Limitation on Transactions with Shareholders and Affiliates The Company will not, and will not cause or permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, enter into any transaction or series of related transactions (including, without limitation, the sale, purchase, exchange or lease of assets, property or services) with or for the benefit of any Affiliate of the Company (other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary) unless such transaction or series of related transactions is entered into in good faith and in writing and
(1) such transaction or series of related transactions is on terms that are no less favorable to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, than those that would be available in a comparable transaction in arm’s-length dealings with a party who is not an Affiliate of the Company,
(2) with respect to any transaction or series of related transactions involving aggregate value in excess of $20,000,000,
(i) the Company delivers an Officers’ Certificate to the Trustee certifying that such transaction or series of related transactions complies with clause (1) above, and
(ii) such transaction or series of related transactions has been approved by a majority of the Disinterested Directors of the Board of Directors of the Company, or in the event there is only one Disinterested Director, by such Disinterested Director, or
(3) with respect to any transaction or series of related transactions involving aggregate value in excess of $40,000,000, the Company delivers to the Trustee a written opinion of an investment banking firm of national standing or other recognized independent expert with experience appraising the terms and conditions of the type of transaction or series of related transactions for which an opinion is required stating that the transaction or series of related transactions is fair to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary from a financial point of view; provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to:
(1) employee benefit arrangements with any officer or director of the Company, including under any employment agreement, stock option or stock incentive plans, and customary indemnification arrangements with officers or directors of the Company, in each case entered into in the ordinary course of business,
(2) the payment of reasonable and customary fees to directors of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries who are not employees of the Company or any Affiliate,
(3) any Permitted Investments, Restricted Payments or Permitted Payments made in compliance with Section 4.07,
(4) sales of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company to Affiliates of the Company,
(5) in the case of contracts for purchase of drilling equipment or sale of oil field service supplies or natural gas or other operational contracts, any such contracts are entered into in the ordinary course of business on terms substantially similar to those contained in similar contracts entered into by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary and third parties, or if neither the Company nor any Restricted Subsidiary has entered into a similar contract with a third party, that the terms are no less favorable than those available from third parties on an arm’s-length basis, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company,
(6) any customary agreements with stockholders of the Company providing for preemptive, voting, tag-along and similar rights to certain stockholders of the Company, provided that such agreements are approved in advance by a majority of the Disinterested Directors, and
(7) any transactions undertaken pursuant to any contracts in existence on the Issue Date (as in effect on such date) and any renewals, replacements or modifications of such contracts (pursuant to new transactions or otherwise) on terms no less favorable to the Holders of the Notes than those in effect on the Issue Date.