Get Started for Free Contexxia identifies hard-to-find pieces of information in SEC filings. No more highlighters, no more redlining, no more poring over huge documents. Seventy Seven Energy Inc. (1532930) 10-K published on Feb 13, 2017 at 4:21 pm
Reporting Period: Dec 30, 2016
Greenhouse Gas Regulations. In June 2013, President Obama unveiled a Presidential climate action plan designed to reduce emissions in the U.S. of methane, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (“GHG”). In furtherance of that plan, the Obama Administration launched a number of initiatives, including the development of standards restricting GHG emissions from light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles and of a Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions from the oil and gas industry. The former Administration’s goal was to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 40-45% by 2025 as compared to 2012 levels. Accordingly, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) adopted and implemented a comprehensive suite of regulations to restrict emissions of greenhouse gases under existing provisions of the Clean Air Act (“CAA”). For instance, in May 2016, the EPA issued final new source performance standards governing methane emissions, imposing more stringent controls on methane and volatile organic compounds emissions at new and modified oil and natural gas production, processing, storage, and transmission facilities. The EPA has also announced that it intends to impose methane emission standards for existing sources and has issued information collection requests to companies with production, gathering and boosting, gas processing, storage, and transmission facilities. Similarly, the Bureau of Land Management issued final rules in November 2016 relating to the venting, flaring and leaking of natural gas by oil and natural gas producers who operate on federal and Indian lands. Furthermore, various state and local governments are considering enacting new legislation and promulgating new regulations governing or restricting GHG emissions from stationary sources such as our equipment and operations or promoting the use of renewable energy. Finally, in April 2016, the United States signed the Paris Agreement, which requires member countries to review and “represent a progression” in their nationally determined contributions, which set GHG emission reduction goals, every five years. See “Risk Factors - Our operations may incur substantial liabilities to comply with climate change legislation and regulatory initiatives.” in Item 1A of this report.
On December 12, 2016, SSE entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Patterson-UTI”), and Pyramid Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Patterson-UTI (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which Patterson-UTI will acquire SSE in exchange for newly issued shares of Patterson-UTI common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Patterson-UTI Common Stock”). The Merger Agreement provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will be merged with and into SSE, with SSE continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of Patterson-UTI (the “Merger”).
Under the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each issued and outstanding share of SSE common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“SSE Common Stock”), will be converted into the right to receive a number of shares of Patterson-UTI Common Stock equal to the exchange ratio, as described in the next sentence. The exchange ratio will be equal to 49,559,000 shares of Patterson-UTI Common Stock, divided by the total number of shares of SSE outstanding or deemed outstanding immediately prior to the effective time (including, among other things, shares issued upon exercise of warrants to acquire SSE Common Stock and restricted stock units that are exercised or deemed exercised); provided that, in the event that any Series A warrants to acquire SSE Common Stock are forfeited or net settled, such 49,559,000 shares of Patterson-UTI Common Stock will be reduced by a number equal to (i) the aggregate exercise price for the warrants that are forfeited or net settled, divided by (ii) the volume weighted average price of a share of Patterson-UTI Common Stock for the 10 consecutive trading days immediately preceding the 3rd business day prior to the closing. In no event will Patterson-UTI issue more than 49,559,000 of its shares as merger consideration.
Notwithstanding the prior paragraph, either party may, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, furnish information to, and engage in discussions and negotiations with, a third party that makes an unsolicited competing acquisition proposal if the board of directors of such party determines in good faith, after consultation with its outside counsel and its outside financial advisor, that such competing acquisition proposal is or is reasonably likely to result in a superior proposal, and that the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under applicable law. Prior to the time that the relevant stockholders approve the Merger Agreement (in the case of SSE) or the issuance of Patterson-UTI Common Stock as merger consideration (the “Patterson-UTI Stock Issuance”) (in the case of Patterson-UTI), the board of directors of each of SSE and Patterson-UTI may change its recommendation with respect to the adoption of the Merger Agreement (in the case of SSE) or the Patterson-UTI Stock Issuance (in the case of Patterson-UTI), in each case, in response to a superior proposal or an intervening event if the board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with its outside counsel, that, among other things, the failure to do so would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under applicable law and complies with certain other specified conditions.
The completion of the Merger is subject to satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, including but not limited to: (i) adoption of the Merger Agreement by SSE’s stockholders and approval of the Patterson-UTI Stock Issuance by Patterson-UTI’s stockholders, (ii) the expiration or termination of any waiting period under the HSR Act, (iii) the absence of any law, order, decree or injunction prohibiting the consummation of the Merger, (iv) the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-4 pursuant to which the shares of Patterson-UTI Common Stock to be issued as merger consideration will be registered, (v) approval for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market of the shares of Patterson-UTI Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Merger subject to official notice of issuance, (vi) subject to specified materiality standards, the accuracy of the representations and warranties of each party, (vii) compliance by each party in all material respects with its covenants under the Merger Agreement, (viii) receipt of a tax opinion from each party’s counsel, dated as of the closing date, to the effect that the merger will be treated as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (ix) the absence of material losses (as defined in the Merger Agreement) during the interim period between the date of execution of the Merger Agreement and the Effective Time that exceed, or would reasonably be expected to exceed, individually or in the aggregate, $100 million with respect to SSE and its subsidiaries, and $300 million with respect to Patterson-UTI and its subsidiaries, in each case, net of certain insurance or indemnification proceeds and certain other deductions, and (x) an amount of net debt (as defined in the Merger Agreement) as of the closing date not exceeding $500 million with respect to SSE and its subsidiaries, and $725 million (not including debt incurred to refinance SSE’s debt or pay for the expenses of the transaction) with respect to Patterson-UTI and its subsidiaries.
Upon termination of the Merger Agreement, if the stockholders of either party do not provide the requisite approval, such party must reimburse the expenses of the other party, capped at $7,500,000. In certain circumstances, including if the board of directors of SSE changes its recommendation or if the Merger Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances and SSE enters into an alternative acquisition transaction within 12 months of termination, SSE may be required to pay Patterson-UTI a termination fee of $40,000,000. Patterson-UTI may be required to pay SSE a termination fee of $100,000,000 in certain circumstances, including if the board of directors of Patterson-UTI changes its recommendation as a result of a Superior Parent Proposal or if the Merger Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances and Patterson-UTI enters into certain types of alternative acquisition transactions within 12 months of termination. In certain other circumstances, Patterson-UTI may be required to pay SSE a termination fee of $40,000,000. In no event will either party be entitled to receive more than one expense reimbursement payment or more than one termination fee payment to which either party is entitled.
In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, certain affiliates of Axar Capital Management, LLC, BlueMountain Capital Management, LLC and Mudrick Capital Management, L.P. entered into voting and support agreements with Patterson-UTI, pursuant to which each such stockholder agreed to vote all of its shares of SSE common stock in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement and against, among other things, alternative transactions. As of February 9, 2017, those stockholders held and are entitled to vote in the aggregate approximately 59% of the issued and outstanding shares of SSE common stock entitled to vote at the SSE special meeting. In the event that SSE’s board of directors changes its recommendation that SSE stockholders adopt the merger agreement, such stockholders, taken together, will be required to vote shares that, in the aggregate, represent 39.99% of the issued and outstanding shares of SSE common stock on such proposal,