Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (the “Partnership”), a publicly traded Delaware limited partnership, is a nationwide marketer and distributor of a diverse array of products meeting the energy needs of our customers. We specialize in the distribution of propane, fuel oil and refined fuels, as well as the marketing of natural gas and electricity in deregulated markets. In support of our core marketing and distribution operations, we install and service a variety of home comfort equipment, particularly in the areas of heating and ventilation. We believe, based onLP/Gas Magazinedated February 2011,2014, that we are the fifththird largest retail marketer of propane in the United States, measured by retail gallons sold in the calendar year 2010.2013. As of September 24, 2011,27, 2014, we were serving the energy needs of approximately 750,0001.2 million residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers through approximately 300710 locations in 3041 states located primarilywith operations principally concentrated in the east and west coast regions of the United States, including Alaska. We sold approximately 298.9530.7 million gallons of propane and 37.249.1 million gallons of fuel oil and refined fuels to retail customers during the year ended September 24, 2011.27, 2014. Together with our predecessor companies, we have been continuously engaged in the retail propane business since 1928.

We conduct our business principally through Suburban Propane, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, which operates our propane business and assets (the “Operating Partnership”), and its direct and indirect subsidiaries. Our general partner, and the general partner of our Operating Partnership, is Suburban Energy Services Group LLC (the “General Partner”), a Delaware limited liability company whose sole member is the Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership. Since October 19, 2006, the General Partner has had no economic interest in either the Partnership or the Operating Partnership (which means that the General Partner is not entitled to any cash distributions of either partnership, nor to any cash payment upon the liquidation of either partnership, nor any other economic rights in either partnership) other than as a holder of 784 Common Units of the Partnership. Additionally, under the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”) of the Partnership, there are no incentive distribution rights for the benefit of the General Partner. The Partnership owns (directly and indirectly) all of the limited partner interests in the Operating Partnership. The Common Units represent 100% of the limited partner interests in the Partnership.

Suburban Energy Finance Corporation,Corp., a direct 100%-owned subsidiary of the Partnership, was formed on November 26, 2003 to serve as co-issuer, jointly and severally with the Partnership, of the Partnership’s senior notes. Suburban Energy Finance CorporationCorp. has nominal assets and conducts no business operations.

In this Annual Report, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “Partnership,” “Suburban,” “we,” “us,” and “our” are used to refer to Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. and its consolidated subsidiaries, including the Operating Partnership. The Partnership and the Operating Partnership and the Service Company commenced operations in March 1996 in connection with the Partnership’s initial public offering of Common Units.

Upon written request or through an information request link from our website atwww.suburbanpropane.com, we will provide, without charge, copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 24, 2011,27, 2014, each of the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports filed or furnished on Form 8-K and all amendments to such reports as soon as is reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Requests should be directed to: Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., Investor Relations, P.O. Box 206, Whippany, New Jersey 07981-0206.

Our business strategy is to deliver increasing value to our Unitholders through initiatives, both internal and external, that are geared toward achieving sustainable profitable growth and steady or increased quarterly distributions. The following are key elements of our strategy:

Internal Focus on Driving Operating Efficiencies, Right-Sizing Our Cost Structure and Enhancing Our Customer Mix.We focus internally on improving the efficiency of our existing operations, managing our cost structure and improving our customer mix. Through investments in our technology infrastructure, we continue to seek to improve operating efficiencies and the return on assets employed. We have developed a streamlined operating footprint and management structure to facilitate effective resource planning and decision making. Our internal efforts are particularly focused in the areas of route optimization, forecasting customer usage, inventory control, cash management and customer tracking.

We manage and evaluate our operations in five operating segments, three of which are reportable segments: Propane, Fuel Oil and Refined Fuels and Natural Gas and Electricity. These business segments are described below. See the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report for financial information about our business segments.

Propane is aby-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining. It is a clean burning energy source recognized for its transportability and ease of use relative to alternative forms ofstand-alone energy sources. Propane use falls into three broad categories:

In the residential and commercial markets, propane is used primarily for space heating, water heating, clothes drying and cooking. Industrial customers use propane generally as a motor fuel to powerover-the-road vehicles, forklifts and stationary engines, to fire furnaces, as a cutting gas and in other process applications. In the agricultural market, propane is primarily used for tobacco curing, crop drying, poultry brooding and weed control.

Propane is extracted from natural gas or oil wellhead gas at processing plants or separated from crude oil during the refining process. It is normally transported and stored in a liquid state under moderate pressure or refrigeration for ease of handling in shipping and distribution. When the pressure is released or the temperature is increased, propane becomes a flammable gas that is colorless and odorless, although an odorant is added to allow its detection. Propane is clean burning and, when consumed, produces only negligible amounts of pollutants.

We distribute propane through a nationwide retail distribution network consisting of approximately 300700 locations in 3041 states as of September 24, 2011.27, 2014. Our operations are principally concentrated in the east and west coast regions of the United States, including Alaska. As of September 24, 2011,27, 2014, we serviced approximately 608,0001,027,000 propane customers. Typically, our customer service centers are located in suburban and rural areas where natural gas is not readily available. Generally, these customer service centers consist of an office, appliance showroom, warehouse and service facilities, with one or more 18,000 to 30,000 gallon storage tanks on the premises. Most of our residential customers receive their propane supply through an automatic delivery system. These deliveries are scheduled through proprietary computer technology, based upon each customer’s historical consumption patterns and prevailing weather conditions. Additionally, we offer our customers a budget payment plan whereby the customer’s estimated annual propane purchases and service contracts are paid for in a series of estimated equal monthly payments over a twelve-month period. From our customer service centers, we also sell, install and service equipment to customers who purchase propane from us including heating and cooking appliances hearth products and supplies and, at some locations, propane fuel systems for motor vehicles.

We sell propane primarily to six customer markets: residential, commercial, industrial (including engine fuel), agricultural, other retail users and wholesale. Approximately 91%97% of the propane gallons sold by us in fiscal 20112014 were to retail customers: 45%49% to residential customers, 28%26% to commercial customers, 8%7% to industrial customers, 4%5% to agricultural customers and 15%13% to other retail users. The balance of approximately 9%3% of the propane gallons sold by us in fiscal 20112014 was for risk management activities and wholesale customers. No single customer accounted for 10% or more of our propane revenues during fiscal 2011.

Our propane supply is purchased from approximately 6153 oil companies and natural gas processors at approximately 110190 supply points located in the United States and Canada. We make purchases primarily under one-year agreements that are subject to annual renewal, and also purchase propane on the spot market. Supply contracts generally provide for pricing in accordance with posted prices at the time of delivery or the current prices established at major storage points, and some contracts include a pricing formula that typically is based on prevailing market prices. Some of these agreements provide maximum and minimum seasonal purchase guidelines. Propane is generally transported from refineries, pipeline terminals, storage facilities (including our storage facility in Elk Grove, California) and coastal terminals to our customer service centers by a combination of common carriers,owner-operators and railroad tank cars. See Item 2 of this Annual Report.

Historically, supplies of propane have been readily available from our supply sources. However, during the fiscal 2014 heating season, we were adversely affected by supply constraints resulting from industry-wide supply shortages and logistics issues involving propane transportation sourcing and costs. Nevertheless, through relationships with our suppliers and extraordinary efforts by our supply and logistics personnel, we were able to effectively manage the challenging environment in fiscal 2014 without a material disruption in supply. Although we make no assurance regarding the availability of supplies of propane in the future, we currently expect to be able to secure adequate supplies during fiscal 2012.2015. During fiscal 2011,2014, Crestwood Midstream Partners L.P. (“Crestwood”), Targa Liquids Marketing and Trade (“Targa”) and Enterprise Products OperatingPartners L.P. (“Enterprise”) provided approximately 17%19%, 13% and 11%13% of our total propane purchases, respectively. No other single supplier accounted for more than 10% of our propane purchases in fiscal 2014. The availability of our propane supply is dependent on several factors, including the severity of winter weather, the magnitude of competing demands for available supply (e.g., crop drying and exports), the availability of transportation and storage infrastructure and the price and availability of competing fuels, such as natural gas and fuel oil. We believe that if supplies from Crestwood, Targa or Enterprise were interrupted, we would be able to secure adequate propane supplies from other sources without a material disruption of our operations. Nevertheless, the cost of acquiring and transporting such propane might be higher and, at least on a short-term basis, our margins could be affected. Approximately 96%94% of our total propane purchases were from domestic suppliers in fiscal 2011.

We own and operate a large propane storage facility in California. We also operate smaller storage facilities in other locations and have rights to use storage facilities in additional locations. These storage facilities enable us to buy and store large quantities of propane particularly during periods of low demand, which generally occur during the summer months. This practice helps ensure a more secure supply of propane during periods of intense demand or price instability. As of September 24, 2011,27, 2014, the majority of our storage capacity in California was leased to third parties.

According to the Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook Model Documentation (November 2009),US Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey, propane ranks as the fourth most important source of residential energy in the nation, with about 5% of all households using propane as their primary space heating fuel. This level has not changed materially over the previous two decades. As an energy source, propane competes primarily with natural gas, electricity and fuel oil, principally on the basis of price, availability and portability.

In addition to competing with suppliers of other energy sources, our propane operations compete with other retail propane distributors. The retail propane industry is highly fragmented and competition generally occurs on a local basis with other large full-service multi-state propane marketers, thousands of smaller local independent marketers and farm cooperatives. Based on industry statistics contained in20092012 Sales of Natural Gas Liquids and Liquefied Refinery Gases, as published by the American Petroleum Institute in December 2010,2013, andLP/Gas Magazine dated February 2011,2014, the ten largest retailers, including us, account for approximately 39%44% of the total retail sales of propane in the United States. For fiscal years 2009 through 2011, no single marketer had a greater than 10% share of the total retail propane market in the United States. Each of our customer service centers operates in its own competitive environment because retail marketers tend to locate in close proximity to customers in order to lower the cost of providing service. Our typical customer service center has an effective marketing radius of approximately 50 miles, although in certain areas the marketing radius may be extended by one or more satellite offices. Most of our customer service centers compete with five or more marketers or distributors.

We market and distribute fuel oil, kerosene, diesel fuel and gasoline to approximately 48,00057,000 residential and commercial customers primarily in the northeast region of the United States. Sales of fuel oil and refined fuels for fiscal 20112014 amounted to 37.249.1 million gallons. Approximately 71%66% of the fuel oil and refined fuels gallons sold by us in fiscal 20112014 were to residential customers, principally for home heating, 4%8% were to commercial customers, 1% were to agricultural and 5%7% to other users. Sales of diesel and gasoline accounted for the remaining 19% of total volumes sold in this segment during fiscal 2011.2014. Fuel oil has a more limited use, compared to propane, and is used almost exclusively for space and water heating in residential and commercial buildings. We sell diesel fuel and gasoline to commercial and industrial customers for use primarily to operate motor vehicles.

Approximately 46%41% of our fuel oil customers receive their fuel oil under an automatic delivery system. These deliveries are scheduled through proprietary computer technology, based upon each customer’s historical consumption patterns and prevailing weather conditions. Additionally, we offer our customers a budget payment plan whereby the customer’s estimated annual fuel oil purchases are paid for in a series of estimated equal monthly payments over a twelve-month period. From our customer service centers, we also sell, install and service equipment to customers who purchase fuel oil from us including heating appliances.

Deliveries of fuel oil are usually made to customers by means of tankwagon trucks, which have capacities ranging from 2,500 gallons to 3,000 gallons. Fuel oil is pumped from the tankwagon truck into a stationary storage tank that is located on the customer’s premises, which is owned by the customer. The capacity of customer storage tanks ranges from approximately 275 gallons to approximately 1,000 gallons. No single customer accounted for 10% or more of our fuel oil revenues during fiscal 2011.

We obtain fuel oil and other refined fuels in pipeline, truckload or tankwagon quantities, and have contracts with certain pipeline and terminal operators for the right to temporarily store fuel oil at 1314 terminal facilities we do not own. We have arrangements with certain suppliers of fuel oil, which provide open access to fuel oil at specific terminals throughout the northeast. Additionally, a portion of our purchases of fuel oil are made at local wholesale terminal racks. In most cases, the supply contracts do not establish the price of fuel oil in advance; rather, prices are typically established based upon market prices at the time of delivery plus or minus a differential for transportation and volume discounts. We purchase fuel oil from more than 20approximately 25 suppliers at approximately 60 supply points. While fuel oil supply is more susceptible to longer periods of supply constraint than propane, we believe that our supply arrangements will provide us with sufficient supply sources. Although we make no assurance regarding the availability of supplies of fuel oil in the future, we currently expect to be able to secure adequate supplies during fiscal 2012.

The fuel oil industry is a mature industry with total demand expected to remain relatively flat to moderately declining. The fuel oil industry is highly fragmented, characterized by a large number of relatively small, independently owned and operated local distributors. We compete with other fuel oil distributors offering a broad range of services and prices, from full service distributors to those that solely offer the delivery service. We have developed a wide range of sales programs and service offerings for our fuel oil customer base in an attempt to be viewed as a full service energy provider and to build customer loyalty. For instance, like most companies in the fuel oil business, we provide home heating equipment repair service to our fuel oil customers on a 24-hour a day basis. The fuel oil business unit also competes for retail customers with suppliers of alternative energy sources, principally natural gas, propane and electricity.

We market natural gas and electricity through our 100%-owned subsidiary, Agway Energy Services, LLC (“AES”), in the deregulated markets of New York and Pennsylvania primarily to residential and small commercial customers. Historically, local utility companies provided their customers with all three aspects of electric and natural gas service: generation, transmission and distribution. However, under deregulation, public utility commissions in several states are licensing energy service companies, such as AES, to act as alternative suppliers of the commodity to end consumers. In essence, we make arrangements for the supply of electricity or natural gas to specific delivery points. The local utility companies continue to distribute electricity and natural gas on their distribution systems. The business strategy of this business segment is to expand its market share by concentrating on growth in the customer base and expansion into other deregulated markets that are considered strategic markets.

We serve nearly 87,000over 80,000 natural gas and electricity customers in New York and Pennsylvania. During fiscal 2011,2014, we sold approximately 4.14.3 million dekatherms of natural gas and 613.9476.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity through the natural gas and electricity segment. Approximately 75%83% of our customers were residential households and the remainder were small commercial and industrial customers. New accounts are obtained through numerous marketing and advertising programs, including telemarketing and direct mail initiatives. Most local utility companies have established billing service arrangements whereby customers receive a single bill from the local utility company which includes distribution charges from the local utility company, as well as product charges for the amount of natural gas or electricity provided by AES and utilized by the customer. We have arrangements with several local utility companies that provide billing and collection services for a fee. Under these arrangements, we are paid by the local utility company for all or a portion of customer billings after a specified number of days following the customer billing with no further recourse to AES.

Supply of natural gas is arranged through annual supply agreements with major national wholesale suppliers. Pricing under the annual natural gas supply contracts is based on posted market prices at the time of delivery, and some contracts include a pricing formula that typically is based on prevailing market prices. The majority of our electricity requirements isare purchased through the New York Independent System Operator (“NYISO”) under an annual supply agreement, as well as purchase arrangements through other national wholesale suppliers on the open market. Electricity pricing under the NYISO agreement is based on local market indices at the time of delivery. Competition is primarily with local utility companies, as well as other marketers of natural gas and electricity providing similar alternatives as AES.

We sell, install and service various types of whole-house heating products, air cleaners, humidifiers hearth products and space heaters to the customers of our propane, fuel oil, natural gas and electricity businesses. Our supply needs are filled through supply arrangements with several large regional equipment manufacturers and distribution companies. Competition in this business segment is primarily with small, local heating and ventilation providers and contractors, as well as, to a lesser extent, other regional service providers. The focus of our ongoing service offerings are in support of the service needs of our existing customer base within our propane, refined fuels and natural gas and electricity business segments. Additionally, we have entered into arrangements with third-party service providers to complement and, in certain instances, supplement our existing service capabilities.

The retail propane and fuel oil distribution businesses, as well as the natural gas marketing business, are seasonal because the primary use of these fuels is for heating residential and commercial buildings. Historically, approximatelytwo-thirds of our retail propane volume is sold during the six-month peak heating season from October through March. The fuel oil business tends to experience greater seasonality given its more limited use for space heating, and approximately three-fourths of our fuel oil volumes are sold between October and March. Consequently, sales and operating profits are concentrated in our first and second fiscal quarters. Cash flows from operations, therefore, are greatest during the second and third fiscal quarters when customers pay for product purchased during the winter heating season. We expect lower operating profits and either net losses or lower net income during the period from April through September (our third and fourth fiscal quarters).

Weather conditions have a significant impact on the demand for our products, in particular propane, fuel oil and natural gas, for both heating and agricultural purposes. Many of our customers rely on propane, fuel oil or natural gas primarily as a heating source. Accordingly, the volume sold is directly affected by the severity of the winter weather in our service areas, which can vary substantially from year to year. In any given area, sustained warmer than normal temperatures will tend to result in reduced propane, fuel oil and natural gas consumption, while sustained colder than normal temperatures will tend to result in greater consumption.

We utilize a variety of trademarks and tradenames owned by us, including “Suburban Propane,” “Gas Connection,”Propane” and “Suburban Cylinder Express” and “HomeTown Hearth & Grill.Express.” As part of the Inergy Propane Acquisition, we acquired a number of different tradenames, such as “Yates Gas,” under which Inergy Propane conducted its business as of the Acquisition Date. Additionally, we hold rights to certain trademarks and tradenames, including “Agway Propane,” “Agway” and “Agway Energy Products” in connection with the distribution of petroleum-based fuel and sales and service of heating and ventilation products. We regard our trademarks, tradenames and other proprietary rights as valuable assets and believe that they have significant value in the marketing of our products and services.

We expect that we will be required to expend funds to participate in the remediation of certain sites, including sites where we have been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as a potentially responsible party under CERCLA or comparable state statutes and at sites with aboveground and underground fuel storage tanks. We will also incur other expenses associated with environmental compliance. We continually monitor our operations with respect to potential environmental issues, including changes in legal requirements and remediation technologies.

Through an acquisition in fiscal 2004, and in the Inergy Propane Acquisition, we acquired certain properties with either known or probable environmental exposure, some of which are currently in varying stages of investigation, remediation or monitoring. Additionally, we identified that certain of the active sites acquired contained environmental conditions which required further investigation, future remediation or ongoing monitoring activities. The environmental exposures included instances of soil and/or groundwater contamination associated with the handling and storage of fuel oil, gasoline and diesel fuel. With respect to certain of the properties acquired in the Inergy Propane Acquisition, Inergy is contractually obligated to indemnify us for the costs associated with the investigation, monitoring, remediation and/or resolution of identified conditions. As of September 24, 2011,27, 2014, we had accrued environmental liabilities of $0.6 million representing the total estimated future liability for remediation and monitoring.

NFPA Pamphlet Nos. 30, 30A, 31, 385 and 395, which establish rules and procedures governing the safe handling of distillates (fuel oil, kerosene and diesel fuel) and gasoline, or comparable regulations, have been adopted, in whole, in part or with state addenda, as the industry standard for fuel oil, kerosene, diesel fuel and gasoline storage, distribution and equipment installation/operation in all of the states in which we sell those products. In some states these laws are administered by state agencies and in others they are administered on a municipal level.

The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has published regulations under 6 CFR Part 27 Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards. We have 474a number of facilities registered with the DHS, of which 454 facilities have been determined to be “Not a High Risk Chemical Facility”. 20 facilities have been determined by DHS to be High Risk, Tier 4 (lowest level of security risk). Security Vulnerability Assessments for the 20 facilities have been submitted to the DHS and the DHS has reviewed 17 of them, requiring us to submit Site Security Plans for those facilities. Pending DHS review, the remaining 3 facilities may require Site Security Plans within 90 days of DHS notification.DHS. Because our facilities are currently operating under the security programs developed under guidelines issued by the Department of Transportation, Department of Labor and Environmental Protection Agency, we do not anticipate that we will incur significant costs in orderconnection with our ongoing efforts to comply with these DHS regulations.

In December 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued an “Endangerment Finding” under the Clean Air Act, determining that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) present an endangerment to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases may be contributing to warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has begun adopting and implementing regulations to restrict emissions of GHGs and require reporting by certain regulated facilities on an annual basis.

Future developments, such as stricter environmental, health or safety laws and regulations thereunder, could affect our operations. We do not anticipate that the cost of our compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including CERCLA, as currently in effect and applicable to known sites will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. To the extent we discover any environmental liabilities presently unknown to us or environmental, health or safety laws or regulations are made more stringent, however, there can be no assurance that our financial condition or results of operations will not be materially and adversely affected.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) and the SEC to promulgate rules and regulations relating to, among other things, swaps, participants in the derivatives markets, clearing of swaps and reporting of swap transactions. In general, the Dodd-Frank Act subjects swap transactions and participants to greater regulation and supervision by the CFTC and the SEC and will require many swaps to be cleared through a registered CFTC- or SEC-clearing facility and executed on a designated exchange or swap execution facility. There are some exceptions to these requirements for entities that use swaps to hedge or mitigate commercial risk. While we may ultimately be eligible for such exceptions, the scope

Required transactional margins, capital, recordkeeping, reporting, clearing and settlement as a result of these exceptions currently is somewhat uncertain, pending further definition through rulemaking.

As of September 24, 2011,27, 2014, we had 2,3853,796 full time employees, of whom 477708 were engaged in general and administrative activities (including fleet maintenance), 37 were engaged in transportation and product supply activities and 1,8713,051 were customer service center employees. As of September 24, 2011, 4427, 2014, 121 of our employees were represented by 516 different local chapters of labor unions. We believe that our relations with both our union andnon-union employees are satisfactory. From time to time, we hire temporary workers to meet peak seasonal demands.

Investing in our common units involves a high degree of risk. The most significant risks include those described below; however, additional risks that we currently do not know about may also impair our business operations. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, as well as the other information in this Annual Report. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In this case, the trading price of our common units would likely decline and you might lose part or all of the value in our common units. You should carefully consider the specific risk factors set forth below as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report. Some factors in this section are Forward-Looking Statements.Statements. See “Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” aboveabove..

Weather conditions have a significant impact on the demand for propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas for both heating and agricultural purposes. Many of our customers rely on propane, fuel oil or natural gas primarily as a heating source. The volume of propane, fuel oil and natural gas sold is at its highest during the six-month peak heating season of October through March and is directly affected by the severity of the winter. Typically, we sell approximately two-thirds of our retail propane volume and approximately three-fourths of our retail fuel oil volume during the peak heating season.

Our profitability in the retail propane, fuel oil and refined fuels and natural gas businesses is largely dependent on the difference between our costs to acquire and transport product cost and retail sales price. Propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas are commodities, and the availability of those products, and the unit priceprices we need to pay isto acquire and transport those products, are subject to volatile changes in response to changes in supply or other market conditions over which we have no control, including the severity of winter weather, and the price and availability of competing alternative energy sources. sources, competing demands for the products and infrastructure (including highway, rail, pipeline and refinery) constraints. Our supply of these products from our usual sources may be interrupted due to these and other reasons that are beyond our control, necessitating the transportation of product, if it is available at all, by truck, rail car or other means from other suppliers in other areas, with resulting delay in receipt and delivery to customers and increased expense. As a result, our costs of acquiring and transporting alternative supplies of these products to our facilities might be materially higher at least on a short-term basis. Since we may not be able to pass on to our customers immediately, or in full, all increases in our wholesale and transportation costs of propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas, these increases could reduce our profitability. In addition, our inability to obtain sufficient supplies of propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas in order for us to fully meet our customer demand for these products on a timely basis could adversely affect our revenues, and consequently our profitability.

In general, product supply contracts permit suppliers to charge posted prices at the time of delivery or the current prices established at major supply points, including Mont Belvieu, Texas, and Conway, Kansas. In addition, our supply from our usual sources may be interrupted due to reasons that are beyond our control. As a result, the cost of acquiring propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas from other suppliers might be materially higher at least on a short-term basis. Since we may not be able to pass on to our customers immediately, or in full, all increases in our wholesale cost of propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas, these increases could reduce our profitability. We engage in transactions to manage the price risk associated with certain of our product costs from time to time in an attempt to reduce cost volatility and to help ensure availability of product. We can give no assurance that future volatilityincreases in our costs to acquire and transport propane, fuel oil and natural gas supply costs will not have a material adverse effect on our profitability and cash flow, or that our available cash will be sufficient to pay principal and interest on our indebtedness and distributions to our Unitholders.

Prices for propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas are subject to fluctuations in response to changes in wholesale prices and other market conditions beyond our control. Therefore, our average retail sales prices can vary significantly within a heating season or from year to year as wholesale prices fluctuate with propane, fuel oil and natural gas commodity market conditions. During periods of high propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas product costs our selling prices generally increase. High prices can lead to customer conservation, resulting in reduced demand for our product.

The retail propane and fuel oil industries are mature and highly competitive. We expect overall demand for propane and fuel oil to be relatively flat to moderately declining over the next several years. Year-to-year industry volumes of propane and fuel oil are expected to be primarily affected by weather patterns and from competition intensifying during warmer than normal winters, as well as from the impact of a sustained higher commodity price environment on customer conservation and the impact of continued weakness in the economy on customer buying habits.

In addition to competing with other sources of energy, our propane and fuel oil businesses compete with other distributors of those respective products principally on the basis of price, service and availability. Competition in the retail propane business is highly fragmented and generally occurs on a local basis with other large full-service multi-state propane marketers, thousands of smaller local independent marketers and farm cooperatives. Our fuel oil business competes with fuel oil distributors offering a broad range of services and prices, from full service distributors to those offering delivery only. In addition, our existing fuel oil customers, unlike our existing propane customers, generally own their own tanks, which can result in intensified competition for these customers.

As a result of the highly competitive nature of the retail propane and fuel oil businesses, our growth within these industries depends on our ability to acquire other retail distributors, open new customer service centers, add new customers and retain existing customers. We can give no assurance that we will be able to acquire other retail distributors, add new customers and retain existing customers.

The national trend toward increased conservation and technological advances, including installation of improved insulation and the development of more efficient furnaces and other heating devices, has adversely affected the demand for propane and fuel oil by our retail customers which, in turn, has resulted in lower sales volumes to our customers. In addition, continued weakness in the economy may lead to additional conservation by retail customers seeking to further reduce their heating costs, particularly during periods of sustained higher commodity prices. Future technological advances in heating, conservation and energy generation and continued economic weakness may adversely affect our volumes sold, which, in turn, may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our business and operating results are materially affected by worldwide economic conditions. Current conditions in the global capital and credit markets and general economic pressures have led to declining consumer and business confidence, increased market volatility and widespread reduction of business activity generally. As a result of this turmoil, coupled with increasing energy prices, our customers may experience cash flow shortages which may lead to delayed or cancelled plans to purchase our products, and affect the ability of our customers to pay for our products. In addition, disruptions in the U.S. residential mortgage market increases inand the rate of mortgage foreclosure rates and failures of lending institutionsforeclosures may adversely affect retail customer demand for our products (in particular, products used for home heating and home comfort equipment) and our business and results of operations.

The propane and fuel oil industries are mature and highly fragmented with competition from other multi-state marketers and thousands of smaller local independent marketers. Demand for propane and fuel oil is expected to be affected by many factors beyond our control, including, but not limited to, the severity of weather conditions during the peak heating season, customer conservation driven by high energy costs and other economic factors, as well as technological advances impacting energy efficiency. Accordingly, our propane and fuel oil sales volumes and related gross margins may be negatively affected by these factors beyond our control. Our operating profits and ability to generate sufficient cash flow may depend on our ability to continue to control expenses in line with sales volumes. We can give no assurance that we will be able to continue to control expenses to the extent necessary to reduce the effect on our profitability and cash flow from these factors.

Terrorist attacks, political unrest and the current hostilities in the Middle East or other energy producing regions may adversely impact the price and availability of propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas, as well as our results of operations, our ability to raise capital and our future growth. The impact that the foregoing may have on our industry in general, and on us in particular, is not known at this time. An act of terror could result in disruptions of crude oil or natural gas supplies and markets (the sources of propane and fuel oil), and our infrastructure facilities could be direct or indirect targets. Terrorist activity may also hinder our ability to transport propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels if our means of supply transportation, such as rail or pipeline, become damaged as a result of an attack. A lower level of economic activity could result in a decline in energy consumption, which could adversely affect our revenues or restrict our future growth. Instability in the financial markets as a result of terrorism could also affect our ability to raise capital. Terrorist activity, political unrest and hostilities in the Middle East or other energy producing regions could likely lead to increased volatility in prices for propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels and natural gas. We have opted to purchase insurance coverage for terrorist acts within our property and casualty insurance programs, but we can give no assurance that our insurance coverage will be adequate to fully compensate us for any losses to our business or property resulting from terrorist acts.

Our business is subject to a wide and ever increasing range of federal, state and local laws and regulations related to environmental and health and safety matters including those concerning, among other things, the investigation and remediation of contaminated soil, and groundwater and other environmental media, and the transportation of hazardous materials. These requirements are complex, changing and tend to become more stringent over time. In addition, we are required to maintain various permits that are necessary to operate our facilities, some of which are material to our operations. There can be no assurance that we have been, or will be, at all times in complete compliance with all legal, regulatory and permitting requirements or that we will not incur significant costs in the future relating to such requirements. Violations could result in penalties, or the curtailment or cessation of operations.

Moreover, currently unknown environmental issues, such as the discovery of additional contamination, may result in significant additional expenditures, and potentially significant expenditures also could be required to comply with future changes to environmental laws and regulations or the interpretation or enforcement thereof. Such expenditures, if required, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our operations are subject to all operating hazards and risks normally associated with handling, storing and delivering combustible liquids such as propane, fuel oil and other refined fuels. We have been, and are likely to continue to be, a defendant in various legal proceedings and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business, both as a result of these operating hazards and risks and as a result of other aspects of our business. We are self-insured for general and product, workers’ compensation and automobile liabilities up to predetermined amounts above which third-party insurance applies. We cannot guarantee that our insurance will be adequate to protect us from all material expenses related to potential future claims for personal injury and property damage or that these levels of insurance will be available at economical prices, or that all legal matters that arise will be covered by our insurance programs.

The retail propane and fuel oil industries are mature. We expect overall demand for propane and fuel oil to be relatively flat to moderately declining over the next several years. With respect to our retail propane business, it may be difficult for us to increase our aggregate number of retail propane customers except through acquisitions. As a result, we expect the success of our financial performance to depend, in part, upon our ability to acquire other retail propane and fuel oil distributors or other energy-related businesses and to successfully integrate them into our existing operations and to make cost saving changes. The competition for acquisitions is intense and we can make no assurance that we will be able to acquire other propane and fuel oil distributors or other energy-related businesses on economically acceptable terms or, if we do, to integrate the acquired operations effectively.

In December 2009, the EPA issued an “Endangerment Finding” under the Clean Air Act, determining that emissions of GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases may be contributing to warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has begun adopting and implementing regulations to restrict emissions of GHGs and require reporting by certain regulated facilities on an annual basis.

Because we depend on particular management information systems to effectively manage all aspects of our delivery of propane, a failure in our operational systems or cyber security attacks on any of our facilities, or those of third parties, may adversely affect our financial results.

We depend on our management information systems to process orders, manage inventory and accounts receivable collections, maintain distributor and customer information, maintain cost-efficient operations and assist in delivering our products on a timely basis. In addition, our staff of management information systems professionals relies heavily on the support of several key personnel and vendors. Any disruption in the operation of those management information systems, loss of employees knowledgeable about such systems, termination of our relationship with one or more of these key vendors or failure to continue to modify such systems effectively as our business expands could negatively affect our business.

If any of our financial, operational, or other data processing systems fail or have other significant shortcomings, our financial results could be adversely affected. Our financial results also could be adversely affected if an employee or third party causes our operational systems to fail, either as a result of inadvertent error or by deliberately tampering with or manipulating our operational systems. In addition, dependence upon automated systems may further increase the risk that operational system flaws, employee tampering or manipulation of those systems will result in losses that are difficult to detect or recoup, including damage to our reputation. To the extent customer data is hacked or misappropriated, we could be subject to liability to affected persons.

Risks Related to the Inergy Propane Acquisition and the Related Transactions

We may not be able to successfully complete the integration of Inergy Propane’s operations with our operations, which could cause our business to suffer.

In order to obtain all of the anticipated benefits of the Inergy Propane Acquisition, we need to fully combine and integrate the businesses and operations of Inergy Propane with ours. Although we have developed, and have substantially implemented, a detailed integration plan, the complete integration of two large businesses is a complex and costly process. We continue to devote significant management attention and resources to integrating all of the business practices and operations of Suburban and Inergy Propane. Although we believe that it has not yet done so, the integration process may, in the future, divert the attention of our executive officers and management from day-to-day operations and disrupt the business of Suburban and, if not completed effectively, may preclude realization of the full expected benefits of the transaction.

Our failure to meet the challenges involved in successfully completing the full integration of Inergy Propane’s operations with our operations or otherwise to realize any of the anticipated benefits of the Inergy Propane Acquisition could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, the overall integration of Suburban and Inergy Propane may yet result in unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities and competitive responses. Although not yet experienced to any significant degree, possible difficulties that may yet arise from our continuing efforts to fully combine our two operations could include, among others:

In addition, even if we are able to successfully complete the full integration of our businesses and operations, we may not fully realize the expected benefits of the Inergy Propane Acquisition within the intended time frame, or at all. Further, our post-acquisition results of operations may be affected by factors different from those existing prior to the Inergy Propane Acquisition and may suffer as a result of the Inergy Propane Acquisition. As a result, we can give no assurance that the combination of our business and operations with Inergy Propane will result in the realization of the full benefits anticipated from the Inergy Propane Acquisition.

We have incurred and continue to incur substantial expenses related to the integration of Inergy Propane.

We have incurred and expect to continue to incur substantial expenses in connection with the Inergy Propane Acquisition and integrating the business, operations, networks, systems, technologies, policies and procedures of Suburban and Inergy Propane. Although Suburban has assumed that a certain level of transaction and integration expenses would be incurred, there are a number of factors beyond our control that could affect the total amount or the timing of these integration expenses. Although integration expenses have been, to date, within the expected range, many of the expenses yet to be incurred are, by their nature, difficult to accurately estimate at the present time. Due to these factors, the total transaction and integration expenses associated with the Inergy Propane Acquisition could exceed the savings that we expect to achieve from the elimination of duplicative expenses and the realization of economies of scale and cost savings related to the integration of the businesses. As a result of these expenses, Suburban has taken, and expects to continue to take, charges against its earnings relating to the acquisition and integration of Inergy Propane. The charges relating to the acquisition and integration of Inergy Propane have been and expect to continue to be significant, although the aggregate amount and timing of all such charges are uncertain at present.

Risks Inherent in the Ownership of Our Common Units

Cash distributions on our Common Units are not guaranteed, and depend primarily on our cash flow and our cash on hand. Because they are not dependent on profitability, which is affected by non-cash items, our cash distributions might be made during periods when we record losses and might not be made during periods when we record profits.

The amount of cash we generate may fluctuate based on our performance and other factors, including:

Our Partnership Agreement gives our Board of Supervisors broad discretion in establishing cash reserves for, among other things, the proper conduct of our business. These cash reserves will affect the amount of cash available for distributions.

As of September 24, 2011, we had total outstanding27, 2014, our long-term debt borrowings of $350.0 million, consistingconsisted of $250.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.375% senior notes issued by the Partnership and our 100%-owned subsidiary, Suburban Energy Finance Corporation,due March 15, 2020 (excluding unamortized discount of $1.2 million), $346.2 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.375% senior notes due August 1, 2021 (excluding unamortized premium of $22.7 million), $525.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.5% senior notes due June 1, 2024, and $100.0 million of borrowings outstanding under the Operating Partnership’sour senior secured revolving credit facility. The payment of principal and interest on our debt will reduce the cash available to make distributions on our Common Units.common units. In addition, we will not be able to make any distributions to holders of our Unitholderscommon units if there is, or after giving effect to such distribution, there would be, an event of default under the indentureindentures governing the senior notes. The amount of distributions that the Partnershipwe may make to its Unitholdersholders of our common units is limited by the senior notes, and the amount of distributions that the Operating Partnership may make to the Partnershipus is limited by theour revolving credit facility.

The amount and terms of our debt may also adversely affect our ability to finance future operations and capital needs, limit our ability to pursue acquisitions and other business opportunities and make our results of operations more susceptible to adverse economic and industry conditions. In addition to our outstanding indebtedness, we may in the future require additional debt to finance acquisitions or for general business purposes; however, credit market conditions may impact our ability to access such financing. If we are unable to access needed financing or to generate sufficient cash from operations, we may be required to abandon certain projects or curtail capital expenditures. Additional debt, where it is available, could result in an increase in our leverage. Our ability to make principal and interest payments depends on our future performance, which is subject to many factors, some of which are beyond our control.

A Board of Supervisors managesgoverns our operations. Our Unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business, including the right to elect the members of our Board of Supervisors every three years and the right to vote on the removal of the general partner.

Some provisions of our Partnership Agreement may discourage, delay or prevent third parties from acquiring us, even if doing so would be beneficial to our Unitholders. For example, our Partnership Agreement contains a provision, based on Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, that generally prohibits the Partnership from engaging in a business combination with a 15% or greater Unitholder for a period of three years following the date that person or entity acquired at least 15% of our outstanding Common Units, unless certain exceptions apply. Additionally, our Partnership Agreement sets forth advance notice procedures for a Unitholder to nominate a Supervisor to stand for election, which procedures may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of Supervisors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Partnership. These nomination procedures may not be revised or repealed, and inconsistent provisions may not be adopted, without the approval of the holders of at least 66-2/3% of the outstanding Common Units. These provisions may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by our Board of Supervisors, including discouraging attempts that might result in a premium over the market price of the Common Units held by our Unitholders.

A number of states have not clearly established limitations on the liabilities of limited partners for the obligations of a limited partnership. Our Unitholders might be held liable for our obligations as if they were general partners if:

Unitholders will not be liable for assessments in addition to their initial capital investment in the Common Units. Under specific circumstances, however, Unitholders may have to repay to us amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them. Under Delaware law, we may not make a distribution to Unitholders if the distribution causes our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and nonrecourse liabilities are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted. Delaware law provides that a limited partner who receives a distribution of this kind and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount for three years from the distribution date. Under Delaware law, an assignee who becomes a substituted limited partner of a limited partnership is liable for the obligations of the assignor to make contributions to the partnership. However, such an assignee is not obligated for liabilities unknown to him at the time he or she became a limited partner if the liabilities could not be determined from the partnership agreement.

Our Partnership Agreement generally allows us to issue additional limited partner interests and other equity securities without the approval of our Unitholders. Therefore, when we issue additional Common Units or securities ranking on a parity with the Common Units, each Unitholder’s proportionate partnership interest will decrease, and the amount of cash distributed on each Common Unit and the market price of Common Units could decrease. The issuance of additional Common Units will also diminish the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding Common Unit. In addition, the issuance of additional Common Units will, over time, result in the allocation of additional taxable income, representing built-in gains at the time of the new issuance, to those Unitholders that existed prior to the new issuance.

The anticipated after-tax economic benefit of an investment in our Common Units depends largely on our being treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We believeIf less than 90% of the gross income of a publicly traded partnership, such as Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., for any taxable year is “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code, that under current law, wepartnership will be classifiedtaxable as a partnershipcorporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.purposes for that taxable year and all subsequent years.

If we were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, then we would pay U.S. federal income tax on our income at the corporate tax rate, which is currently a maximum of 35%, and would likely pay additional state income tax at varying rates. Because a tax would be imposed upon us as a corporation, our cash available for distribution to Unitholders would be substantially reduced. Treatment of us as a corporation would result in a material reduction in the anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to Unitholders and thus would likely result in a substantial reduction in the value of our Common Units.

The tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships or an investment in our Common Units could be subject to potential legislative, judicial or administrative changes and differing interpretations thereof, possibly on a retroactive basis.

The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships, including Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., or an investment in our Common Units may be modified by legislative, judicial or administrative changes and differing interpretations thereof at any time. Any modification to the U.S. federal income tax laws or interpretations thereof may or may not be applied retroactively. Moreover, any such modification could make it more difficult or impossible for us to meet the exception that allows publicly traded partnerships that generate qualifying income to be treated as partnerships (rather than as corporations) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, affect or cause us to change our business activities, or affect the tax consequences of an investment in our Common Units. For example, legislation proposed by members of Congress and the President has considered substantive changes to the definition of qualifying income. One of the requirements for such classification is that at least 90% of our gross income for each taxable year has been and will be “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code. Whether we will continue to be classified as a partnership in part depends on our ability to meet this qualifying income test in the future. We have not requested, and do not plan to request, a ruling from the IRS on this or any other tax matter affecting us. The IRS may adopt positions that differ from the positions we take. In addition, current law may change so as to cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subject us to entity-level federal income taxation. Members of Congress have proposed substantive changes to the current federal income tax laws that would affect certain publicly traded partnerships and legislation that would eliminate partnership tax treatment for certain publicly traded partnerships. Although no legislation is currently pending that would affect our tax treatment as a partnership, weWe are unable to predict whether any suchof these changes, or other proposals, will ultimately be enacted. Any modification to the U.S. tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be applied retroactively. If we were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would be required to pay tax on our income at corporate tax rates (currently a maximum of U.S. federal rate of 35%) and likely would be required to pay state income tax at varying rates. Because a tax would be imposed upon us as a corporation, our cash available for distribution to our Unitholders would be substantially reduced. Therefore, our treatment as a corporation would result in a material reduction in the anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to our Unitholders, likely causing a substantial reduction insuch changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our Common Units. units.

In addition, because of widespread state budget deficits and other reasons, several states are evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise and other forms of taxation. Any such changes could negatively impact our ability to make distributions and also impact the value of an investment in our Common Units.

We have not requested a ruling from the IRS with respect to our treatment as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes or any other matter affecting us. The IRS may adopt positions that differ from the positions we take. It may be necessary to resort to administrative or court proceedings to sustain some or all of the positions we take. A court may not agree with the positions we take. Any contest with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for our Common Units and the price at which they trade. In addition, our costs of any contest with the IRS will be borne indirectly by our Unitholders because the costs will reduce our cash available for distribution.

Because our Unitholders are treated as partners, to whom we allocate taxable income which could be different in amount than the cash we distribute, a Unitholder is required to pay U.S. federal income taxes and in some cases, state and local income taxes on its allocable share of our income, even if it receives nowithout regard to whether we make cash distributions from us.to the Unitholder. We cannot guarantee that a Unitholder will receive cash distributions equal to its allocable share of our taxable income or even the tax liability to it resulting from that income.

Investment in Common Units by certain tax-exempt entities and foreign persons raises issues specific to them. For example, virtually all of our taxable income allocated to organizations exempt from U.S. federal income tax, including individual retirement accounts and other retirement plans, will be unrelated business taxable income and thus will be taxable to the Unitholder. Distributions to foreign persons will be reduced by withholding taxes at the highest applicable effective tax rate, and foreign persons will be required to file United StatesU.S. federal income tax returns and pay tax on their share of our taxable income. Tax-exempt entitiesorganizations and foreign persons should consult, and should depend on, their own tax advisors before investing in ouranalyzing the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income tax and other tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or disposition of Common Units.

A Unitholder who sells Common Units will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and its adjusted tax basis in the Common Units. Prior distributions in excess of cumulative net taxable income allocated to a Common Unit which decreased a Unitholder’s tax basis in that common unitCommon Unit will, in effect, become taxable income if the Common Unit is sold at a price greater than the Unitholder’s tax basis in that Common Unit, even if the price is less than the original cost of the Common Unit. A portion of the amount realized, if the amount realized exceeds the Unitholder’s adjusted basis in that Common Unit, will likely be characterized as ordinary income. Furthermore, should the IRS successfully contest some conventions used by us, a Unitholder could recognize more gain on the sale of Common Units than would be the case under those conventions, without the benefit of decreased income in prior years.

We intend to furnish to each Unitholder, withwithin 90 days after the close of each calendar year, specific tax information, including a Schedule K-1 that sets forth its allocable share of income, gains, losses and deductions.deductions for our preceding taxable year. In preparing these schedules, we use various accounting and reporting conventions and adopt various depreciation and amortization methods. We cannot guarantee that these conventions will yield a result that conforms to statutory or regulatory requirements or to administrative pronouncements of the IRS. Further, our income tax return may be audited, which could result in an audit of a Unitholder’s income tax return and increased liabilities for taxes because of adjustments resulting from the audit.

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of Common Units and because of other reasons, uniformity of the economic and tax characteristics of the Common Units to a purchaser of Common Units of the same class must be maintained. To maintain uniformity and for other reasons, we have adopted certain depreciation and amortization conventions whichthat may be inconsistent with Treasury Regulations. A successful IRS challenge to those positions could adversely affect the amount of tax benefits available to a Unitholder. It also could affect the timing of these tax benefits or the amount of gain from the sale of Common Units, and could have a negative impact on the value of our Common Units or result in audit adjustments to a Unitholder’s income tax return.

We prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our Common Units each month based upon the ownership of our Common Units on the first day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular Common Unit is transferred. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued proposed Treasury Regulations that provide a safe harbor pursuant to which publicly traded partnerships may use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferors and transferees of this proration method may not be permitted under existing Treasury Regulations. Ifour common units. However, if the IRS were to challenge thisour proration method, or new Treasury Regulations were issued, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our Unitholders.

If we default on any of our debt obligations, our lenders will have the right to sue us for non-payment. This could cause an investment loss and negative tax consequences for Unitholders through the realization of taxable income by Unitholders without a corresponding cash distribution. Likewise, if we were to dispose of assets and realize a taxable gain while there is substantial debt outstanding and proceeds of the sale were applied to the debt, Unitholders could have increased taxable income without a corresponding cash distribution.

We will be deemedconsidered to have terminated (and reconstituted)as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our Common Unitscapital and profits within a twelve-month period. Were this to occur, itOur termination would, among other things, result in the closing of our taxable year for all Unitholders and could result in a deferral of depreciation deductions allowable in computing our taxable income. This wouldIn the case of a Unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than the calendar year, the closing of our taxable year may also result in Unitholdersmore than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being allocated an increased amountincludable in his taxable income for the year of taxable income.

In addition to United StatesU.S. federal income taxes, Unitholders will likely be subject to other taxes, such as state and local taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property, even if the Unitholder does not reside in any of those jurisdictions. A Unitholder will likely be required to file state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in some or all of the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property and may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. It is the responsibility of each Unitholder to file all United StatesU.S. federal, state and local income tax returns that may be required of each Unitholder.

A Unitholder whose Common Units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of Common Units may be considered as having disposed of those Common Units. If so, that Unitholder would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those Common Units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition.

Because there is no tax concept of loaning a partnership interest, a Unitholder whose Common Units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of Common Units may be considered as having disposed of the loaned Common Units. In that case, a Unitholder may no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those Common Units during the period of the loan to the short seller and may recognize gain or loss from such Unitholder.

None.

As of September 24 2011,27, 2014, we owned approximately 66%73% of our customer service center and satellite locations and leased the balance of our retail locations from third parties. We own and operate a 22 million gallon refrigerated, aboveground propane storage facility in Elk Grove, California. Additionally, we own our principal executive offices located in Whippany, New Jersey.

The transportation of propane requires specialized equipment. The trucks and railroad tank cars utilized for this purpose carry specialized steel tanks that maintain the propane in a liquefied state. As of September 24 2011,27, 2014, we had a fleet of 612 transport truck tractors, of which we owned two,5, and 23 railroad tank cars, of which we owned none. In addition, as of September 24, 201127, 2014 we had 6681,347 bobtail and rack trucks, of which we owned 33%51%, 88139 fuel oil tankwagons, of which we owned 25%63%, and 8661,360 other delivery and service vehicles, of which we owned 41%54%. We lease the vehicles we do not own. As of September 24, 2011,27, 2014, we also owned 655,003950,257 customer propane storage tanks with typical capacities of 100 to 500 gallons, 139,81369,294 customer propane storage tanks with typical capacities of over 500 gallons and 217,842403,967 portable propane cylinders with typical capacities of five to ten gallons.

Our operations are subject to all operating hazards and risks normally incidental to handling, storing and delivering combustible liquids such as propane. We have been, and will continue to be, a defendant in various legal proceedings and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business, both as a result of these operating hazards and risks, and as a result of other aspects of our business. In this regard, we currently are a defendant in putative suits in several states. The complaints allege a number of claims, including as to our pricing, fee disclosure and tank ownership, under various consumer statutes, the Uniform Commercial Code, common law and antitrust law. Based on the nature of the allegations under these suits, we believe that the suits are without merit and we are contesting each of these suits vigorously. We are self-insured for general and product, workers’ compensation and automobile liabilities up to predetermined amounts above which third party insurance applies. We believe that the self-insured retentions and coverage we maintain are reasonable and prudent. Although any litigation is inherently uncertain, based on past experience, the information currently available to us, and the amount of our self-insurance reserves for known and unasserted self-insurance claims (which was approximately $52.8 million at September 24, 2011),accrued insurance liabilities, we do not believe that thesecurrently pending or threatened litigation matters, or known claims or known contingent claims, will have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations, financial condition or cash flow, after considering our self-insurance reserves for known and unasserted claims, as well as existing insurance policies in force. For the portion of our estimated self-insurance liability that exceeds our deductibles, we record a corresponding asset related to the amount of the liability covered by insurance (which was approximately $17.5 million at September 24, 2011). With respect to the pending putative suits, other than for legal defense fees and expenses, based on the merits of the allegations, a liability for a loss contingency is not required at this time.

(a) Our Common Units, representing limited partner interests in the Partnership, are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol SPH. As of November 21, 2011,24, 2014, there were 700670 Unitholders of record (based on the number of record holders and nominees for those Common Units held in street name). The following table presents, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices per Common Unit, as reported on the NYSE, and the amount of quarterly cash distributions declared and paid per Common Unit in respect of each quarter.

(b) Not applicable.

(c) None.

The following table presents our selected consolidated historical financial data as derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, certain of which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report. All amounts in the table below, except per unit data, are in thousands.

The following is a discussion of our financial condition and results of operations, which should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

The following are factors that regularly affect our operating results and financial condition. In addition, our business is subject to the risks and uncertainties described in Item 1A of this Annual Report.

The level of profitability in the retail propane, fuel oil, natural gas and electricity businesses is largely dependent on the difference between retail sales price and product cost.our costs to acquire and transport products. The unit cost of our products, particularly propane, fuel oil and natural gas, is subject to volatility as a result of supply and demand dynamics or other market conditions, including, but not limited to, economic and political factors impacting crude oil and natural gas supply or pricing. We enter into product supply contracts that are generally one-year agreements subject to annual renewal, and also purchase product on the open market. We attempt to reduce price risk by pricing product on a short-term basis. Our propane supply contracts typically provide for pricing based upon index formulas using the posted prices established at major supply points such as Mont Belvieu, Texas, or Conway, Kansas (plus transportation costs) at the time of delivery.

To supplement our annual purchase requirements, we may utilize forward fixed price purchase contracts to acquire a portion of the propane that we resell to our customers, which allows us to manage our exposure to unfavorable changes in commodity prices and to assure adequate physical supply. The percentage of contract purchases, and the amount of supply contracted for under forward contracts at fixed prices, will vary from year to year based on market conditions.

The retail propane and fuel oil distribution businesses, as well as the natural gas marketing business, are seasonal because these fuels are primarily used for heating in residential and commercial buildings. Historically, approximatelytwo-thirds of our retail propane volume is sold during the six-month peak heating season from October through March. The fuel oil business tends to experience greater seasonality given its more limited use for space heating and approximately three-fourths of our fuel oil volumes are sold between October and March. Consequently, sales and operating profits are concentrated in our first and second fiscal quarters. Cash flows from operations, therefore, are greatest during the second and third fiscal quarters when customers pay for product purchased during the winter heating season. We expect lower operating profits and either net losses or lower net income during the period from April through September (our third and fourth fiscal quarters). To the extent necessary, we will reserve cash from the second and third quarters for distribution to holders of our Common Units in the fourth quarter and the following fiscal year first quarter.

Weather conditions have a significant impact on the demand for our products, in particular propane, fuel oil and natural gas, for both heating and agricultural purposes. Many of our customers rely heavily on propane, fuel oil or natural gas as a heating source. Accordingly, the volume sold is directly affected by the severity of the winter weather in our service areas, which can vary substantially from year to year. In any given area, sustained warmer than normal temperatures will tend to result in reduced propane, fuel oil and natural gas consumption, while sustained colder than normal temperatures will tend to result in greater consumption.

We engage in hedging and risk management activities to reduce the effect of price volatility on our product costs and to ensure the availability of product during periods of short supply. We enter into propane forward, options and optionswap agreements with third parties, and use futures and optionoptions contracts traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) to purchase and sell propane, fuel oil and crude oil at fixed prices in the future. The majority of the futures, forward and optionoptions agreements are used to hedge price risk associated with propane and fuel oil physical inventory, as well as, in certain instances, forecasted purchases of propane or fuel oil. In addition, we sell propane and fuel oil to customers at fixed prices, and enter into derivative instruments to hedge a portion of our exposure to fluctuations in commodity prices as a result of selling the fixed price contracts. Forward contracts are generally settled physically at the expiration of the contract whereas futures, options and optionswap contracts are generally settled in cash at the expiration of the contract.contract through a net settlement mechanism. Although we use derivative instruments to reduce the effect of price volatility associated with priced physical inventory and forecasted transactions, we do not use derivative instruments for speculative trading purposes. Risk management activities are monitored by an internal Commodity Risk Management Committee, made up of five members of management and reporting to our Audit Committee, through enforcement of our Hedging and Risk Management Policy.

Our significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 2, “Summary2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” included within the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements section elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Certain amounts included in or affecting our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures must be estimated, requiring management to make certain assumptions with respect to values or conditions that cannot be known with certainty at the time the financial statements are prepared. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We are also subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ from estimated results. Estimates are used when accounting for depreciation and amortization of long-lived assets, employee benefit plans, self-insurance and litigation reserves, environmental reserves, allowances for doubtful accounts, asset valuation assessments and valuation of derivative instruments. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Any effects on our business, financial position or results of operations resulting from revisions to these estimates are recorded in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known to us. Management has reviewed these critical accounting estimates and related disclosures with the Audit Committee of our Board of Supervisors. We believe that the following are our critical accounting estimates:

Net income for fiscal 20112014 amounted to $115.0$94.5 million, or $3.24$1.56 per Common Unit, compared to $115.3$78.8 million, or $3.26$1.35 per Common Unit, in fiscal 2010.2013. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) for fiscal 20112014 amounted to $178.9$314.9 million, compared to $174.7$305.2 million for fiscal 2010.

Net income and EBITDA for fiscal 2011 included a $2.02014 included: (i) $12.3 million charge for severance costs associated within expenses related to the realignmentongoing integration of the Partnership’s field operations, as well as a non-cash charge of $2.9 million to accelerate depreciation expense on assets taken out of service. By comparison, net incomeInergy Propane and EBITDA for fiscal 2010 included: (i)(ii) a loss on debt extinguishment of $9.5$11.6 million. Net income and EBITDA for fiscal 2013 included: (i) $10.6 million associated with a refinancingin expenses related to the ongoing integration of Inergy Propane; (ii) $7.0 million in charges related to our voluntary withdrawal from multi-employer pension plans covering certain employees acquired in the Partnership’s senior notes; (ii) a non-cash pension settlement charge of $2.8 million;Inergy Propane Acquisition; and (iii) a non-cash chargeloss on debt extinguishment of $1.8 million to accelerate depreciation expense$2.1 million. Excluding the effects of these charges, as well as the unrealized (non-cash) mark-to-market adjustments on assets taken out of service.derivative instruments in both years, Adjusted EBITDA (as defined and reconciled below) amounted to $179.4$338.5 million for fiscal 2014, an increase of $9.2 million, or 2.8%, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $329.3 million in fiscal 2011, compared to $192.4 million in fiscal 2010.

Retail propane gallons sold for fiscal 20112014 decreased 19.03.9 million gallons, or 6.0%0.7%, to 298.9530.7 million gallons from 317.9534.6 million gallons in fiscal 2010.2013. Sales of fuel oil and other refined fuels for fiscal 2011also decreased 6.08.6%, to 49.1 million gallons or 13.9%, to 37.2 million gallons compared to 43.2from 53.7 million gallons in the prior year. SalesAccording to the NOAA, average temperatures (as measured by heating degree days) across all of our service territories during fiscal 2014 were 3% colder than normal and 7% colder than the prior year period. However, the weather pattern during the winter heating season (October 2013 through March 2014) was characterized by considerably colder than normal temperatures in our service territories in the east and midwest regions, whereas our service territories in the west experienced unseasonably warm temperatures throughout the period. Average temperatures in the western territories during this past winter heating season were 11% warmer than normal and 6% warmer than the comparable period in the prior year, which negatively impacted volumes sold in both segments continued to be negativelythose territories. Additionally, volumes sold during fiscal 2014 were adversely affected by weakness in the economy, coupled withsupply constraints resulting from industry-wide supply shortages and logistics issues, as well as customer conservation attributable to the high commodity price environment relativea significant rise in wholesale propane prices.

During fiscal 2014, we made significant progress, not only in our integration efforts with regards to historical levels. Average posted pricesInergy Propane, but also in executing our strategic financing initiatives. To highlight a few key accomplishments for propanefiscal 2014:

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