under PAA’s credit facilities and will receive their proportionate share of any repayment by PAA of its credit facilities in connection with this transaction.

 

The following table shows:

 

 

We derived this table from, and it should be read in conjunction with and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the historical consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. You should also read this table in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

 

 

 

Dilution is the amount by which the offering price paid by the purchasers of common units sold in this offering will exceed the pro forma net tangible book value per common unit after the offering. On a pro forma basis as of December 31, 2009, after giving effect to the offering of common units and the application of the related net proceeds, and assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units is not exercised, our net tangible book value was approximately $636.3 million, or $10.94 per unit. Net tangible book value excludes $47 million of net goodwill and intangible assets. Purchasers of common units in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution in net tangible book value per common unit for financial accounting purposes, as illustrated in the following table:

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth the number of units that we will issue and the total consideration contributed to us by our general partner and PAA and by the purchasers of common units in this offering upon consummation of the transactions contemplated by this prospectus: