On September 23, 2022, upon request of Simmons, the District Court of Dallas County, Texas, 298th Judicial District approved an order modifying Article VI, Section 8 of the Indenture to substitute “United States” for “State of Texas” so that it permits a successor trustee of the Trust to be a national bank, state bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having unimpaired capital and surplus of not less than Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000). The full text of the Indenture, as modified by the court’s order is set forth in Exhibit 4.1 and incorporated by reference herein. The change in trustee was effective on December 30, 2022.
The Trust’s Indenture provides that the term of the Trust will expire on June 1, 2041, unless extended by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding units of beneficial interest.
The Trust is not permitted to engage in any business activity because it was organized for the sole purpose of providing an efficient, orderly and practical means for the administration and liquidation of rights to payments from certain oil and natural gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, pursuant to license agreements and amendments between the Trust’s predecessors and Gulf Oil Corporation (“Gulf”). As a result of various transactions that have occurred since 1956, these interests were largely held by Chevron Corporation (“Chevron”) and are now predominantly held by its assignees, including Arena Energy, LP (collectively with Chevron and its assignees, the “Interest Owners”). The Trust holds title to interests in properties that are situated offshore of Texas.
The Trust’s wholly owned subsidiary, Marine Petroleum Corporation (“MPC,” and collectively with the Trust, “Marine”), holds title to interests in properties that are situated offshore of Louisiana because at the time the Trust was created, trusts could not hold these interests under Louisiana law. MPC is prohibited from engaging in a trade or business and only takes those actions that are necessary for the administration and liquidation of its properties.
Marine’s rights are generally referred to as overriding royalty interests in the oil and natural gas industry. An overriding royalty interest is created by an assignment by the owner of a working interest in an oil or natural gas lease. The royalty rights associated with an overriding royalty interest terminate when the underlying lease terminates. All production and marketing functions are conducted by the working interest owners of the leases. Income from overriding royalties is paid to Marine either (i) on the basis of the selling price of oil, natural gas and other minerals produced, saved or sold, or (ii) at the value at the wellhead as determined by industry standards, when the selling price does not reflect the value at the wellhead.
The Trustee assumes that some units of beneficial interest are held by middlemen, as such term is broadly defined in U.S. Treasury Regulations (and includes custodians, nominees, certain joint owners and brokers holding an interest for a customer in street name). Therefore, the Trustee considers the Trust to be a widely held fixed investment trust (“WHFIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Trust will provide tax information in accordance with applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations governing the information reporting requirements of the Trust as a WHFIT. The Trustee will provide the required information and the contact information for the Trustee is below:
Argent Trust Company
2911 Turtle Creek Blvd., Suite 850
Dallas, Texas 75219
Telephone number: (855) 588-7839
Each unitholder should consult its own tax advisor for compliance with U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations.
Commodity Prices
The Trust’s income and monthly distributions are heavily influenced by commodity prices. Commodity prices may fluctuate widely in response to (i) relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas, (ii) market uncertainty and (iii) a variety of additional factors that are beyond the Trustee’s control. Factors that may impact future commodity prices, including the price of oil and natural gas, include but are not limited to:
| • | | political conditions in major oil producing regions, especially in the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine; |
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