CHK » Topics » General

This excerpt taken from the CHK 8-K filed Jun 25, 2009.

General

We are the largest independent producer of natural gas in the United States. We own interests in approximately 41,200 producing natural gas and oil wells that are currently producing approximately 2.3 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe) per day, 92% of which is natural gas. Our strategy is focused on discovering, developing and acquiring conventional and unconventional natural gas reserves onshore in the U.S., primarily in the “Big 4” natural gas shale plays: the Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth Basin of north-central Texas, the Haynesville Shale in the Ark-La-Tex area of northwestern Louisiana and East Texas, the Fayetteville Shale in the Arkoma Basin of central Arkansas and the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. We also have substantial operations in various other plays, both conventional and unconventional, in the Mid-Continent, Appalachian Basin, Permian Basin, Delaware Basin, South Texas, Texas Gulf Coast and Ark-La-Tex regions of the U.S.

We have been developing expertise in horizontal drilling technology since shortly after our inception in 1989 and have focused almost exclusively on developing natural gas properties in the U.S. since 2000. We were one of the first companies to recognize the potential of unconventional natural gas properties, especially shales, in the U.S. during the early part of this decade. During the past five years, we have grown from the eighth largest natural gas producer in the U.S. to the largest independent natural gas producer, in large part as a result of our success in finding and developing unconventional natural gas assets.

As of December 31, 2008, we had 12.051 trillion cubic feet equivalent, or tcfe, of proved reserves, of which 94% were natural gas and all of which were onshore in the U.S. During 2008, we produced an average of 2.303 bcfe per day, an 18% increase over the 1.957 bcfe per day produced in 2007. We replaced our 843 bcfe of production with an internally estimated 2.015 tcfe of new proved reserves for a reserve replacement rate of 239%. Reserve replacement through the drillbit was 2.545 tcfe, or 302% of production including 1.248 tcfe of positive performance revisions and 298 bcfe of negative revisions resulting from natural gas and oil price decreases between December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2008. Reserve replacement through the acquisition of proved reserves was 172 bcfe. During 2008, we divested 702 bcfe of estimated proved reserves. In total, our proved reserves grew by 11% during 2008, from 10.9 tcfe to 12.1 tcfe. Of our 12.1 tcfe of proved reserves, 67% were proved developed reserves.

During 2008, Chesapeake continued the industry’s most active drilling program and drilled 1,819 gross (1,491 net) operated wells and participated in another 1,857 gross (242 net) wells operated by other companies. The company’s drilling success rate was 99% for company-operated wells and 98% for non-operated wells. Also during 2008, we invested $5.043 billion in operated wells (using an average of 145 operated rigs) and $754 million in non-operated wells (using an average of 110 non-operated rigs) for total drilling, completing and equipping costs of $5.797 billion.

During the second half of 2008, we entered into joint venture arrangements that monetized a portion of our investment in three of the Big 4 Shale plays and provide drilling cost carries for our retained interest. In the Haynesville Shale, we entered into a joint venture with Plains Exploration & Production Company in July 2008 in which we sold Plains a 20% interest in our Haynesville properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.65 billion and drilling cost carries of up to $1.65 billion. In the Fayetteville Shale, we entered into a joint venture with BP America Production Company in September 2008 in which we sold BP a 25% interest in our Fayetteville properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.1 billion and drilling cost carries of $800 million. Most recently, we entered into a joint venture with StatoilHydro ASA in November 2008 in which we sold a 32.5% interest in our Marcellus properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.25 billion and drilling cost carries of $2.125 billion. Collectively in these three joint ventures, we received upfront cash payments of $4.0 billion and future drilling cost carries of up to $4.6 billion for total consideration of up to $8.6 billion against a cost basis of approximately $1.2 billion in the property interests we sold. Moreover, Chesapeake retained an 80% interest in the Haynesville Shale properties, a 75% interest in the Fayetteville Shale properties and a 67.5% interest in the Marcellus Shale properties.

 

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Our principal executive offices are located at 6100 North Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118 and our main telephone number at that location is (405) 848-8000. We make available free of charge on our website at www.chk.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. References to “us”, “we” and “our” in this report refer to Chesapeake Energy Corporation together with its subsidiaries.

This excerpt taken from the CHK DEF 14A filed Apr 30, 2009.

10. GENERAL

Section 10.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner, but may not adopt any amendment without Shareholder Approval if (i) such approval is necessary or desirable to qualify or comply with any tax or regulatory requirement for which or with which the Board deems it necessary or desirable to qualify or comply, or (ii) in the opinion of counsel to the Company, Shareholder Approval is required by any federal or state laws or regulations or the rules of any stock exchange on which the common stock may be listed.

Section 10.2 Acceleration of Awards on Disability, Death, Retirement or Involuntary Termination. With respect to (i) a Participant who ceases to be an Eligible Person due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who ceases to be an Eligible Person due to the Participant’s retirement or involuntary termination (as defined by the Committee), the Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit the purchase of all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option or waive the vesting requirements of any Award on the date the Participant ceases to be an Eligible Person due to a Disability, death, retirement or involuntary termination. With respect to Options which have already vested at such date or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine. The purchase of all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option or the waiver the vesting requirements of any Award on the date the Participant ceases to be an Eligible Person due to an involuntary termination pursuant to this Section 10.2 will be limited to 5% of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock which are available for Awards under the Plan pursuant to Section 3.3 of the Plan.

Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay in cash to the Company the amount of taxes required to be withheld by law upon the exercise of an Option. Required withholding taxes associated with Restricted Stock, Performance Shares, Cash or Other Stock Awards must also be paid in cash unless the Committee requires a Participant to pay the amount of taxes required by law to be withheld from such Awards by directing the Company to withhold from any Award the number of shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value on the date of vesting equal to the amount of required withholding taxes.

Section 10.3 Code Section 83(b) Elections. The Company, its Subsidiaries and Affiliated Entities have no responsibility for a Participant’s election, attempt to elect or failure to elect to include the value of an Award subject to Section 83 in the Participant’s gross income for the year of grant pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code. Any Participant who makes an election pursuant to Section 83(b) will promptly provide the Committee with a copy of the election form.

Section 10.4 Code Section 162(m). It is the intent of the Company that the Plan comply in all respects with Section 162(m) of the Code and that any ambiguities or inconsistencies in construction of the Plan be interpreted to give effect to such intention.

Section 10.5 Code Section 409A. It is the intent of the Company that no Award under the Plan be subject to Section 409A of the Code. The Committee shall design and administer the Awards under the Plan so that they are not subject to Section 409A of the Code.

Section 10.6 Certain Additional Payments by the Company. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide in any Award Agreement for certain payments by the Company in the event that acceleration of vesting of any Award under the Plan is subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code or any interest or

 

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penalties with respect to such excise tax (such excise tax, interest and penalties, collectively, the “Excise Tax”). An Award Agreement may provide that the Participant shall be entitled to receive a payment (a “Gross-Up Payment”) in an amount such that after payment by the Participant of all taxes (including any interest or penalties imposed with respect to such taxes), including any Excise Tax imposed upon the Gross-Up Payment, the Participant retains an amount of the Gross-Up Payment equal to the Excise Tax imposed upon such acceleration of vesting of any Award.

Section 10.7 Non-Transferability. Subject to other provisions of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, Awards are not transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition of, or the levy of execution, attachment or similar process upon, any Award contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, any may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Award involved in such attempt. The Committee shall impose such other restrictions and conditions on any shares of Common Stock covered by an Award as it may deem advisable including, without limitation, restrictions under applicable Federal or state securities laws, and may legend the certificates representing the shares of Common Stock subject to the Award to give appropriate notice of such restrictions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Award held by a Non-Employee Director may be transferable under certain circumstances as specified by the Committee in the Award Agreement.

Section 10.8 Non-Uniform Determinations. The Committee’s determinations under the Plan, including without limitation, (i) the determination of the Eligible Persons to receive Awards, (ii) the form, amount and timing of such Awards, (iii) the terms and provisions of such Awards, (iv) minimum employment or service periods, and (v) agreements evidencing the same, need not be uniform and, subject to any restrictions set forth in the Plan, may be made by the Committee selectively among Participants who receive, or who are eligible to receive, Awards under the Plan, whether or not such Participants are similarly situated.

Section 10.9 Leaves of Absence, Suspensions. The Committee shall be entitled to make such rules, regulations and determinations as it deems appropriate under the Plan in respect of any suspension of employment or leave of absence from the Company granted to a Participant whether such suspension or leave is paid or unpaid and whether due to a Disability or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee shall be entitled to determine (i) whether or not any such suspension or leave of absence shall be treated as if the Participant ceased to be an employee of the Company and (ii) the impact, if any, of any such suspension or leave of absence on Awards under the Plan.

Section 10.10 Participant Misconduct. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, the Committee shall have the authority under the Plan to determine that in the event of serious misconduct by the Participant (including violations of employment agreements, confidentiality or other proprietary matters) or any activity of a Participant in competition with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliated Entity, any outstanding Award granted to such Participant may be cancelled, in whole or in part, whether or not vested. The determination of whether a Participant has engaged in a serious breach of conduct or any activity in competition with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliated Entity shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and in its sole discretion. This Section 10.11 shall have no effect and be deleted from the Plan following a Change of Control.

Section 10.11 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Awards hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Awards prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

 

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(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 10.12 Right to Continued Employment or Board Membership. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company, a Subsidiary or an Affiliated Entity or any right to remain on the Board of the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Employee, Non-Employee Director or Consultant or any other individual any right to be granted an Award.

Section 10.13 Other Compensation Programs. The existence and terms of the Plan shall not limit the authority of the Board in compensating Employees and Non-Employee Directors in such other forms and amounts, including compensation pursuant to any other plans as may be currently in effect or adopted in the future, as it may determine from time to time.

Section 10.14 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

Section 10.15 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

Section 10.16 Governing Law, Severability. The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Oklahoma except as superseded by applicable federal law. If any provision of the Plan is held unlawful or otherwise invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part, the unlawfulness, invalidity or unenforceability will not affect any other parts of the Plan, which will remain in full force and effect.

Section 10.17 Supersession. Upon receipt of Shareholder Approval pursuant to Section 1.4, this Plan supersedes and replaces in all respects the Initial Plan and any Award Agreement issued pursuant to the Plan after the effective date of this Plan will be governed by the terms of this Plan and not by the Initial Plan or any other plans or agreements, oral or otherwise.

 

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These excerpts taken from the CHK 10-K filed Mar 2, 2009.

General

We are the largest independent producer of natural gas in the United States. We own interests in approximately 41,200 producing natural gas and oil wells that are currently producing approximately 2.3 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe) per day, 92% of which is natural gas. Our strategy is focused on discovering, developing and acquiring conventional and unconventional natural gas reserves onshore in the U.S., primarily in the “Big 4” natural gas shale plays: the Barnett Shale in the Forth Worth Basin of north-central Texas, the Haynesville Shale in the Ark-La-Tex area of northwestern Louisiana and East Texas, the Fayetteville Shale in the Arkoma Basin of central Arkansas and the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. We also have substantial operations in various other plays, both conventional and unconventional, in the Mid-Continent, Appalachian Basin, Permian Basin, Delaware Basin, South Texas, Texas Gulf Coast and Ark-La-Tex regions of the U.S.

We have been developing expertise in horizontal drilling technology since shortly after our inception in 1989 and have focused almost exclusively on developing natural gas properties in the U.S. since 2000. We were one of the first companies to recognize the potential of unconventional natural gas properties, especially shales, in the U.S. during the early part of this decade. During the past five years, we have grown from the eighth largest natural gas producer in the U.S. to the largest independent natural gas producer, in large part as a result of our success in finding and developing unconventional natural gas assets.

As of December 31, 2008, we had 12.051 trillion cubic feet equivalent, or tcfe, of proved reserves, of which 94% were natural gas and all of which were onshore in the U.S. During 2008, we produced an average of 2.303 bcfe per day, an 18% increase over the 1.957 bcfe per day produced in 2007. We replaced our 843 bcfe of production with an internally estimated 2.015 tcfe of new proved reserves for a reserve replacement rate of 239%. Reserve replacement through the drillbit was 2.545 tcfe, or 302% of production including 1.248 tcfe of positive performance revisions and 298 bcfe of negative revisions resulting from natural gas and oil price decreases between December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2008. Reserve replacement through the acquisition of proved reserves was 172 bcfe. During 2008, we divested 702 bcfe of estimated proved reserves. In total, our proved reserves grew by 11% during 2008, from 10.9 tcfe to 12.1 tcfe. Of our 12.1 tcfe of proved reserves, 67% were proved developed reserves.

During 2008, Chesapeake continued the industry’s most active drilling program and drilled 1,819 gross (1,491 net) operated wells and participated in another 1,857 gross (242 net) wells operated by other companies. The company’s drilling success rate was 99% for company-operated wells and 98% for non-operated wells. Also during 2008, we invested $5.043 billion in operated wells (using an average of 145 operated rigs) and $754 million in non-operated wells (using an average of 110 non-operated rigs) for total drilling, completing and equipping costs of $5.797 billion.

During the second half of 2008, we entered into joint venture arrangements that monetized a portion of our investment in three of the Big 4 Shale plays and provide drilling cost carries for our retained interest. In the Haynesville Shale, we entered into a joint venture with Plains Exploration & Production Company in July 2008 in which we sold Plains a 20% interest in our Haynesville properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.65 billion and drilling cost carries of up to $1.65 billion. In the Fayetteville Shale, we entered into a joint venture with BP America Production Company in September 2008 in which we sold BP a 25% interest in our Fayetteville properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.1 billion and drilling cost carries of $800 million. Most recently, we entered into a joint venture with StatoilHydro ASA in November 2008 in which we sold a 32.5% interest in our Marcellus properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.25 billion and drilling cost carries of $2.125 billion. Collectively in these three joint ventures, we received upfront cash payments of $4.0 billion and future drilling cost carries of up to $4.6 billion for total consideration of up to $8.6 billion against a cost basis of approximately $1.2 billion in the property interests we sold. Moreover, Chesapeake

 

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retained an 80% interest in the Haynesville Shale properties, a 75% interest in the Fayetteville Shale properties and a 67.5% interest in the Marcellus Shale properties.

Our principal executive offices are located at 6100 North Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118 and our main telephone number at that location is (405) 848-8000. We make available free of charge on our website at www.chk.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. References to “us”, “we” and “our” in this report refer to Chesapeake Energy Corporation together with its subsidiaries.

General

We are the largest independent producer of natural gas in the United States. We own interests in approximately 41,200 producing natural
gas and oil wells that are currently producing approximately 2.3 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe) per day, 92% of which is natural gas. Our strategy is focused on discovering, developing and acquiring conventional and unconventional natural gas
reserves onshore in the U.S., primarily in the “Big 4” natural gas shale plays: the Barnett Shale in the Forth Worth Basin of north-central Texas, the Haynesville Shale in the Ark-La-Tex area of northwestern Louisiana and East Texas, the
Fayetteville Shale in the Arkoma Basin of central Arkansas and the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. We also have substantial operations in various other plays, both conventional and
unconventional, in the Mid-Continent, Appalachian Basin, Permian Basin, Delaware Basin, South Texas, Texas Gulf Coast and Ark-La-Tex regions of the U.S.

FACE="Times New Roman" SIZE="2">We have been developing expertise in horizontal drilling technology since shortly after our inception in 1989 and have focused almost exclusively on developing natural gas properties in the U.S. since 2000. We were
one of the first companies to recognize the potential of unconventional natural gas properties, especially shales, in the U.S. during the early part of this decade. During the past five years, we have grown from the eighth largest natural gas
producer in the U.S. to the largest independent natural gas producer, in large part as a result of our success in finding and developing unconventional natural gas assets.

STYLE="margin-top:12px;margin-bottom:0px; text-indent:4%">As of December 31, 2008, we had 12.051 trillion cubic feet equivalent, or tcfe, of proved reserves, of which 94% were natural gas and all of which
were onshore in the U.S. During 2008, we produced an average of 2.303 bcfe per day, an 18% increase over the 1.957 bcfe per day produced in 2007. We replaced our 843 bcfe of production with an internally estimated 2.015 tcfe of new proved reserves
for a reserve replacement rate of 239%. Reserve replacement through the drillbit was 2.545 tcfe, or 302% of production including 1.248 tcfe of positive performance revisions and 298 bcfe of negative revisions resulting from natural gas and oil price
decreases between December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2008. Reserve replacement through the acquisition of proved reserves was 172 bcfe. During 2008, we divested 702 bcfe of estimated proved reserves. In total, our proved reserves grew by
11% during 2008, from 10.9 tcfe to 12.1 tcfe. Of our 12.1 tcfe of proved reserves, 67% were proved developed reserves.

During 2008,
Chesapeake continued the industry’s most active drilling program and drilled 1,819 gross (1,491 net) operated wells and participated in another 1,857 gross (242 net) wells operated by other companies. The company’s drilling success rate
was 99% for company-operated wells and 98% for non-operated wells. Also during 2008, we invested $5.043 billion in operated wells (using an average of 145 operated rigs) and $754 million in non-operated wells (using an average of 110 non-operated
rigs) for total drilling, completing and equipping costs of $5.797 billion.

During the second half of 2008, we entered into joint venture
arrangements that monetized a portion of our investment in three of the Big 4 Shale plays and provide drilling cost carries for our retained interest. In the Haynesville Shale, we entered into a joint venture with Plains Exploration &
Production Company in July 2008 in which we sold Plains a 20% interest in our Haynesville properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.65 billion and drilling cost carries of up to $1.65 billion. In the Fayetteville Shale, we entered into a
joint venture with BP America Production Company in September 2008 in which we sold BP a 25% interest in our Fayetteville properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.1 billion and drilling cost carries of $800 million. Most recently, we
entered into a joint venture with StatoilHydro ASA in November 2008 in which we sold a 32.5% interest in our Marcellus properties and received an upfront cash payment of $1.25 billion and drilling cost carries of $2.125 billion. Collectively in
these three joint ventures, we received upfront cash payments of $4.0 billion and future drilling cost carries of up to $4.6 billion for total consideration of up to $8.6 billion against a cost basis of approximately $1.2 billion in the property
interests we sold. Moreover, Chesapeake

 


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retained an 80% interest in the Haynesville Shale properties, a 75% interest in the Fayetteville Shale properties and a 67.5% interest in the Marcellus Shale
properties.

Our principal executive offices are located at 6100 North Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118 and our main telephone
number at that location is (405) 848-8000. We make available free of charge on our website at www.chk.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as
soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. References to “us”, “we” and “our” in this report refer to Chesapeake Energy
Corporation together with its subsidiaries.

These excerpts taken from the CHK 10-Q filed Aug 11, 2008.

GENERAL

Section 8.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner in accordance with applicable federal or state laws or regulations.

 

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Section 8.2 Acceleration of Otherwise Unexercisable Stock Options on Death, Disability or Other Special Circumstances. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit (i) a Participant who terminates employment due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who terminates employment upon the occurrence of special circumstances (as determined by the Committee) to purchase all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option on the date of the Participant’s termination of employment due to a Disability, death or special circumstances, or as the Committee otherwise so determines. With respect to Options which have already vested at the date of such termination or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine.

Section 8.3 Nonassignability. Options are not transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition of, or the levy of execution, attachment or similar process upon, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, and may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Option involved in such attempt.

Section 8.4 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay to the Company the amount of taxes required by law upon the exercise of an Option in cash, unless an alternative payment method is acceptable by the Committee.

Section 8.5 Amendments to Options. The Committee may at any time unilaterally amend the terms of any Option Agreement, whether or not the Option granted thereunder is presently exercisable or vested, to the extent it deems appropriate; provided, however, that any such amendment which is adverse to the Participant shall require the Participant’s consent.

Section 8.6 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Options hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Options prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 8.7 Right to Continued Employment. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company or any Subsidiary or any partnership or limited liability company controlled by the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Eligible Employee or any other individual any right to be selected as a Participant or to be granted an Option.

Section 8.8 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or of the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information or for any action taken, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

 

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Section 8.9 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

GENERAL

Section 8.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner in accordance with applicable federal or state laws or regulations.

Section 8.2 Acceleration of Otherwise Unexercisable Stock Options on Death, Disability or Other Special Circumstances. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit (i) a Participant who terminates employment due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who terminates employment upon the occurrence of special circumstances (as determined by the Committee) to purchase all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option on the date of the Participant’s termination of employment due to a Disability, death or special circumstances, or as the Committee otherwise so determines. With respect to Options which have already vested at the date of such termination or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine.

Section 8.3 Nonassignability. Options are not transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition of, or the levy of execution, attachment or similar process upon, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, and may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Option involved in such attempt.

Section 8.4 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay to the Company the amount of taxes required by law upon the exercise of an Option in cash, unless an alternative payment method is acceptable by the Committee.

Section 8.5 Amendments to Options. The Committee may at any time unilaterally amend the terms of any Option Agreement, whether or not the Option granted thereunder is presently exercisable or vested, to the extent it deems appropriate; provided, however, that any such amendment which is adverse to the Participant shall require the Participant’s consent.

Section 8.6 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Options hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Options prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

 

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Section 8.7 Right to Continued Employment. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company or any Subsidiary or any partnership or limited liability company controlled by the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Employee or Consultant or any other individual any right to be selected as a Participant or to be granted an Option.

Section 8.8 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or of the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information or for any action taken, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

Section 8.9 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

GENERAL

Section 8.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner in accordance with applicable federal or state laws or regulations.

Section 8.2 Acceleration of Otherwise Unexercisable Stock Options on Death, Disability or Other Special Circumstances. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit (i) a Participant who terminates employment due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who terminates employment upon the occurrence of special circumstances (as determined by the Committee) to purchase all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option on the date of the Participant’s termination of employment due to a Disability, death or special circumstances, or as the Committee otherwise so determines. With respect to Options which have already vested at the date of such termination or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine.

Section 8.3 Nonassignability. Options are not transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition of, or the levy of execution, attachment or similar process upon, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, and may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Option involved in such attempt.

Section 8.4 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay to the Company the amount of taxes required by law upon the exercise of an Option in cash, unless an alternative payment method is acceptable by the Committee.

Section 8.5 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Options hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Options prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 8.6 Right to Continued Employment. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company or any Subsidiary or any partnership or limited liability company controlled by the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Employee or Consultant or any other individual any right to be selected as a Participant or to be granted an Option.

Section 8.7 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or of the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information or for any action taken, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

 

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Section 8.8 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

GENERAL

Section 8.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner, but may not adopt any amendment without Shareholder Approval if in the opinion of counsel to the Company, Shareholder Approval is required by any federal or state laws or regulations or the rules of any stock exchange on which the Common Stock is then listed.

 

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Section 8.2 Acceleration of Otherwise Unexercisable Stock Options on Death, Disability or Other Special Circumstances. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit a Participant who ceases to be a Director or the personal representative of a deceased Participant to purchase all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option on the date of the Participant’s termination of membership on the Board, or death, or as the Committee otherwise so determines. With respect to Options which have already vested at the date of such termination or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options in accordance with Section 6.3(e).

Section 8.3 Limited Transferability of Options. The Committee may, in its discretion, authorize all or a portion of the Options to be granted to a Participant to be on terms which permit transfer by such Participant to (i) the ex-spouse of the Participant pursuant to the terms of a qualified domestic relations order, (ii) the spouse, children or grandchildren of the Participant (“Immediate Family Members”), (iii) a trust or trusts for the exclusive benefit of such Immediate Family Members, or (iv) a partnership in which such Immediate Family Members are the only partners. In addition (x) there may be no consideration for any such transfer, (y) the Option Agreement pursuant to which such Options are granted must be approved by the Committee, and must expressly provide for transferability in a manner consistent with this Section and (z) subsequent transfers of transferred Options shall be prohibited except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. However, no such transfer of an Option by a Participant shall be effective to bind the Company unless the Company has been furnished with written notice of such transfer and an authenticated copy of the will and/or such other evidence as the Committee may deem necessary to establish the validity of the transfer and the acceptance by the transferee of the terms and conditions of such Options. Following transfer, any such Options shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as were applicable immediately prior to transfer, provided that, with the exception of Sections 6.2, 6.3(c) and 6.3(e), the term “Participant” shall be deemed to refer to the transferee.

Section 8.4 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay to the Company the amount of taxes required by law upon the exercise of an Option in cash, unless an alternative payment method is acceptable by the Committee.

Section 8.5 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Options hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Options prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 8.6 Right to Continued Board Membership. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain on the Board of the Company. Further, except as provided in Section 6.2, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give a Non-employee Director any right to be selected as a Participant or to be granted an Option.

Section 8.7 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or of the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information or for any action taken, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

 

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Section 8.8 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

GENERAL

Section 8.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner, but may not adopt any amendment without Shareholder Approval if (i) the amendment relates to Incentive Stock Options and Section 422 of the Code requires Shareholder Approval of such amendment, or (ii) in the opinion of counsel to the Company, Shareholder Approval is required by any federal or state laws or regulations.

Section 8.2 Acceleration of Otherwise Unexercisable Stock Options on Death, Disability or Other Special Circumstances. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit (i) a Participant who terminates employment due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who terminates employment upon the occurrence of special circumstances (as determined by the Committee) to purchase all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option on the date of the Participant’s termination of employment due

 

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to a Disability, death or special circumstances, or as the Committee otherwise so determines. With respect to Options which have already vested at the date of such termination or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine.

Section 8.3 Nonassignability. Options are not transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition of, or the levy of execution, attachment or similar process upon, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, and may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Option involved in such attempt.

Section 8.4 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay to the Company the amount of taxes required by law upon the exercise of an Option in cash, unless an alternative payment method is acceptable by the Committee.

Section 8.5 Amendments to Options. The Committee may at any time unilaterally amend the terms of any Option Agreement, whether or not the Option granted thereunder is presently exercisable or vested, to the extent it deems appropriate; provided, however, that any such amendment which is adverse to the Participant shall require the Participant’s consent.

Section 8.6 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Options hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Options prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 8.7 Right to Continued Employment. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company or any Subsidiary or any partnership or limited liability company controlled by the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Employee or Consultant or any other individual any right to be selected as a Participant or to be granted an Option.

Section 8.8 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or of the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information or for any action taken, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

Section 8.9 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

Section 8.10 Governing Law. The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Oklahoma except as superseded by applicable federal law.

 

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GENERAL

Section 8.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner, but may not adopt any amendment without Shareholder Approval if (i) the amendment relates to Incentive Stock Options and Section 422 of the Code requires Shareholder Approval of such amendment, or (ii) in the opinion of counsel to the Company, Shareholder Approval is required by any federal or state laws or regulations or the rules of any stock exchange on which the common stock may be listed.

Section 8.2 Acceleration of Otherwise Unexercisable Stock Options on Death, Disability or Other Special Circumstances. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit (i) a Participant who terminates employment due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who terminates employment upon the occurrence of special circumstances (as determined by the Committee) to purchase all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option on the date of the Participant’s termination of employment due to a Disability, death or special circumstances, or as the Committee otherwise so determines. With respect to Options which have already vested at the date of such termination or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine.

 

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Section 8.3 Nonassignability. Options are not transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition of, or the levy of execution, attachment or similar process upon, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, and may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Option involved in such attempt.

Section 8.4 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay to the Company the amount of taxes required by law upon the exercise of an Option in cash, unless an alternative payment method is acceptable by the Committee.

Section 8.5 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Options hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Options prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 8.6 Right to Continued Employment. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company or any Subsidiary or any partnership or limited liability company controlled by the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Employee or Consultant or any other individual any right to be selected as a Participant or to be granted an Option.

Section 8.7 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or of the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information or for any action taken, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

Section 8.8 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

GENERAL

Section 8.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner, but may not adopt any amendment without Shareholder Approval if (i) the amendment relates to Incentive Stock Options and Section 422 of the Code requires Shareholder Approval of such amendment, or (ii) in the opinion of counsel to the Company, Shareholder Approval is required by any Federal or state law or regulations or rules promulgated thereunder.

Section 8.2 Acceleration of Otherwise Unexercisable Stock Options on Death, Disability or Other Special Circumstances. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit (i) a Participant who terminates employment due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who terminates employment upon the occurrence of special circumstances (as determined by the Committee) to purchase all or any part

 

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of the shares subject to any unvested Option on the date of the Participant’s termination of employment due to a Disability, death or special circumstances, or as the Committee otherwise so determines. With respect to Options which have already vested at the date of such termination or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options which are Incentive Stock Options within three months of such date of termination of employment or one year in the case of a Participant suffering a Disability or three years in the case of a deceased Participant. The Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options which are Nonqualified Stock Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine.

Section 8.3 Nonassignability. No Option shall be subject in any manner to alienation, anticipation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, or encumbrance, except for transfer by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of, or to subject to execution, attachment or similar process, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof, shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, and may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Option involved in such attempt.

Section 8.4 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay the amount of taxes required by law upon the exercise of an Option in cash, unless an alternative payment method is acceptable by the Committee.

Section 8.5 Amendments to Options. The Committee may at any time unilaterally amend the terms of any Option Agreement, whether or not the Option granted thereunder is presently exercisable or vested, to the extent it deems appropriate; provided, however, that any such amendment which is adverse to the Participant shall require the Participant’s consent.

Section 8.6 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is adopted by the Board, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Options hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Options prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the admission of such shares to listing on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or Federal law or ruling of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 8.7 Right to Continued Employment. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company or any Subsidiary or any partnership or limited liability company controlled by the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Eligible Employee or any other individual any right to be selected as a Participant or to be granted an Option.

Section 8.8 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or of the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information or for any action taken, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

 

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Section 8.9 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

This excerpt taken from the CHK DEF 14A filed Apr 29, 2008.

10. GENERAL

Section 10.1 Amendment or Termination of Plan. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. In addition, the Board may, from time to time, amend the Plan in any manner, but may not adopt any amendment without Shareholder Approval if (i) such approval is necessary or desirable to qualify or comply with any tax or regulatory requirement for which or with which the Board deems it necessary or desirable to qualify or comply, or (ii) in the opinion of counsel to the Company, Shareholder Approval is required by any federal or state laws or regulations or the rules of any stock exchange on which the common stock may be listed.

Section 10.2 Acceleration of Awards on Disability, Death, Retirement or Involuntary Termination. With respect to (i) a Participant who ceases to be an Eligible Person due to a Disability, (ii) the personal representative of a deceased Participant, or (iii) any other Participant who ceases to be an Eligible Person due to the Participant’s retirement or involuntary termination (as defined by the Committee), the Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit the purchase of all or any part of the shares subject to any unvested Option or waive the vesting requirements of any Award on the date the Participant ceases to be an Eligible Person due to a Disability, death, retirement or involuntary termination. With respect to Options which have already vested at such date or the vesting of which is accelerated by the Committee in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Participant or the personal representative of a deceased Participant shall have the right to exercise such vested Options within such period(s) as the Committee shall determine.

Section 10.3 Withholding Taxes. A Participant must pay in cash to the Company the amount of taxes required to be withheld by law upon the exercise of an Option. Required withholding taxes associated with Restricted Stock, Performance Shares, Cash or Other Stock Awards must also be paid in cash unless the Committee requires a Participant to pay the amount of taxes required by law to be withheld from such Awards by directing the Company to withhold from any Award the number of shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value on the date of vesting equal to the amount of required withholding taxes.

Section 10.4 Code Section 83(b) Elections. The Company, its Subsidiaries and Affiliated Entities have no responsibility for a Participant’s election, attempt to elect or failure to elect to include the value of an Award subject to Section 83 in the Participant’s gross income for the year of grant pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code. Any Participant who makes an election pursuant to Section 83(b) will promptly provide the Committee with a copy of the election form.

 

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Section 10.5 Code Section 162(m). It is the intent of the Company that the Plan comply in all respects with Section 162(m) of the Code and that any ambiguities or inconsistencies in construction of the Plan be interpreted to give effect to such intention.

Section 10.6 Code Section 409A. It is the intent of the Company that no Award under the Plan be subject to Section 409A of the Code. The Committee shall design and administer the Awards under the Plan so that they are not subject to Section 409A of the Code.

Section 10.7 Certain Additional Payments by the Company. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide in any Award Agreement for certain payments by the Company in the event that acceleration of vesting of any Award under the Plan is subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code or any interest or penalties with respect to such excise tax (such excise tax, interest and penalties, collectively, the “Excise Tax”). An Award Agreement may provide that the Participant shall be entitled to receive a payment (a “Gross-Up Payment”) in an amount such that after payment by the Participant of all taxes (including any interest or penalties imposed with respect to such taxes), including any Excise Tax imposed upon the Gross-Up Payment, the Participant retains an amount of the Gross-Up Payment equal to the Excise Tax imposed upon such acceleration of vesting of any Award.

Section 10.8 Non-Transferability. Subject to other provisions of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, Awards are not transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempted sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation or other disposition of, or the levy of execution, attachment or similar process upon, any Award contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective, shall give no right to any purported transferee, any may, at the sole discretion of the Committee, result in forfeiture of the Award involved in such attempt. The Committee shall impose such other restrictions and conditions on any shares of Common Stock covered by an Award as it may deem advisable including, without limitation, restrictions under applicable Federal or state securities laws, and may legend the certificates representing the shares of Common Stock subject to the Award to give appropriate notice of such restrictions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Award held by a Non-Employee Director may be transferable under certain circumstances as specified by the Committee in the Award Agreement.

Section 10.9 Non-Uniform Determinations. The Committee’s determinations under the Plan, including without limitation, (i) the determination of the Eligible Persons to receive Awards, (ii) the form, amount and timing of such Awards, (iii) the terms and provisions of such Awards, (iv) minimum employment or service periods, and (v) agreements evidencing the same, need not be uniform and, subject to any restrictions set forth in the Plan, may be made by the Committee selectively among Participants who receive, or who are eligible to receive, Awards under the Plan, whether or not such Participants are similarly situated.

Section 10.10 Leaves of Absence, Suspensions. The Committee shall be entitled to make such rules, regulations and determinations as it deems appropriate under the Plan in respect of any suspension of employment or leave of absence from the Company granted to a Participant whether such suspension or leave is paid or unpaid and whether due to a Disability or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee shall be entitled to determine (i) whether or not any such suspension or leave of absence shall be treated as if the Participant ceased to be an employee of the Company and (ii) the impact, if any, of any such suspension or leave of absence on Awards under the Plan.

Section 10.11 Participant Misconduct. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, the Committee shall have the authority under the Plan to determine that in the event of serious misconduct by the Participant (including violations of employment agreements, confidentiality or other proprietary matters) or any activity of a Participant in competition with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliated Entity, any outstanding Award granted to such Participant may be cancelled, in whole or in part, whether or not vested. The determination of whether a Participant has engaged in a serious breach of conduct or any activity in competition with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliated Entity shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and in its sole discretion. This Section 10.11 shall have no effect and be deleted from the Plan following a Change of Control.

 

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Section 10.12 Regulatory Approval and Listings. The Company shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable following the date this Plan is effective, and keep continuously effective and usable, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to Awards hereunder. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock evidencing Awards prior to:

(a) the obtaining of any approval from, or satisfaction of any waiting period or other condition imposed by, any governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

(b) the listing of such shares on any exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed; and

(c) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or regulation of any governmental body which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

Section 10.13 Right to Continued Employment or Board Membership. Participation in the Plan shall not give any Participant any right to remain in the employ of the Company, a Subsidiary or an Affiliated Entity or any right to remain on the Board of the Company. Further, the adoption of this Plan shall not be deemed to give any Employee, Non-Employee Director or Consultant or any other individual any right to be granted an Award.

Section 10.14 Other Compensation Programs. The existence and terms of the Plan shall not limit the authority of the Board in compensating Employees and Non-Employee Directors in such other forms and amounts, including compensation pursuant to any other plans as may be currently in effect or adopted in the future, as it may determine from time to time.

Section 10.15 Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Committee and each member of the Board shall be fully justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any report made by the independent public accountants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and upon any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any person or persons other than the Committee or Board member. In no event shall any person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee or the Board be liable for any determination made or other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such report or information, including the furnishing of information, or failure to act, if in good faith.

Section 10.16 Construction. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for the convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

Section 10.17 Governing Law, Severability. The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Oklahoma except as superseded by applicable federal law. If any provision of the Plan is held unlawful or otherwise invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part, the unlawfulness, invalidity or unenforceability will not affect any other parts of the Plan, which will remain in full force and effect.

Section 10.18 Supersession. Upon receipt of Shareholder Approval pursuant to Section 1.4, this Plan supersedes and replaces in all respects the Initial Plan and any Award Agreement issued pursuant to the Plan after the effective date of this Plan will be governed by the terms of this Plan and not by the Initial Plan or any other plans or agreements, oral or otherwise.

 

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