Form S-8 Sanchez Production Partn

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 15, 2016

Registration No. 333-       

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan
(Full title of the plan)

 

Charles C. Ward

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC

1000 Main Street, Suite 3000

Houston, TX 77002

(713) 783-8000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

With a copy to:

Scott L. Olson

Andrews Kurth LLP

600 Travis, Suite 4200

Houston,  Texas 77002 

(713) 220-4200

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

(1)Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate number of additional common units that may become issuable under the Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan by reason of any unit dividends, spin-offs, extraordinary dividends, unit splits, combinations of units, recapitalizations, mergers, consolidations, reorganizations or similar transactions.

(2)Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) and (h) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and based upon the average of the high and low sales prices of the registrant's common units on the NYSE MKT LLC on April 11, 2016.

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement is filed by Sanchez Production Partners LP (“Sanchez LP”) for the purpose of registering additional common units representing limited partner interests of Sanchez LP under the Partnership’s Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The number of common units available for issuance under the Plan is subject to increase from time to time equal to 15% of additional common units issued from time to time by the Partnership or such lesser amount that is established by the board of directors of the general partner of Sanchez LP (the “Evergreen Provision”). This Registration Statement registers an aggregate of 256,528 additional common units available for issuance under the Plan as a result of the Evergreen Provision.

The common units registered pursuant to this Registration Statement are of the same class of securities as the 440,703 common units registered for issuance under the Plan pursuant to the currently effective Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 333-202578) filed on March 6, 2015. The information contained in Sanchez LP’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 333-202578) is hereby incorporated by reference pursuant to General Instruction E.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement:

Each document filed by Sanchez Production Partners LP pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 on any Current Report on Form 8-K or other applicable Commission rules) subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part of this Registration Statement from the date of filing of such document. Any statement contained in this Registration Statement or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained in this Registration Statement or in any subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4.  Description of Securities. 

Not applicable.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel. 

None.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers. 

Sanchez Production Partners LP

 

Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in the agreement of limited partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP (“Sanchez LP”), Section 17-108 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever.  Sanchez LP will generally indemnify officers, directors and affiliates of its general partner to the fullest extent permitted by the law against all losses, claims, damages or similar events.

 

Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC

 

Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in the limited liability company agreement of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, Sanchez LP’s general partner, Section 18-108 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act empowers a Delaware limited liability company to indemnify and hold harmless any member or manager or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever.

 

Under the limited liability agreement of Sanchez LP’s general partner, in most circumstances, Sanchez LP’s general partner will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sanchez LP’s general partner will purchase insurance covering its officers and directors against liabilities asserted and expenses incurred in connection with their activities as officers and directors of Sanchez LP’s general partner or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8.Exhibits.

 

*  Filed herewith.

Item 9.  Undertakings.

(a)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i)To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission

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

(iii)To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

(2)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on April 15, 2016.

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned officers and directors of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, as general partner of Sanchez Production Partners LP, hereby severally constitutes and appoints Gerald F. Willinger and Charles C. Ward, and each of them individually, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution, for him and on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign, execute and file any or all amendments (including, without limitation, post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any and all registration statements pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act, with any and all exhibits thereto, and all other documents required to be filed therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any regulatory authority, granting unto each such attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same, as fully to all intents and purposes as he himself might or could do, if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or either of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

*  Filed herewith.

EXHIBIT 5.1

April 15, 2016

Sanchez Production Partners LP 
1000 Main Street,  Suite 3000
Houston,  Texas  77002

RE:  Registration Statement on Form S-8 for Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as special counsel to Sanchez Production Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), in connection with the preparation of the registration statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in connection with the registration by the Partnership under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the sale of up to 256,528 common units (the “Units”) representing limited partner interests in the Partnership which may be issued pursuant to the Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).   

As the basis for the opinion hereinafter expressed, we have examined and relied on originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following: (i) the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership; (ii) the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”); (iii) the Certificate of Formation of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC,  a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “General Partner”); (iv) the Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner, as amended (the “LLC Agreement”); (v) the Plan; (vi) the Registration Statement; and (vii) such other instruments and other certificates of public officials, officers and representatives of the Partnership and such other persons as we have deemed appropriate as a basis for the opinions set forth herein.

In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have assumed and have not verified (i) the genuineness of the signatures on all documents that we have examined, (ii) the legal capacity of all natural persons, (iii) the authenticity of all documents supplied to us as originals and (iv) the conformity to the authentic originals of all documents supplied to us as certified, photostatic or faxed copies. In conducting our examination of documents, we have assumed the power, corporate or other, of all parties thereto other than the Partnership to enter into and perform all obligations thereunder and have also assumed the due authorization by all requisite action, corporate or other, and the due execution and delivery by such parties of such documents and that, except as set forth in the numbered opining paragraphs below, to the extent such documents purport to constitute agreements, such documents constitute valid and binding obligations of such parties.

We have also assumed that (A) the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership and the Partnership Agreement and the Certificate of Formation of the General Partner and the LLC Agreement, in each case as amended to date, will not have been amended in any manner that would affect any legal conclusion set forth herein, and (B) all Units will be issued and sold in the manner described in the prospectus related to the Plan and in accordance with the terms of the Plan.

Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the limitations and assumptions set forth herein, and having due regard for such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:

1. The issuance of the Units by the Partnership has been duly authorized by the General Partner.

2. Upon the issuance and delivery of the Units from time to time in accordance with the terms of the Plan for the consideration established by the Plan and the satisfaction of any performance conditions associated therewith and any requisite determinations by or pursuant to the authority of the Board of Directors of the General Partner or a duly constituted and acting committee thereof as provided in the Plan, such Units will be validly issued, fully paid (to the extent required under the Partnership Agreement) and non-assessable, except as such non-assessability may be affected by the following:  (a)  if a court were to determine that the right or exercise of the right provided under the Partnership Agreement by the holders of Units (the “Limited Partners”) of the Partnership as a group (i) to remove or replace the General Partner, (ii) to approve certain amendments to the Partnership Agreement or (iii) to take certain other actions under the Partnership Agreement pursuant to which a Limited Partner “participates in the control” of the Partnership’s business for purposes of Section 17-303 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, as amended (the “Delaware LP Act”), then such Limited Partner could be held personally liable for the Partnership’s obligations under the laws of Delaware, to the same extent as the General Partner with respect to persons who transact business with the Partnership and reasonably believe that such Limited Partner is a general partner and (b) Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act.   

We express no opinion other than as to the Delaware LP Act (which is deemed to include the applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution and reported judicial opinions interpreting those laws) and the federal laws of the United States of America, and we are expressing no opinion as to the effect of the laws of any other jurisdiction, domestic or foreign.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are “experts” under the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, with respect to any part of the Registration Statement, including this exhibit. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any undertaking to advise you of any subsequent changes of the facts stated or assumed herein or any subsequent changes in applicable law, and we have assumed that at no future time would any such subsequent change of fact or law affect adversely our ability to render at such time an opinion (a) containing the same legal conclusions set forth herein and (b) subject only to such (or fewer) assumptions, limitations and qualifications as are contained herein.   

 

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Unitholders of Sanchez Production Partners LP and the Board of Directors of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC:

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements on Form S-8 dated April 15, 2016 of Sanchez Production Partners LP (formerly Sanchez Production Partners LLC) of our report dated March 30, 2016, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Sanchez Production Partners LP as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in members’ equity/partners’ capital, and cash flows for years then ended, which report appears in the December 31, 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K of Sanchez Production Partners LP. 

/s/ KPMG LLP

Houston, Texas
April 15, 2016

 

Exhibit 23.2

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS

As independent petroleum engineers, we hereby consent to the incorporation by reference of our report dated February 11, 2016, included as part of the consolidated financial statements of Sanchez Production Partners LP, as of December 31, 2015, which are incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement on Form S-8 of Sanchez Production Partners LP.

 

Exhibit 23.3

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS

As independent petroleum engineers, we hereby consent to the incorporation by reference of our report dated January 25, 2016, included as part of the consolidated financial statements of Sanchez Production Partners LP as of December 31, 2015, which are incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement on Form S-8 of Sanchez Production Partners LP.