UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(A) OF THE

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Consent Solicitation Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act ofSECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

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CRESTWOOD EQUITY PARTNERS LP

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

N/ANAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

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CRESTWOOD EQUITY PARTNERS LP          Letter to Unitholders

811 Main Street, Suite 3400

Letter to Unitholders

Dear Fellow Crestwood Unitholders,

On behalf of the Board of Directors and management of Crestwood Equity Partners LP, I am pleased to invite you to participate in our first annual meeting of unitholders on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at 2:00 pm CDT, which will be held virtually via live webcast.

At this year’s inaugural annual unitholder meeting, you will be asked to vote on several key items, including the election of Class I directors, say-on-pay advisory vote on our executive compensation program and ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm for 2022. The proxy statement describes these items in more detail. Your vote is important — please read the proxy materials and follow the voting instructions to ensure your shares are represented at the meeting.

2021: Another Transformational Year

This inaugural meeting marks a significant milestone in the history of Crestwood. Throughout 2021, Crestwood completed three strategic transactions that transformed our corporate governance structure, enhanced our financial strength and flexibility and positioned the company to gain increased size and scale through executing on our consolidation strategy.

  In March 2021, we purchased First Reserve’s general partner and limited partner interests in Crestwood. By eliminating First Reserve’s control, this transaction enabled us to implement a traditional public company governance structure with a publicly elected board of directors which we think better aligns Crestwood’s management team and Board of Directors with its public investors. As a result, we were able to make strategic changes to our Board that are in accordance with our long-term ESG strategy and commitment to strong corporate governance. Our Board of Directors now consists of ten members of which 90 percent are independent, 30 percent are female representatives, and 50 percent have three or less years of tenure.

  In July 2021, we divested Stagecoach Gas Services for $1.225 billion and used our 50 percent share of the proceeds to reduce debt and improve our financial strength. Following this divestiture, Crestwood had significant financial flexibility to actively pursue and execute on its consolidation strategy of building increased scale in its core operating basins.

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Robert G. Phillips

Founder, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer

“This inaugural meeting marks a significant milestone in the history of Crestwood. Throughout 2021, Crestwood completed three strategic transactions that transformed our corporate governance structure, enhanced our financial strength and flexibility and positioned the company to gain increased size and scale through executing our consolidation strategy.”

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Houston, Texas 77002


Letter to Unitholders

To holders

In October 2021, we announced the acquisition of Oasis Midstream Partners, a premier gathering and processing company, in a $1.8 billion transaction. We closed that transaction in February 2022 and are currently integrating the two companies which significantly increases our scale and competitive positioning in the Williston and Delaware basins. The Oasis Midstream assets are highly complementary with Crestwood’s existing assets in these growth basins which should allow us to capture meaningful commercial and operational synergies. Additionally, the combination will significantly strengthen our financial position by increasing Crestwood’s annual Adjusted EBITDA by approximately 40 percent and generate free cash flow in 2022 while maintaining a conservative balance sheet.

These exciting transactions have accelerated Crestwood’s development as a leader in the industry. Our strategic goal continues to be to build a best-in-class MLP midstream infrastructure company through the acquisition, integration and optimization of high-quality midstream assets that connect fundamental energy supply with energy demand across North America. The continued successful execution of that strategy is premised on meeting the needs of our preferred units:

As announced on March 25, 2021, we have entered into agreements with our former sponsor, First Reserve, providingcustomers, employees, business partners and key stakeholders, while creating sustainable value for its complete exit from its investment in our partnership and transitioning us to a governance structure that includes a publicly elected board of directors. We believe these changes will further align the interests of management and our board of directors with those of our public investors, consistent with our long-term ESG strategy. These governance changes not only enhance the voting rights of holders of common units but also those of holders of preferred units, since holders of preferred units will be entitled to vote with holders of common units in elections of board members, as well as on other matters.

In implementing these governance changes, we have assessed the provisions of our partnership agreement pertaining to our preferred units and, in particular, the change of control feature and the related redemption and other rights of holders of preferred units. Prior to our separation from First Reserve, a change of control could have been triggered upon the occurrence of both First Reserve having ceased to control our general partner and my having ceased to be the Chief Executive Officer. As a result of our separation from First Reserve, a change of control could now be triggered merely by my ceasing to be the CEO.

As the original founder of our predecessor company, I am very excited about this next step in our life cycle and the enhanced alignment it will create with our investors. I believe Crestwood has

Increased Gathering & Processing Activity Drives Growth in 2022

Following a very bright future,successful 2021 and although I have no current intention to step down as CEO, this provision of the change of control feature now unduly focuses on my continued employment as CEO. Consistent with corporate governance best practices, the board should be free to select our executive officers from time to time based on the best interestscurrent prices of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, Crestwood is excited about our 2022 outlook. Across our three core growth areas, the Partnership. Unless amended, this changeWilliston, Powder River and Delaware Basins, producers have forecasted, and we are currently experiencing, increased drilling and development activity compared to the last couple of control provision may interfereyears. Given our available gathering and processing capacity, budgeted capital expansions and improving customer base, we expect meaningful volume growth across our assets.

As part of our return of capital strategy to our investors, Crestwood is committed to providing a visible, secure and growing common distribution to create sustainable value for our unitholders. Based on our 2021 achievements and strong outlook for 2022, Crestwood announced that we will recommend to our Board of Directors, an increase of approximately 5 percent to its common distribution beginning with the board’s ordinary course succession planning and its ultimate discretion in the selection of a CEO other than me if circumstances warrant. Accordingly, we are seeking your consent through the accompanying consent solicitation statementfirst quarter 2022 payment to eliminate this provision of the change of control definitionunitholders.

Our Authentic Approach to ESG Leadership

Crestwood takes pride in our partnership agreement. sector leadership role for promoting sustainability principles across our organization and the midstream industry. We understand that as Crestwood grows through acquisition and organic development, it is our responsibility to engrain ESG principles into our business, operations, and culture. We believe this approach differentiates Crestwood as a leading midstream company and is an essential component of our customer service and community first approach.

In 2021, our approach to ESG was recognized by Institutional Investor magazine as the #1 ESG program in the small-cap energy sector. Our recently completed second ESG materiality assessment provides the framework for our 2022-2024 sustainability strategy and led to the publication of our first carbon management plan. This plan outlines Crestwood’s near-term emissions reduction goals, activities and strategies that we intend to implement as we expand our midstream gathering and processing asset portfolio. Our carbon management plan is centered on our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity annually. In 2021, we reduced our GHG emissions intensity and look to drive future results and accountability by tying key ESG performance indicators, including our methane emissions intensity rate, to employee and executive compensation.

To read our annual sustainability report and learn more about our approach to ESG,

please visit

https://esg.crestwoodlp.com

Our board has determined that the adoption and approval of this amendment iskey ESG actions during 2021 are further described in the best interests of the Partnership and has directed that the amendment be submitted to you for approval.

We realize your time is valuable, and consequently, subject to receipt of requisite consents, we are offering a consent fee of $per preferred unit to be paid to holders of preferred units who validly provide (and do not revoke) their consents to this proposed amendment at or prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on , 2021 (subject to termination or extension).

Your consent is important to us and our business. Your broker cannot provide a consent with respect to your preferred units on your behalf until it receives your instructions. Please provide your consent by following the instructions contained in the Consent Solicitation Statement.these proxy materials. We look forward to your participation.continuing a dialogue with our stakeholders on our ESG performance.

 

Sincerely,
Robert G. Phillips
Chairman of the Board, President and CEO2LOGO

 


CRESTWOOD EQUITY PARTNERS LPLetter to Unitholders

811 Main Street, Suite 3400

Recognizing our Energized Workforce

Houston, Texas 77002None of this would be possible without our dedicated team of approximately 700 employees. I am proud of their steadfast commitment to advancing Crestwood as a best-in-class midstream operator. In recent years, the Crestwood team has received numerous industry awards which reflect our core values and commitment to customer service. Due to the many talents of our innovative team, we were able to generate record financial results in 2021 delivering record Adjusted EBITDA of $600 million while showcasing solid operating performance and expanding key customer relationships.

CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENTWhen you consider Crestwood’s financial flexibility, history of disciplined growth, and commitment to strong operational results, we are in an excellent position. Looking to the future, we will continue to organically grow our business as new expansion opportunities arise and participate in strategic M&A when prospects emerge that fit our strategic model. I am grateful to our employees, our management team and our Board for their unwavering commitment to excellence every day.

SolicitationOn behalf of Consents to Amend the entire Board of Directors we thank you, our unitholders, for your continued support and investment in Crestwood.

Partnership Agreement fromSincerely,

Holders of Preferred Units (CUSIP No. 226344307)

Holders of Preferred Units:LOGO

Robert G. Phillips

Founder, Chairman and CEO

Crestwood Equity Partners LP a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”, “CEQP”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), and Crestwood Equity GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company acting in its capacity as Managing General Partner of the Partnership (the “Managing General Partner”), are conducting a consent solicitation (the “Consent Solicitation”) pursuant to which we are soliciting consents (“Consents”) from record holders (“Preferred Holders”) of the Partnership’s issued and outstanding Preferred Units representing limited partner interests (the “Preferred Units”) to approve an amendment of the “Change of Control” definition set forth in the Partnership’s Fifth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership, effective as of January 1, 2013, as amended by the First Amendment thereto, effective as of September 30, 2015, the Second Amendment thereto, effective as of November 8, 2017, the Third Amendment thereto, effective as of May 30, 2018, and the Fourth Amendment thereto, effective as of June 28, 2019 (the Fifth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership, as amended by such First, Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments, the “Partnership Agreement”). Such amendment, as more fully described below, is referred to herein as the “Proposed Amendment.” If the Requisite Consents (as defined below) are received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP (and not revoked) at or prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) and any other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, then:

the Partnership will, as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date, pay to the Holders from whom properly submitted Consents are received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP on or prior to the Expiration Date (the “Consenting Holders”) a fee in cash (the “Consent Fee”) equal to $____ for each Preferred Unit with respect to which consents are received (and not revoked) on or prior to the Expiration Date;

 

the Managing General Partner will execute a new Sixth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership (“AR Partnership Agreement”) for the Partnership, which will include the Proposed Amendment, as well as certain other amendments to the governance provisions of the Partnership Agreement intended to help implement a traditional public company governance structure, including, among other things, transitioning the Board of Directors of the Managing General Partner (the “Board”) to being elected by the holders of the Common Units; and

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the Proposed Amendment will become effective immediately upon execution of the AR Partnership Agreement by the Managing General Partner (the time of such execution, the “Effective Time”).

Once the AR Partnership Agreement is executed by the Managing General Partner, the Partnership Agreement will be superseded by the AR Partnership Agreement. The Proposed Amendment would amend the definition of “Change of Control” in Section 1.1 of the Partnership Agreement. Accordingly, Preferred Holders are being asked to consent to the following proposal (the “Proposal”):

To amend the definition of “Change of Control” in Section 1.1 of the Partnership Agreement as set forth below, with deletions denoted as strikethrough text and insertions denoted as bold underlined text:

“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) (a) First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. or an Affiliate of First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. has ceased, directly or indirectly, in one or more series of related transactions, to control the General Partner (the Person, if any, acquiring such control of the General Partner, and each Person, if any, that subsequently acquires control of the General Partner, is hereinafter referred to as a “New GP Owner”) and (b) Robert G. Phillips has ceased to be the Chief Executive Officer of the General Partner; (ii) the Common Units are no longer listed or admitted for trading on the New York Stock Exchange or


another National Securities Exchange; (iiiii)LOGO

          About Crestwood

Crestwood Equity Partners LP (NYSE: CEQP) is a Cash COC Event; (iviii) any direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition, in one or more series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties orpublicly traded master limited partnership that owns and operates midstream assets of the Partnership to any Person; or (viv) any dissolution or liquidation of the Partnership (other than in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding or a statutory winding up); provided, if a Change of Control under clause (i) of this definition has occurred, and one or more Preferred Holders has elected, pursuant to Section 5.8(e)(ii)(C), to continue to hold Preferred Units, then, with respect to each such Preferred Holder, a Change of Control shall also mean the occurrence of any of the following events: (a) a New GP Owner has ceased, directly or indirectly, in one or more series of related transactions, to control the General Partner; or (b) if there is no New GP Owner, any merger, consolidation or other combination of the Partnership with another entity in which the Partnership is not the surviving entity.

Accordingly, after giving effect to the Proposed Amendment, definition of “Change of Control” in Section 1.1 of the Partnership Agreement would read as follows:

“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the Common Units are no longer listed or admitted for trading on the New York Stock Exchange or another National Securities Exchange; (ii) a Cash COC Event; (iii) any direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition, in one or more series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Partnership to any Person; or (iv) any dissolution or liquidation of the Partnership (other than in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding or a statutory winding up).

If the Requisite Consents are received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP (and not revoked) and any other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, then the AR Partnership Agreement will include the Proposed Amendment and, upon the Effective Time, the AR Partnership Agreement will become effective and all holders of the Preferred Stock will be bound by the terms and conditions of the AR Partnership Agreement (i.e., the AR Partnership Agreement, inclusive of the Proposed Amendment, will govern the terms of the Preferred Units held by all holders and their transferees, regardless of whether such holders have consented to the Proposed Amendment).

We have established the close of business on , 2021 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for determining those Preferred Holders entitled to vote on and, therefore, submit Consents with respect to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment. For the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment to be approved, affirmative Consents with respect to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment must be received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP from holders of at least two-thirds of the issued and outstanding Preferred Units.

The Board of Directors of the Managing General Partner (the “Board”) has determined that adoption and approval of the Proposed Amendment and the Proposal arelocated primarily in the best interestsWilliston Basin, Delaware Basin, Powder River Basin, Marcellus Shale and Barnett Shale. Our operations and financial results are divided into three segments that include Gathering & Processing North, Gathering & Processing South and Storage & Logistics. Across our three segments Crestwood is engaged in the gathering, processing, treating, compression, storage and transportation of the Partnership, declared the Proposed Amendment advisable,natural gas; storage, transportation, terminalling and directed that the Proposed Amendmentmarketing of NGLs; gathering, storage, transportation, terminalling and the Proposal be submitted to the Preferred Holders for approval.

The Board recommends that all Preferred Holders consent to the Proposed Amendmentmarketing of crude oil; and the Proposal by electronically delivering their Consents in accordance with DTC’s ATOP procedures. See “The Consent Solicitation – How to Consent.”

To be counted, your properly submitted Consent must be received by the Tabulation Agent on or before 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on , 2021 (the “Expiration Date”), subject to early termination or extensiongathering and disposal of the Expiration Date at the discretion of the Managing General Partner. CONSENTS MAY BE REVOKED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH HEREIN AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO THE EARLIER OF THE EFFECTIVE TIME OR THE EXPIRATION DATE, BUT NOT THEREAFTER.


The Preferred Units trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CEQP-P.” The total number of Preferred Units issued and outstanding at , 2021 was 71,257,445. On, 2021, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Consent Solicitation, the closing price of the Preferred Units was $per Preferred Unit.

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 for a discussion of issues that you should consider with respect to the Consent Solicitation.

THE CONSENT SOLICITATION HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (THE “SEC”), ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION, OR THE SIMILAR COMMISSION OR GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY OF ANY FOREIGN JURISDICTION, NOR HAS THE SEC, ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION, OR THE SIMILAR COMMISSION OR GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY OF ANY FOREIGN JURISDICTION DETERMINED WHETHER THE INFORMATION IN THIS CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENT IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. NONE OF THE SEC, ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION, OR ANY SIMILAR COMMISSION OR GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY OF ANY FOREIGN JURISDICTION HAS PASSED UPON THE MERITS OR FAIRNESS OF THE CONSENT SOLICITATION, OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE DISCLOSURE CONTAINED IN THIS CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

Requests for assistance in submitting Consents, or for additional copies of this Consent Solicitation Statement, should be directed to the Information Agent. Similarly, questions concerning the terms of the Consent Solicitation should be directed to the Information Agent. The Information and Tabulation Agent’s contact information is set forth below.

We have appointed D.F. King & Co., Inc. as information agent (the “Information Agent”) and the tabulation agent (the “Tabulation Agent” and in both such capacities, the “Information and Tabulation Agent”) for Consents with respect to the Consent Solicitation. Its address appears on the back cover of this Consent Solicitation Statement. The Information and Tabulation Agent makes no recommendation as to whether Preferred Holders should deliver Consents in response to the Consent Solicitation.

The date of this Consent Solicitation Statement is, 2021.


TABLE OF CONTENTSproduced water.

 

 CORPORATE PROFILECEQPOPERATING OVERVIEW

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 Market Capitalization

 Units Outstanding

 Current Yield

 Annualized Distribution per Unit

 Market data as of February 18, 2022

$2,993 MM

105 MM

8.8%

$2.50

3.1 Bcf/d gas gathering capacity

1.4 Bcf/d gas processing capacity

320 MBbls/d crude oil gathering

548 MBbls/d produced water gathering

35 Bcf gas storage facility

2.1 MMBbls crude oil storage

10.0 MMBbls NGL storage

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          Notice of 2022 Annual Meeting of

          Unitholders

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Date & Time

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Virtual Meeting

Thursday, May 12, 2022

2:00 p.m., Central Time

Register to attend at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Items of Business:
  

The Board of Directors

Recommends You Vote:

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SUMMARY   To elect the three directors named in this proxy statement to serve as Class I directors on the board of directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) of our general partner, Crestwood Equity GP, LLC (the “General Partner”) until the 2025 annual meeting of unitholders or until their respective successors are elected and qualified

   To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, our named executive officer compensation

   To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the frequency of future advisory votes on our named executive officer compensation

   To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for the Partnership for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022

   To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof

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LOGO   FOR the election of each director nominee

LOGO   FOR the approval of the executive compensation

LOGO   For the option of EVERY YEAR as the preferred frequency for advisory votes on executive compensation

LOGO   FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as independent registered public accounting firm

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE CONSENT SOLICITATION

4

THE PARTNERSHIP

7

RISK FACTORS

8

DESCRIPTION OF THE EQUITY INTERESTS IN THE PARTNERSHIP

9

PURPOSE OF THE CONSENT SOLICITATION

12

Background

12

Reasons for the Consent Solicitation

13

Proposal and Proposed Amendment

13

THE CONSENT SOLICITATION

15

Record Date

15

General

15

Conditions to the Consent Solicitation

15

Requisite Consents

15

How to Consent

15

Expiration Date; Extensions; Amendment

17

Revocation of Consent

17

Consent Fee

18

Information and Tabulation Agent

18

Board Recommendation

19

No Appraisal Rights

19

Fees and Expenses

19

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

20

INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS IN OPPOSITION TO MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON

21

WHERE YOU CAN OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

21

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ImportantThe Board of Directors has fixed March 21, 2022, as the record date for determining unitholders entitled to receive notice regardingof, and to vote at, the availabilityAnnual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. Only unitholders of consent solicitation statement: This Consent Solicitation Statement is also available on our website, https://www.crestwoodlp.com. Other information contained on, or accessible through, such website does not constitute part of this Consent Solicitation Statement.

The Proposal constitutes a single proposal, and a consenting Preferred Holder may only consent to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment in its entirety and may not consent selectively. The Consent Solicitation is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained in this Consent Solicitation Statement. The Record Date for purposes of the Consent Solicitation isrecord at the close of business on , 2021. In the sole discretion of the Managing General Partner, however, we may establish a newthat date that, when chosen, will be deemed to be the “Record Date” for purposes of the Consent Solicitation. Only Preferred Holders on the Record Date will be entitled to consentnotice of, and to vote at, the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment. For purposes of book-entry Preferred Units, only the DTC participants (“DTC Participants”) listed on the official DTC position listing asAnnual Meeting.

By Order of the Record Date willBoard of Directors

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Robert G. Phillips

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Houston, Texas

March 30, 2022

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Crestwood Equity Partners LP Unitholder Meeting to be entitled to execute the Consent as the registered holder thereof. When we refer to this “Consent Solicitation Statement,” we are referring not only to this Consent Solicitation Statement, but also to the exhibits and other documents that we refer to in, and incorporate by reference into, this document.

In making your decision, you should rely onlyHeld on the information contained in this Consent Solicitation Statement or incorporated herein by reference. We have not, and the Information and Tabulation Agent has not, authorized anyone to provide you with any different or supplemental information. If you receive any such information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information in this Consent Solicitation Statement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the cover page or that information we have incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference.Thursday, May 12, 2022. The delivery of this Consent Solicitation Statement shall not, under any circumstances, create any implication that the information contained in it is correct as of any time subsequent to the date on the cover page or that there has been no change in the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this Consent Solicitation Statement. By delivering your Consent to the Tabulation Agent, you represent that you are consenting to the Proposal and to the Proposed Amendment based solely on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this Consent SolicitationProxy Statement and your own examination of it and the terms of the Proposal and of the Proposed Amendment.

The contents of this Consent Solicitation Statement should not be construed as legal, business, or tax advice. You should consult your own attorney, business advisor, and tax advisor as to those matters. This Consent Solicitation Statement does not constitute a solicitation of Consents in any jurisdiction in which, or to or from any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make the Consent Solicitation. Persons who receive this Consent Solicitation Statement must inform themselves about and observe any applicable restrictions on the distribution and solicitation of Consents.

This Consent Solicitation Statement is not an offer to purchase securities nor is it a solicitation of Consents from Preferred Holders, nor will Consents be accepted from or on behalf of such Preferred Holders, in any jurisdiction in which, or to or from any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such a consent solicitation under applicable securities or “blue sky” laws.

DO NOT FOR ANY REASON DELIVER YOUR PREFERRED UNITS TO US, THE MANAGING GENERAL PARTNER, OR THE INFORMATION AND TABULATION AGENT AT THIS TIME.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement and documents incorporated herein by reference may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies, and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “project,” “estimate,” “anticipate” “strategy,” “future,” “likely” or other comparable terms and references to future periods. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Consent Solicitation Statement and documents incorporated herein by reference regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans, and objectives are forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements we make regarding the Managing General Partner’s intention to execute the AR Partnership Agreement.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans, and strategies, projections, anticipated events, and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results, financial condition, or intentions to take certain corporate actions to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, in addition to those described in the “Risk Factors” and in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections in our2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, the inability to secure the approvals for the Proposed Amendment from the Preferred Holders, market conditions, and potential litigation challenging the Proposal or the Proposed Amendment.

Any forward-looking statement in this Consent Solicitation Statement or any document incorporated herein by reference is based only on information currently are available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. You should read this Consent Solicitation Statement completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP

THIS CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENT (INCLUDING THE DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE HEREIN) CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE READ BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE WITH RESPECT TO THE CONSENT SOLICITATION.

 

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          Summary

This summary highlights some information about us and this Consent SolicitationProxy Statement. It may not contain all of the information that is important to you. You should read this Consent SolicitationProxy Statement in its entirety together with the more detailed information found in the documents we file with the SEC, including those listed under the heading “Incorporation of Documents by Reference.” You should assume that the information in this Consent SolicitationProxy Statement is accurate only as of the date of this Consent SolicitationProxy Statement, or, in the case of documents we previously filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference, as of the date of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may have changed since those dates. In this Consent SolicitationProxy Statement, unless specifically noted otherwise, “we,” “us” and “our,” or the “Partnership” refer to Crestwood Equity Partners LP and its subsidiaries.

AboutAnnual Meeting of Shareholders

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Date & Time

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Virtual Meeting

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Record Date

Thursday, May 12, 2022

2:00 p.m., Central Time

Register to attend at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP

March 21, 2022

Meeting Agenda and Voting Recommendations

Board Voting
Recommendation
Page
Reference

Proposal 1 – Election of Directors

FOR4

Proposal 2 – Advisory Vote for Executive Compensation

FOR21

Proposal 3 – Frequency of future advisory votes on our named executive officer compensation

FOR50

Proposal 4 – Ratification of Independent Auditor for 2022

FOR51

Any additional matters

Board Members

Name

Director
Since
IndependentCommittees

Robert G. Phillips

2010

Warren H. Gfeller

2001Nominating (Chair)

John Jacobi

2022Sustainability

Janeen S. Judah

2018Nominating, Sustainability (Chair)

John Lancaster, Jr.

2022Compensation, Finance

David Lumpkins

2015Audit, Finance (Chair)

Angela A. Minas

2022Audit (Chair), Compensation

John J. Sherman

2001Finance, Nominating

Frances M. Vallejo

2021Audit, Sustainability

Clay C. Williams

2022Compensation (Chair)

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Summary

Board Profile

IndependenceDiversityTenure
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Strong Corporate Governance

Exceptional business behavior requires strong corporate governance, which we demonstrate through our Board of Directors structure that is supported by clearly articulated policies.

Transitioned to a publicly elected board; one of only three MLP’s to take such action

Enhanced the Partnershipnumber of independent directors with diverse perspectives, expertise and experience

Enhanced Board diversity, tenure and independence as we evolved our board structure

Established a Lead Director role

Ongoing succession planning for CEO and other senior management

Corporate Governance Guidelines and Charters reviewed annually

Director unit ownership guidelines in place to align interests with our unitholders

Established a Nominating and Governance Committee in 2021

Established a Sustainability Committee in 2018 to provide oversight of our sustainability strategy and disclosures

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Summary

Integrated Approach to Risk Management

Crestwood Equity Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership formed in March 2001, is a master limited partnershipcommitted to enterprise risk management practices that develops, acquires, owns or controls, and operates primarily fee-based assets and operationsare inclusive of all disciplines within the energyorganization and support our goal of shaping ESG in the midstream sector. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, we provide broad-ranging infrastructure solutions acrosssector

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Crestwood’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process enables our company to remain vigilant and prepared for potential risks to the business

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As ESG risks continue to rise in importance to our business and our industry, we are integrating and combining the ESG risk assessment with our ERM process

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Assigned key enterprise risks, including ESG-related risks, to each Board Committee for oversight

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The final risk profile is reviewed by executive management, the Audit Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Board of Directors

Board CommitteesRisk OversightThe Board has
responsibility for
overall risk oversight
for the company.
Committee Chairs
regularly report to the
full Board providing
opportunity to identify
and discuss any risk-
related issues or
request additional
information

Audit

Practices related to assessing, managing and mitigating risk including the integrity of our financial statements and financial reporting processes and cybersecurity risks.

Sustainability

Sustainability risks including climate-related risks, Indigenous rights and relationships, government relations, reputational risk, ESG matters as well as oversight of our sustainability reporting program.

Compensation

People and compensation-related risks, employee retention and performance.

Finance

Financial risks, including liquidity and capital structure, distribution policy and compliance with material debt instruments.

Nominating and Governance

Corporate governance framework, including director appointment, education and evaluation processes, Crestwood’s corporate governance practices and Code of Business Conduct.

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          Table of Contents

This document includes forward-looking statements within the value chain to service premier liquids-rich natural gas and crude oil shale plays across the United States. We own and operate a diversified portfolio of natural gas liquids, crude oil, natural gas, and produced water gathering, processing, storage, disposal, and transportation assets that connect fundamental energy supply with energy demand across North America. Our primary business objective is to maximize the valuemeaning of the PartnershipPrivate Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical or current facts, including statements regarding our environmental and other sustainability plans and goals, made in this document are forward-looking. We use words such as anticipates, believes, expects, future, intends, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons. Risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations are described in our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Website references throughout this document are provided for convenience only, and the content on the referenced websites is not incorporated by reference into this document.

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          Annual Meeting Information

General

The enclosed proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors of the General Partner for the Annual Meeting of Unitholders to be held at 2:00 p.m., Central Time, on Thursday, May 12, 2022, and any adjournment or postponement thereof. We will conduct a virtual online Annual Meeting this year, so our unitholders can participate from any geographic location with Internet connectivity. We believe this enhances accessibility to our Annual Meeting for all our unitholders, and is particularly important for our unitholders.

Crestwood Equity Partners LP is a holding company. Allunitholders, employees, and community considering the COVID-19 pandemic. Unitholders may participate in the Annual Meeting by registering at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP and entering the control number listed on your Notice of our consolidated operating assets are owned byInternet Availability of Proxy Materials, proxy card, or through our wholly owned subsidiary, Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership. In addition, we have equity investmentsvoting instruction form,and may submit questions during, or in joint ventures through which we operate certainadvance, of their respective assets.

the Annual Meeting. Our principal executive office isoffices are located at 811 Main Street, Suite 3400, Houston, Texas 77002,77002. This proxy statement is first being made available to our unitholders on or about March 30, 2022. References to “CEQP,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “ours” and similar terms refer to Crestwood Equity Partners LP.

Outstanding Securities and Quorum

Only holders of record of our common units and preferred units (collectively, “Units”) at the close of business on March 21, 2022, the record date, will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. On that date, we had 97,978,074 common units outstanding and 71,257,445preferred units outstanding and entitled to vote. Each common unit is entitled to one vote for each director nominee and one vote for each other item to be voted on at the Annual Meeting. Each preferred unitholder is entitled to vote on a 1-for-10 as converted basis with every ten preferred units entitled to one vote for each director nominee and one vote for each other item to be voted on at the Annual Meeting. A majority of the aggregate outstanding Units entitled to vote, present or represented by proxy, constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker nonvotes will be included in determining the presence of a quorum for the Annual Meeting.

Internet Availability of Proxy Materials

We are furnishing proxy materials to some of our unitholders via the Internet by mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, instead of mailing or e-mailing copies of those materials. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials directs unitholders to a website where they can access our proxy materials, including our Proxy Statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and view instructions on how to vote via the Internet, mobile device, or by telephone. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and would prefer to receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, please follow the instructions included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. If you have previously elected to receive our proxy materials via e-mail, you will continue to receive access to those materials electronically unless you elect otherwise.

We encourage you to register to receive all future unitholder communications electronically, instead of in print. This means that access to the Annual Report on Form 10-K, Proxy Statement, and other correspondence will be delivered to you via e-mail.

Proxy Voting

Units that are properly voted via the Internet, mobile device, or by telephone number is or for which proxy cards are properly executed and returned will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the directions given or, in the absence of directions, will be voted in accordance with the Board’s

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(832) 519-2200.Annual Meeting Information Our website address is https://www.crestwoodlp.com. The information

recommendations as follows: “FOR” the election of each of the nominees to the Board named herein; “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of our independent auditors; and “FOR” approval, on an advisory basis, of our websiteexecutive compensation as described in this proxy statement. It is not partexpected that any additional matters will be brought before the Annual Meeting, but if other matters are properly presented, the persons named as proxies in the proxy card or their substitutes will vote in their discretion on such matters.

Voting via the Internet, mobile device, or by telephone helps save money by reducing postage and proxy tabulation costs. To vote by any of these methods, read this Consent Solicitation Statement.proxy statement, have your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, proxy card, or voting instruction form in hand, and follow the instructions below for your preferred method of voting. Each of these voting methods is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

PurposeWe encourage you to cast your vote by one of the Consent Solicitationfollowing methods:

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VOTE BY INTERNET

Units Held of Record:

www.proxypush.com/CEQP

VOTE BY TELEPHONE

Units Held of Record:

866-318-2454

Units Held in Street Name:

See Notice of Internet Availability orVoting Instruction Form

Units Held in Street Name:

See Voting Instruction Form

The purposeway your Units may be voted depends on how your Units are held. If you own Units of record, meaning that your Units are represented by certificates or book entries in your name so that you appear as a unitholder on the records of American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, our transfer agent, you may vote by proxy, meaning you authorize individuals named in the proxy card to vote your Units. You may provide this authorization by voting via the Internet, mobile device, by telephone, or (if you have received paper copies of our proxy materials) by returning a proxy card. You also may participate in and vote during the Annual Meeting. If you own Units of record and you do not vote by proxy or at the Annual Meeting, your Units will not be voted.

If you own Units in street name, meaning that your Units are held by a bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee, you may instruct that institution on how to vote your shares. You may provide these instructions by voting via the Internet, mobile device, by telephone, or (if you have received paper copies of proxy materials through your bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee) by returning a voting instruction form received from that institution. You also may participate in and vote during the Annual Meeting. If you own Units in street name and do not either provide voting instructions or vote during the Annual Meeting, the institution that holds your Units cannot vote your Units at the meeting.

Voting Standard

A nominee for director shall be elected to the Board by a plurality of the Consent Solicitation is to obtain the approval of the Preferred Holders of the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment to amend the definition of Change of Control under the Partnership Agreement. The Proposal and the Proposed Amendment relate to the recently announced strategic transactions and agreements pursuant to which First Reserve Management, L.P. (“First Reserve”) is exiting its investmentvotes cast, in the Partnership, and the Partnership is purchasing the Managing General Partner. These transactions are referred to herein as the “First Reserve Separation.” In connection with and after consummation of the purchase of the Managing General Partnerperson or by the Partnership, our management intends to effect certain amendments (the “Governance Amendments”) to the governance provisions of the limited liability company agreement of the Managing General Partner and the Partnership Agreement, pursuant to which, among other things, the Managing General Partner will transition to having a board of directors electedproxy, by the holders of outstanding Units, voting as a single class. The conversion ratio of preferred units to common units is currently 10-to-1, but may be adjusted to account for unpaid distribution on such preferred units as needed. Abstentions and broker nonvotes will have no effect on the Common Units.outcome of the election. Broker non-votes occur when a person holding Units in street name, such as through a brokerage firm, does not provide instructions as to how to vote those common units and the broker does not then vote those Units on the unitholder’s behalf.

For all other matters proposed for a vote at the Annual Meeting, the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding Units present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter is required to approve the matter. For these matters, abstentions are not counted as affirmative votes on a matter but are counted as present and entitled to vote, and broker nonvotes, if any, will have no effect on the outcome of these matters.

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Annual Meeting Information

Revocation

If you own Units of record, you may revoke your proxy or change your voting instructions at any time before your Units are voted at the Annual Meeting by delivering to the General Partner a written notice of revocation or a duly executed proxy (via the Internet, mobile device, or telephone or by returning a proxy card) bearing a later date or by participating in and voting during the Annual Meeting. A unitholder owning Units in street name may revoke or change voting instructions by contacting the bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee holding the Units or by participating in and voting during the Annual Meeting.

Participating in the Annual Meeting

This year’s Annual Meeting will be accessible through the Internet. We are conducting a virtual online Annual Meeting so our unitholders can participate from any geographic location with Internet connectivity. We believe this enhances accessibility to our Annual Meeting for all of our unitholders and is particularly important for our unitholders, employees, and community members considering the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

You are entitled to participate in the Annual Meeting if you were a unitholder as of the close of business on March 21, 2022, the record date, or hold a valid proxy for the meeting. To participate in the Annual Meeting, including to vote and to view the list of registered unitholders as of the record date during the meeting, unitholders of record must access the meeting website at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP and enter the control number found on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or on the proxy card provided to you with this Proxy Statement, or that is set forth within the body of the email sent to you with the link to this Proxy Statement. If your Units are held in street name and your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or voting instruction form indicates that you may vote those common units through the www.proxypush.com/CEQP website, then you may access, participate in, and vote at the Annual Meeting with the control number indicated on that Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or voting instruction form. Otherwise, unitholders who hold their Units in street name should contact their bank, broker, or other nominee (preferably at least five days before the Annual Meeting) and obtain a “legal proxy” to be able to attend, participate in, or vote at the Annual Meeting.

Regardless of whether you plan to participate in the Annual Meeting, it is important that your Units be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. Accordingly, we encourage you to vote in advance of the Annual Meeting.

Unitholders are able to submit questions for the Annual Meeting’s question and answer session during the meeting. Unitholders who have been provided or obtained a control number may submit a question in advance of the meeting at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP after logging in with that control number. We also will post a replay of the Annual Meeting on our investor relations website, which will be available following the meeting. Additional information regarding the rules and procedures for participating in the Annual Meeting (including any adjournment thereof) will be set forth in our meeting rules of conduct, which unitholders can view during the meeting. Generally meeting Rules, procedures, code of conduct are posted only during the meeting on the meeting site, not available prior to check-in (15 minutes before meeting start).

We encourage you to access the Annual Meeting before it begins. Online check-in will be available at 1:45pm CT,approximately 15 minutes before the meeting starts on May 12, 2022. If you have difficulty accessing the meeting, please call the technical support number that will be posted in your instructional email you will receive after registering to attend the Annual Meeting. We will have technicians available to assist you.

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          Proposal 1 — Election of Class I Directors

Board and Governance Structure

Summary of Recent Governance Changes

On August 20, 2021, the Fifth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, was amended and restated as the Sixth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”) to, among other things, provide the holders of common units (the “common units”) and preferred units (the “preferred units”) representing limited partner interests of the Partnership with voting rights in the election of the members of the board of directors (the “Board”) of Crestwood Equity GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “General Partner”) on a staggered basis beginning in 2022. Pursuant to the Partnership Agreement, effective as of August 20, 2021, the Board has been divided into three classes of directors. Three Class I directors will serve for an initial term that expires at the 2022 Annual Meeting, three Class II directors will serve for an initial term that expires at the 2023 Annual Meeting, and one Class III director will serve for an initial term that expires at the 2024 Annual Meeting.

Additionally, on August 20, 2021, the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner was amended and restated as the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner (the “GP LLC Agreement” and together with the Partnership Agreement, the “Governing Documents”) to, among other things, reflect the provisions in the Partnership Agreement providing the holders of common units with voting rights in the election of the members of the Board on a staggered basis beginning in 2022. Our Partnership Agreement is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 20, 2021, and the GP LLC Agreement is filed as Exhibit 3.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 20, 2021.

General Overview and Board Makeup

The Board currently has ten members, including the CEO, who currently serves as Chairman of the Board. Pursuant to the terms of the Director Nomination Agreement, on February 1, 2022, Oasis Petroleum Inc. (“Oasis Petroleum”), designated two directors to serve on the Board (Mr. Jacobi and Mr. Lancaster). Mr. Lancaster serves as a Class II director and Mr. Jacobi serves as a Class III director. Oasis Petroleum will continue to have the right to nominate up to two directors to the Board, subject to ongoing minimum ownership levels.

The Board is divided into three staggered classes, as set forth below. At each annual meeting, only the eligible directors of a class whose term is expiring will be up for election and, upon election, the elected directors in that class will serve for a term of three years, subject to a director’s earlier resignation, death or removal. If a director is elected to the Board to fill a vacancy, that director will have the same remaining term as his or her predecessor.

Our governing documents require that at least a majority of directors must meet the independence requirements of the national securities exchange on which the securities of the Partnership Agreement governingare listed (currently NYSE).

Class I Directors Standing for Election at the rights2022 Annual Meeting

The Board has currently fixed the number of Preferred Holders,directors constituting the Preferred Units are convertible into Common Units,Board at ten. The Board, based on the recommendation of the Nominating and Governance Committee, proposed that the following three nominees be elected at the Annual Meeting, each of whom will hold office until the 2025 annual meeting of unitholders or until his or her successor shall have been elected and qualified:

Warren H. Gfeller

Janeen S. Judah

John J. Sherman

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Item 1 — Election of Class I Directors

Each of the nominees is currently a director of the General Partner and has been elected to hold office until the 2022 Annual Meeting or until his or her successor has been elected and qualified. Each of the nominees was most recently appointed Class I directors on August, 20, 2021. Biographical and related information on each nominee is set forth below.

The Board expects that the three nominees will be available to serve as directors. However, if any of them should be unwilling or unable to serve, the Board may nominate and elect substitute nominees, and the Preferred Holdersproxies will be voted in favor of any such substitute nominees.

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The Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR"

each nominee.

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          Board of Directors Information

In evaluating the nominees for the Board of Directors, the Board and the Nominating and Governance Committee took into account the qualities they seek for directors, and the directors’ individual qualifications, skills, and background that enable the directors to effectively and productively contribute to the Board’s oversight of the Partnership, as discussed below in each biography and under “Director Nominee Tenure, Skills, and Characteristics.” When evaluating re-nomination of existing directors, the Nominating and Governance Committee also considers the nominees’ past and ongoing effectiveness on the Board and their independence.

Director Biographical Information

Directors Standing for Election at the 2022 Annual Meeting

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Warren H. Gfeller

Lead Independent

Joined the board 2001

Age 69

Committee:

Nominating &

Governance (Chair)

Biography

Warren H. Gfeller was appointed to the Board in July 2001. He currently serves at the lead independent director and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. He previously served as Chair of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Finance Committee.

Mr. Gfeller has served as a director of INNOVATE Corp. since June 2016, where he served as non-executive Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee. He has engaged in private investments since 1991. From 1984 to 1991, Mr. Gfeller served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ferrellgas, Inc., a retail and wholesale marketer of propane and other natural gas liquids. Mr. Gfeller began his career with Ferrellgas in 1983 as an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Ferrellgas, Mr. Gfeller was the Chief Financial Officer of Energy Sources, Inc. and a CPA at Arthur Young & Co. He has served as the Commissioner of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks since 2019 and has been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the U.S. Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee (ATAC) for a four-year term beginning January 2021. Mr. Gfeller has previously served in various board capacities including Chairman of the Board, Lead Director, Chairman of Audit and Compensation Committees for several public and private companies engaged in a variety of industries.

Mr. Gfeller received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kansas State University.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Finance/Accounting

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Industry Experience

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Board of Directors Information

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Janeen S. Judah

Independent

Joined the board 2018

Age 62

Committees:

Sustainability (Chair)

Nominating &

Governance

Biography

Janeen Judah was appointed to the Board in November 2018.

Ms. Judah has served as a director of Patterson-UTI since April 2018. Ms. Judah has also served as a director for privately held Aethon Energy III, LLC since June 2019, and as a member of the University Lands Advisory Board since August 2020. Ms. Judah served as a director of Jagged Peak Energy Inc. from April 2019 to January 2020, when Jagged Peak was acquired by Parsley Energy. Ms. Judah served as the President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers from September 2016 to October 2017 while on secondment from Chevron, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Petroleum Engineers from 2003 to 2006 and from 2012 to 2018. Ms. Judah held numerous leadership positions at Chevron, including general manager for Chevron’s Southern Africa business unit from August 2010 to September 2016, president of Chevron Environmental Management Company from August 2007 to August 2010 and general manager of reservoir and production engineering for Chevron Energy Technology Company from June 2004 to August 2007. Before joining Chevron in 1998, she held various upstream petroleum engineering positions for Texaco and Arco, starting in Midland in 1981.

Ms. Judah holds Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degrees in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center.

Skills and experience

  Cybersecurity/IT

  Public Company Experience

  ESG/Sustainability

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Industry Experience

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John J. Sherman

Independent

Joined the board 2001

Age 66

Committees:

Finance

Nominating &

Governance

Biography

John J. Sherman was appointed to the Board in July 2001.

Mr. Sherman is the former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Inergy Holdings GP, LLC, Inergy, L.P. and Inergy Midstream, L.P., and served in those positions until 2013. He is currently the Chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Royals Baseball Club. Prior to joining our predecessor, he was a vice president with Dynegy Inc. from 1996 through 1997. From 1991 through 1996, Mr. Sherman was the president of LPG Services Group, Inc., a company he co-founded and grew to become one of the nation’s largest wholesale marketers of propane before Dynegy acquired LPG Services in 1996. From 1984 through 1991, Mr. Sherman was a Vice President and member of the management committee of Ferrellgas. Mr. Sherman previously served on the board for Evergy and currently serves on the board for Tech Accel LLC.

Mr. Sherman is a graduate of Ottawa University.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Industry Experience

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Board of Directors Information

Other Directors Not Standing for Election at the 2022 Annual Meeting

Class II Directors (terms expire by 2023 annual meeting of unitholders)

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David Lumpkins

Independent

Joined the board 2015

Age 67

Committees:

Finance (Chair)

Audit

Biography

David Lumpkins was appointed to the Board in November 2015.

Mr. Lumpkins is currently Chairman of PetroLogistics II, LLC, a petrochemical development company. He was the co-founder and Executive Chairman of PetroLogistics, a NYSE listed company which was acquired by Flint Hills Resources in July 2014. Mr. Lumpkins was also previously the co-founder and Chairman of PL Midstream, a pipeline transportation and storage company based in Louisiana, which was sold to Boardwalk Partners in 2012. Prior to the formation of these companies, Mr. Lumpkins worked in the investment banking industry for 17 years, principally for Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. In 1995, Mr. Lumpkins opened Morgan Stanley’s Houston office and served as head of the firm’s southwest region. Mr. Lumpkins previously served as a director of Westlake Chemical Partners LP and Crestwood Midstream GP LLC.

Mr. Lumpkins received his undergraduate degree and MBA from the University of Texas.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Finance/Accounting

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Industry Experience

  Investment Banking

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Board of Directors Information

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N. John Lancaster, Jr.

Independent

Joined the board 2022

Age 53

Committees:

Compensation

Finance

Biography

John Lancaster, Jr. was appointed to the Board in February 2022.

Mr. Lancaster is currently a Managing Partner of Oyster Creek, LLC, a Connecticut-based investment, and advisory firm established in 2020. Mr. Lancaster currently serves on the Board of Directors of Aquadrill LLC, as well as on the Board of Directors for Oasis Petroleum, Inc. where he is a member of the Compensation Committee and the Nominating, Environmental, Social & Governance Committee. Prior to establishing Oyster Creek, Mr. Lancaster was a Partner with Riverstone Holdings LLC, a New York-based private equity firm focused on investments in the energy and power industry globally, where he was responsible for the execution of investments across all major sectors of the energy industry. Prior to joining Riverstone, Mr. Lancaster was a Director with The Beacon Group, LLC, a privately held firm specializing in principal investing and strategic advisory services in the energy sector and other industries. Mr. Lancaster began his career at Bankers Trust and later at CS First Boston, with service as an investment banker and equity research analyst focused on the oil service and unregulated gas transmission sectors of the energy industry. He has previously served as a director of Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P., Cobalt International Energy, Inc., Liberty Oilfield Services, and Petroplus Holdings AG and numerous private companies.

Mr. Lancaster holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He is currently a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the McCombs School of the University of Texas at Austin.

Skills and experience

  ESG/Sustainability

  Finance/Accounting

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Industry Experience

  Investment Banking

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Board of Directors Information

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Frances M. Vallejo

Independent

Joined the board 2021

Age 56

Committees:

Audit

Sustainability

Biography

Frances M. Vallejo was appointed to the Board in February 2021.

Ms. Vallejo currently serves on the Board of Directors of Coterra Energy Inc., which she joined following her tenure on the Board of Directors of Cimarex Energy Co., which began in 2017. At Coterra she is a member of the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee and provides board oversight of the company’s approach to sustainability. She is a former executive officer of ConocoPhillips where she began her career in 1987. She served as Vice President Corporate Planning and Development from April 2015 until December 2016 and as Vice President and Treasurer from October 2008 until March 2015. Prior to October 2008, she served as General Manager Corporate Planning and Budgets, Vice President Upstream Planning and Portfolio Management, Assistant Treasurer, Manager Strategic Transactions, and in other geophysical, commercial, and finance roles. Ms. Vallejo was a member of the Board of Trustees of Colorado School of Mines from 2010 until 2016 and is a member of the Colorado School of Mines Foundation Board of Governors.

Ms. Vallejo holds a Bachelor of Science in mineral engineering mathematics from Colorado School of Mines and a Master of Business Administration from Rice University, where she was named a Jones Scholar.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Finance/Accounting

  ESG/Sustainability

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Industry Experience

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Board of Directors Information

Class III Directors (terms expires by 2024 annual meeting of unitholders)

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Robert G. Phillips

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Not Independent

Joined the board 2010

Age 67

Biography

Robert G. Phillips has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of our general partner since June 2013, and, until January 2022, also served as President. He was appointed to the Board of legacy Crestwood in October 2010.

Mr. Phillips served as Chairman, President and CEO of, the Partnership’s predecessor, from November 2007 until October 2013. Previously, Mr. Phillips served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. from February 2005 until June 2007 and Chief Operating Officer and a Director of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. from September 2004 until February 2005. Mr. Phillips also served on the Board of Directors of Enterprise GP Holdings L.P., the general partner of Enterprise Products Partners L.P., from February 2006 until April 2007. He previously served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of GulfTerra Energy Partners, L.P. (GTM) from 1999 to 2004 prior to GTM’s merger with Enterprise Product Partners, LP, and held senior executive management positions with El Paso Corporation, including President of El Paso Field Services from 1996 to 2004. Prior to that he was Chairman, President and CEO of Eastex Energy, Inc. from 1981 to 1995. Mr. Phillips previously served as a Director of Pride International, Inc. from October 2007 to May 31, 2011, one of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors, and was a member of its Audit Committee. Mr. Phillips served as a Director of Bonavista Energy Corporation, a Canadian independent oil and gas producer, from May 2015 to March 2020. In 2021, Mr. Phillips was appointed to the National Petroleum Council which advises the United States Department of Energy on oil and gas related matters.

Mr. Phillips holds a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Finance/Accounting

  ESG/Sustainability

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Industry Experience

  International

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Board of Directors Information

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John Jacobi

Independent

Joined the board 2022

Age 67

Committee:

Sustainability

Biography

John Jacobi was appointed to the Board in February 2022.

Mr. Jacobi is s currently the CEO and President of Javelin Energy Partners. Mr. Jacobi also serves on the Board of Directors of Oasis Petroleum Inc. where he serves as Chair of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Audit and Reserve Committee. Mr. Jacobi began his career in the energy business in 1981 working for Woolf & Magee Inc., a drilling, exploration and production company. In 1991, he co-founded Jacobi-Johnson Energy, Inc., an independent oil and gas producer, and served as its president focusing on acquisitions in the Ark-La-Tex and Gulf Coast Basins. In 1998, Jacobi-Johnson Energy, Inc. was sold to EXCO Resources, where Mr. Jacobi served as vice president of business development and marketing and led the acquisition efforts on transactions valued at approximately $8 billion. In June 2013, Mr. Jacobi co-founded Covey Park Energy, Inc. and served as its co-chief executive officer and board member. Covey Park Energy, Inc. was sold to Comstock Resources in July 2019, and Mr. Jacobi served on the Board of Directors of Comstock Resources from July 2019 to October 2020. Mr. Jacobi served on the Board of Directors of Pioneer Energy Services Corp., as Chair of the Audit Committee, from May 2020 to January 2022.

Mr. Jacobi holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from West Texas A&M University.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Finance/Accounting

  ESG/Sustainability

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Industry Experience

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Board of Directors Information

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Angela A. Minas

Independent

Joined the board 2022

Age 58

Committees:

Audit (Chair)

Compensation

Biography

Angela A. Minas was appointed to the Board in January 2022.

Ms. Minas currently serves on the Board of Directors of the general partner of Westlake Chemical Partners where she is a member of the Audit Committee. She also serves as a director of Vallourec S.A., a world leader in premium tubular solutions, where she serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Minas has previously served on the boards of CNX Midstream Partners, Weatherford International, and Ciner Resources LP. She served as Chair of the Audit Committee for both CNX Midstream and Ciner Resources. During her career, she was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of DCP Midstream and Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer for Constellation Energy Partners.

Ms. Minas holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business Administration from Rice University where she currently serves as a member of the Council of Overseers of the Rice University Graduate Business School.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Finance/Accounting

  ESG/Sustainability

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Industry Experience

  International

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Clay C. Williams

Independent

Joined the board 2022

Age 59

Committee:

Compensation (Chair)

Biography

Clay C. Williams was appointed to the Board in January 2022.

Mr. Williams currently serves as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of NOV Inc., a multinational oilfield services company with more than 25,000 employees across 61 countries that is a provider of expert solutions, equipment and operational support for the drilling and production industries. Mr. Williams brings a unique perspective with more than 35 years of global energy industry experience to the Crestwood board, having served as NOV’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and in numerous financial roles with Varco before its merger with National Oilwell in 2005. From 2009 - 2019, Mr. Williams previously served on the board of Benchmark Electronics.

Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil & Geological Engineering from Princeton University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas.

Skills and experience

  Public Company Experience

  Finance/Accounting

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Industry Experience

  International

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Board of Directors Information

Director Nominee Tenure, Skills, and Characteristics

In 2021, we established a Nominating and Governance Committee, which meets at least quarterly and reviews the performance, and contributions of existing Board members to the extent they are entitledcandidates for re-election, and considers all aspects of each candidate’s qualifications and skills in the context of the Partnership’s needs at that point in time. The Nominating and Governance Committee includes, and has any search firm that it engages include, women and individuals from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups in the pool from which the Committee selects director candidates. When considering candidates as potential Board members, the Board and the Nominating and Governance Committee will evaluate the candidates’ ability to vote togethercontribute to such diversity. The Board assesses its effectiveness in this regard as part of its Board and director evaluation process. Currently, of our three director nominees, one is a woman, all are independent, and one has served for five years or less. The Board’s composition also represents a balanced approach to director tenure, allowing the Board to benefit from the experience of longer-serving directors combined with fresh perspectives from newer directors. The tenure range of our Board is as follows:

Tenure on Board

Number of Directors

More than 10 years

3

3-10 years

2

2 years or less

5

Among the qualifications and skills of a candidate considered important by the Nominating and Governance Committee are:

  Public Company Experience (Officer/Director)

  Industry Experience (Upstream/Midstream/Downstream)

  Finance/Accounting

  Business Development/Strategy/Commercial

  ESG/Sustainability

  Legal/Governance/Government Relations

  Cybersecurity/IT

  Operations/Engineering/Construction

  Investment Banking

Corporate Governance

Board Leadership

The Board is responsible for the control and direction of the Partnership. The Board represents the unitholders and its primary purpose is to build long-term unitholder value. The Board has no policy that requires that the positions of the Chairman of the Board (the Chairman) and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) be separate or that they be held by the same individual. The Board believes that this determination should be based on circumstances existing from time to time, including the composition, skills and experience of the Board and its members, specific challenges faced by us or the industry in which it operates, and governance efficiency.

The Chair of the Board is selected by the Board and currently is our Founder and CEO, Robert G. Phillips. The Board believes that this leadership structure is appropriate given Mr. Phillips’ role in founding the Partnership and his significant ownership stake. The Board believes that this leadership structure improves the Board’s ability to focus on key policy and operational issues and helps the Partnership operate in the long-term interests of unitholders.

In addition, the independent directors on the Board have appointed a lead director from the Board’s independent directors, currently Warren Gfeller, in order to promote independent leadership of the Board. The lead director presides over the executive sessions of the independent directors (which occur

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Board of Directors Information

at least once a year), chairs Board meetings in the Chair’s absence, works with management and the independent directors to approve agendas, schedules, information, and materials for Board meetings, and is available to engage directly with major shareholders where appropriate. In addition, the lead director confers from time to time with the holders of Common Units, as a single class (or as a separate class, if the matter being voted on adversely affects the rights, powers, privileges, or preferencesChair of the Preferred Units in relationBoard and the independent directors and reviews, as appropriate, the annual schedule of regular Board meetings and major Board meeting agenda topics. The guidance and direction provided by the lead director reinforce the Board’s independent oversight of management and contribute to other classes of Partnership Interests (as defined under the Partnership Agreement) or as required by law), on an as-converted basis. Thus, as a result of the Governance Amendments, Preferred Holders would also participate with the holders of the Common Units in electing the board of directors. Prior to the Governance Amendments,communication among members of the Board.

Director Independence

Because we are a limited partnership, the listing standards of the NYSE do not require that we have a majority of independent directors on the Board, nor that the Partnership establish or maintain a Nominating and Governance Committee or Compensation Committee of the Board. We are, however, required to have an audit committee consisting of at least three members, all of whom are required to be independent as defined by the NYSE. The Board has determined that, Warren Gfeller, John Jacobi, Janeen Judah, N. John Lancaster, Jr., David Lumpkins, Angela Minas, John Sherman, Frances Vallejo, and Clay Williams qualify as independent pursuant to independence standards established by the NYSE as set forth in Section 303A.02 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. To be considered an independent director under the NYSE listing standards, the Board must affirmatively determine that a director has no material relationship with us other than as a director. In making this determination, the Board adheres to all of the specific tests for independence included in the NYSE listing standards and considers all other facts and circumstances it deems necessary or advisable.

A Director need not be a member of the General Partner or a Limited Partner; however, a majority of the Directors comprising the Board of Directors must meet the independence standards required of directors who serve on a board of directors established by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Managing General Partner have been appointedU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) thereunder and by the ownersNational Securities Exchange on which the common units are listed or admitted to trading (or if no such National Securities Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange).

Risk Oversight

The Partnership faces a number of risks, including environmental and regulatory risks, and others, such as the impact of competition. Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks the Partnership faces, while the Board, as a whole and through its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of risk management. In fulfilling its risk oversight role, the Board must determine whether risk management processes designed and implemented by our management are adequate and functioning as designed. Senior management regularly delivers presentations to the Board on strategic matters, operations, risk management and other matters, and is available to address any questions or concerns raised by the Board.

Our board committees assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. The Audit Committee assists with risk management oversight including in the areas of financial reporting, internal controls and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and our risk management policy relating to our hedging program. The Compensation Committee assists the Board with risk management relating to our compensation policies and programs. The Sustainability Committee assists the Board on matters relating to sustainability, which include environmental risks and opportunities, social responsibility and impacts, employee, contractor and community health and safety, and activities related to stakeholder engagement and community investment. The Finance Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities across the principal areas of corporate finance and financial risk management. The Nominating and Governance Committee assists the Board on matters related the evaluation of the Managing General Partner,Board and neither the holdersits standing committees. succession planning of the Common Units nor the Preferred Holders were entitled to vote in the election of such board of directors. Additionally, under SEC rules, as a result of holding annual meetings for unitholders to participate in the election of directors, the Partnership will become subject to “say-on-pay”CEO and “say-on-frequency” votes, further increasing unitholder participation inkey executive officers and oversight responsibilities regarding the governance of the PartnershipPartnership.

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Board of Directors Information

Board Evaluation

On an annual basis we conduct a comprehensive Board self-evaluation to assess the effectiveness of our Board, committees, and aligning interestsmembers. Board members complete a detailed confidential questionnaire which provides for qualitative ratings in key areas and seeks subjective comment in each of those areas. A summary report is prepared and presented to the Board. The responses from Board members are summarized without attribution to a particular member to facilitate candid feedback.

The Board and senior executives then review and discuss the evaluation results and any actions to be taken. The results are used to inform Board and committee composition and refreshment, including potential expansion and refinement of the attributes and experience criteria for Board membership, and to address the evolving needs of the company. The evaluation aims (1) to find opportunities where Board and committees can improve their performance and effectiveness, (2) to assess any need to evolve the composition and expertise of the Board, and (3) to assure that our Board and committees are operating in accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines and committee charters.

Code of Ethics

Crestwood is committed to running an ethical business, which is supported by our clearly articulated policies and rigorous management systems and processes. We have adopted a Code of Business Ethics and Conduct that outlines our guiding principles and expectations, which can be found at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors/governance.

Each officer, director and employee is responsible for upholding our standards for ethics and integrity as set forth in the Code. Every two years all directors and employees are required to complete ethics training on our Code.

Any employee witnessing a violation of the Code is asked to report their concern through our independent Ethics Hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All employees receive regular communication about the hotline to ensure that everyone knows their reporting options and understands Crestwood’s commitment to ethics and integrity. Our compliance team takes all concerns seriously and follows the necessary protocols and processes to quickly resolve them. We maintain absolute anonymity, to the extent possible, and empower any employee reporting a violation to discuss their concern without fear of retaliation.

We track the number of requests made and the length of time from reporting to resolution to evaluate the success of the hotline. Any ethics violations and results of the whistleblower hotline are reported to the Audit Committee by our Chief Compliance Officer, who also shares quarterly general ethics updates with the Board.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

The Board has adopted a robust set of Corporate Governance Guidelines that addresses the goals and expectations with respect to key corporate governance matters. The Guidelines address the following topics:

Director Qualifications

Director Responsibilities

Lead Director Responsibilities

Director Access to Officers, Employees and Other Advisors

Director Orientation and Continuing Education

Director Stock Ownership

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Board of Directors Information

Please visit our investor relations website at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors, “Governance,” for additional information on our corporate governance.

Board Meetings and Committees

The Board meets in regularly scheduled sessions and holds special meetings and acts by unanimous written consent whenever circumstances require. Our independent directors meet in executive session at least once a year. During 2021, there were 17 total meetings of the Board. All incumbent directors attended at least 90 percent of the aggregate of the meetings of the Board and committees on which they served occurring during 2021.

The Board has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Finance Committee, a Nominating and Governance Committee and a Sustainability Committee, each of which is comprised entirely of directors who meet the applicable independence requirements of the NYSE rules. The committees keep the Board informed of their actions and provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibility to unitholders. In February 2022, in connection with the Oasis transaction, the Board approved several changes to the Committee assignments. The table below provides current board membership information as well as committee meeting information for the last fiscal year.

Name

 Audit
Committee
 Compensation
Committee
 Finance
Committee
 Nominating and
Governance
Committee
 Sustainability
Committee

Robert G. Phillips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warren H. Gfeller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 LOGO 

 

John Jacobi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 LOGO

Janeen S. Judah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 LOGO LOGO

N. John Lancaster, Jr.

 

 

 LOGO LOGO 

 

 

 

David Lumpkins

 LOGO 

 

 LOGO 

 

 

 

Angela A. Minas

 LOGO LOGO 

 

 

 

 

 

John J. Sherman

 

 

 

 

 LOGO LOGO 

 

Frances M. Vallejo

 LOGO 

 

 

 

 

 

 LOGO

Clay C. Williams

 

 

 LOGO 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Meetings in 2021

 7 6 4 0 4

2021 Attendance Percentage

 97% 100% 100% N/A 100%

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Committee Chair

The functions performed by these committees, which are set forth in more detail in their charters, are summarized below.

Audit Committee

The members of the Audit Committee are Angela Minas (Chair), David Lumpkins and Frances Vallejo. The Board has determined that each of the members of the Audit Committee meet the independence standards of the NYSE and is financially literate. In addition, the Board has determined that Ms. Minas is an audit committee financial expert based upon the experience stated in her biography. The Audit Committee’s primary responsibilities are to monitor: (i) the integrity of our financial reporting process and internal control system; (ii) the independence and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm; and (iii) the performance of the disclosure controls and procedures established by management, internal audit function and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee charter may be found on our website at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors/governance.

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Board of Directors Information

Compensation Committee

The members of the Compensation Committee are Clay Williams (Chair), N. John Lancaster, Jr., and Angela Minas. Although we are not required by NYSE listing standards to have a Compensation Committee, three members of the Board serve as members of our Compensation Committee, which oversees compensation decisions for members of the Board, the executive officers of the General Partner, as well as the compensation plans described below. Each year, the Compensation Committee reviews the Partnership’s goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and executive officers and makes recommendations to the Board with those of unitholders.



The Governance Amendments will also:

provide unitholders withrespect to the ability to call for special meetingscompensation of the unitholders;

impose certain independence standards pertaining toChief Executive Officer and key executive officers. The Compensation Committee also assists with administering the compositionequity-based compensation plans and reviewing the compensation related disclosures in the Partnership’s annual proxy statement on Form DEF 14A. The Compensation Committee charter may be found on our website at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors/governance.

Finance Committee

The members of the Board;

permit a limited partner or a group of limited partners to be able to nominate persons for election toFinance Committee are David Lumpkins (Chair), N. John Lancaster, Jr., and John Sherman. The Finance Committee assists the Board upon timely written noticein fulfilling its oversight responsibilities across the principal areas of corporate finance and risk management. The Finance Committee meets at least quarterly, but it is intended that the Finance Committee confer with management on an informal and ad hoc basis as reasonable and necessary to assist management in developing strategies relating to all capital markets, financing activities, corporate financial analysis, and risk management activities. More specifically, duties of the Managing General Partner, subject to certain ownership requirements; and

permitFinance Committee include providing the Board to create a nominatingguidance on: (i) the financial status and corporate governance committeecapital structure of the Partnership, including long-range financial policies and objectives, distribution policy and actions, plans or programs for the repurchase or redemption of Partnership securities, and equity and debt issuances; (ii) the Partnership’s financial strategies, policies, guidelines and procedures; and (iii) the Partnership’s compliance with its material debt instruments and credit facilities in light of the Partnership’s operating strategy, risk exposures, financial policies and changes in applicable laws or accounting requirements. The Finance Committee also performs such other functions and exercise such other powers as may be specified in the written charter for the Finance Committee adopted by the Board. The Finance Committee charter may be found on our website at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors/governance.

Nominating and Governance Committee

The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Warren Gfeller (Chair), Janeen Judah and John Sherman. The Nominating and Corporate Governance committee assists the Board to help (i) identifyin identifying individuals qualified to become Board members consistent with criteria approved by the Board, (ii) selectselects or recommendrecommends that the Board select director nominees, (iii) overseeoversees the set of corporate governance principles applicable to the Managing General Partner,Partnership, and (iv) overseeoversees the evaluation of the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee meets as often as necessary, but at least quarterly, to fulfill its responsibilities, some of which include: (i) reviewing, as necessary, the size and composition of the Board and the officers of the Managing General Partner.

We are requesting your affirmative Consent with respect to Proposalits committees and the Proposed Amendment as consideration for increasing the involvement of the Preferred Holders in the governance of the Partnership.

The rationale for the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment is that, upon completion of the First Reserve Separation, the event described in clause (i)(a) of the existing definition of Change of Control will have occurred (“First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. or an Affiliate of First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. has ceased, directly or indirectly, in one or more series of related transactions to control the Managing General Partner”), and consequently, a Change of Control could occur under clause (i) of the existing definition of Change of Control simply upon the subsequent cessation of Robert G. Phillips being the Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner. Management of the Managing General Partner believes that the potential triggering of a Change of Control based solely on the continued Chief Executive Officer status of Mr. Phillips would be inconsistent with conventional and customary change of control provisions appearing in the equity and debt instruments of publicly traded companies, and as such potentially would not be in the best interests of the Partnership. Furthermore, the existing definition of Change of Control would unduly focus on the continued employment of Mr. Phillips as the Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner. Consistent with corporate governance best practices, the Board believes that it should be free to select the executive officers of the Managing General Partner from time to time based on the best interests of the Partnership. Unless amended, the definition of Change of Control in the Partnership Agreement may interfere with the Board’s ability to conduct ordinary course succession planning and ultimately its discretion in the selection of a Chief Executive Officer. If adopted, the proposedrecommend any changes to the definition of Change of ControlBoard for approval in its sole discretion; (ii) reviewing appropriately submitted unitholder proposals and recommending responses to the Board; and (iii) overseeing the succession planning for the CEO and other key executives. The Nominating and Governance Committee also performs such other functions and exercise such other powers as may be specified in the written charter for the Nominating and Governance Committee adopted by the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee charter may be found on our website at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors/governance.

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Board of Directors Information

Sustainability Committee

The members of the Sustainability Committee are Janeen Judah (Chair), John Jacobi and Frances Vallejo. The Board established the Sustainability Committee to provide oversight of the Partnership’s sustainability initiatives and to ensure that environmental, social and governance risks are incorporated into our long-term business strategy. The Sustainability Committee also oversees the development of our sustainability strategy, as well as review and recommend to the Board for approval any sustainability reporting and disclosure. The Sustainability Committee meets as often as necessary, but at least quarterly, to fulfill its responsibilities, some of which include: (i) reviewing and advising the Board on the Partnership’s sustainability goals and commitments, achievements, and reporting targets, (ii) advising the Board of stakeholder concerns and (iii) providing the Board guidance on the Partnership’s advocacy efforts and relations with indigenous people. The Sustainability Committee also performs such other functions and exercises such other powers as may be specified in the written charter for the Sustainability Committee adopted by the Board. The Sustainability Committee charter may be found on our website at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors/governance.

Director Nominations

Pursuant to Section 13.4(b)(vi) of our Partnership Agreement, would eliminate the possibility that a mere cessationnominations of the servicepersons for election of Mr. Phillips as Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner would constitute a Change of Control (and thus trigger the potential consequences thereof set forth in the Partnership Agreement).

Requisite Consents

The adoption of the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment requires the consent of Preferred Holders holding at least two-thirds of the issued and outstanding Preferred Units as of the Record Date (the “Requisite Consents”). See “The Consent Solicitation—Requisite Consents.”

How to Consent

Preferred Holders who wish to consentdirectors to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment must deliver their properly submitted Consent in accordance with the DTC’s ATOP procedures so that it is received on or before the Expiration Date. Do not, for any reason, deliver your Preferred Units to us, the Managing General Partner or the Information and Tabulation AgentBoard may be made at this time and do not deliver the Consent to any person other than us and the Managing General Partner. See “The Consent Solicitation – How to Consent.”



Expiration Date

The Expiration Date is 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on             , 2021, unless earlier terminated or extended as provided for in this Consent Solicitation Statement. We will conclude the Consent Solicitation at the earlier of the Expiration Date or the date on which we have received the Requisite Consents.

Consent Fee

If the Requisite Consents are received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP (and not revoked) at or prior to the Expiration Date and any other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, then the Partnership will, as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date, pay to the Consenting Holders from whom properly submitted Consents are received by the Tabulation Agent on or prior to the Expiration Date a Consent Fee equal to $            for each Preferred Unit with respect to which consents are received (and not revoked) on or prior to the Expiration Date.

Conditions of the Consent Solicitation

The Proposal and the Proposed Amendment will not become operative unless all conditions to the Consent Solicitation described in this Consent Solicitation Statement in the section entitled “The Consent Solicitation—Conditions to the Consent Solicitation” are satisfied or waived, as applicable. See “The Consent Solicitation—Conditions to the Consent Solicitation.”

Revocation of Consents

Prior to the Consent Effective Date, any Preferred Holder may revoke any Consent given as to its Preferred Units or any portion of such Preferred Units. Only a Preferred Holder on the Record Date may deliver a Consent or revoke any Consent previously delivered by such Preferred Holder. Any person or entity that becomes a holder of the Preferred Units after the Record Date will not have the authority to deliver a Consent to the Proposed Amendments or to revoke any Consent previously delivered by a Holder relating to the Preferred Units held by the subsequent holder. Preferred Holders who wish to exercise their right of revocation with respect to a Consent must give a properly transmitted “Requested Message” through ATOP, which must be received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP, prior to the Consent Effective Date. See “The Consent Solicitation— Record Date and The Consent Solicitation— Revocation of Consents.”

Appraisal Rights

You will not be entitled to rights of an objecting stockholder or appraisal rights under Delaware law in connection with the Proposal, the Proposed Amendment, or this Consent Solicitation. See “The Consent Solicitation—No Appraisal Rights.”

Additional Information

Requests for assistance in submitting the Consent, or for additional copies of this Consent Solicitation Statement, should be directed to the Information Agent. Similarly, questions concerning the terms of the Consent Solicitation should be directed to the Information Agent. The Information and Tabulation Agent’s contact information is set forth below. Its address appears on the back cover of this Consent Solicitation Statement. The Information and Tabulation Agent makes no recommendation as to whether Preferred Holders should deliver Consents in response to the Consent Solicitation.



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE CONSENT SOLICITATION

The following are some questions regarding the Consent Solicitation that you may have as a Preferred Holder and the answers to those questions. We urge you to read carefully the entire Consent Solicitation Statement, including the section entitled “Risk Factors” and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Additional important information is contained in the remainder of this Consent Solicitation. All references to “CEQP,” the “Partnership,” “we,” “our,” “ours,” and “us” and similar terms are to Crestwood Equity Partners LP and its subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires.

What is the purpose of the Consent Solicitation?

The purpose of the Consent Solicitation is to obtain the approval of the Preferred Holders of the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment to amend the definition of Change of Control under the Partnership Agreement. The Proposal and the Proposed Amendment relate to the First Reserve Separation and our management’s intent to effect the Governance Amendments with respect to the limited liability company agreement of the Managing General Partner and the Partnership Agreement, pursuant to which, among other things, the Managing General Partner will transition to having a board of directors elected by the holders of the Common Units, and as further described below, the holders of the Preferred Units. Pursuant to the termsannual meeting of the Partnership Agreement governing(a) by or at the rightsdirection of Preferred Holders, the Preferred Units are convertible into Common Units, and the Preferred Holders are entitled to vote together with the holders of Common Units, as a single class (or as a separate class, if the matter being voted on adversely affects the rights, powers, privileges, or preferencesmajority of the Preferred Unitsdirectors then in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests (as defined under the Partnership Agreement)office or as required(b) by law), on an as-converted basis. Thus, as a result of the Governance Amendments, Preferred Holders would also participate with the holders of the Common Units in electing the board of directors. Prior to the Governance Amendments, members of the board of directors of the Managing General Partner have been appointed by the owners of the Managing General Partner, and neither the holders of the Common Units nor the Preferred Holders were entitled to vote in the election of such board of directors. Additionally, under SEC rules, as a result of holding annual meetings for unitholders to participate in the election of directors, the Partnership will become subject to “say-on-pay” and “say-on-frequency” votes, further increasing unitholder participation in the governance of the Partnership and aligning interests of management and the Board with those of unitholders

The Governance Amendments will also:

provide unitholders with the ability to call for special meetings of the unitholders;

impose certain independence standards pertaining to the composition of the Board;

permit a limited partner (i.e. a unitholder) or a group of limited partners (a “limited partner group”), that holds or beneficially owns, and has continuously held without interruption for the prior two years, at least 10% of the outstanding common units or outstanding preferred units that on a converted basis represent at least 10% of the outstanding common units, or any combination thereof.

Any eligible unitholders or limited partner group that wishes to be able to nominate personssubmit a director nomination for electionthe 2022 Annual Meeting must deliver written notice thereof to the Board upon timely written notice to the Managing General Partner subject to certain ownership requirements; and

permit the Board to create a nominating and corporate governance committee of the Board to help (i) identify individuals qualified to become Board members consistent with criteria approved by the Board, (ii) select or recommend that the Board select director nominees, (iii) oversee the set of corporate governance principles applicable to the Managing General Partner, and (iv) oversee the evaluation of the Board and the officers of the Managing General Partner.

We are requesting your affirmative Consent with respect to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment as consideration for increasing the involvement of the Preferred Holders in the governance of the Partnership.

The rationale for the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment is that, upon completion of the First Reserve Separation, the event described in clause (i)(a) of the existing definition of Change of Control will have occurred (“First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. or an Affiliate of First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. has ceased, directly or indirectly, in one or more series of related transactions to control the Managing General Partner”), and consequently, a Change of Control could occur under clause (i) of the existing definition of Change of Control simply upon the subsequent

cessation of Robert G. Phillips being the Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner. Management of the Managing General Partner believes that the potential triggering of a Change of Control based solely on the continued Chief Executive Officer status of Mr. Phillips would be inconsistent with conventional and customary change of control provisions appearing in the equity and debt instruments of publicly traded companies, and as such potentially would not be in the best interests of the Partnership. Furthermore, the existing definition of Change of Control would unduly focus on the continued employment of Mr. Phillips as the Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner. Consistent with corporate governance best practices, the Board believes that it should be free to select the executive officers of the Managing General Partner from time to time based on the best interests of the Partnership. Unless amended, the definition of Change of Control in the Partnership Agreement may interfere with the Board’s ability to conduct ordinary course succession planning and ultimately its discretion in the selection of a Chief Executive Officer. If adopted, the proposed changes to the definition of Change of Control in the Partnership Agreement would eliminate the possibility that a mere cessation of the service of Mr. Phillips as Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner would constitute a Change of Control (and thus trigger the potential consequences thereof set forth in the Partnership Agreement).

What are the conditions to the closing of the Consent Solicitation and approval of the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment?

For the Proposal to be approved, we must receive affirmative Consents (the “Requisite Consents”) with respect to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment from holders of at least two-thirds of the issued and outstanding Preferred Units.

If I do not approve the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment, but the Proposal and Proposed Amendment are approved by the requisite number of Preferred Units, how will my Preferred Units be affected?

If we receive the Requisite Consents, all other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, and the AR Partnership Agreement (inclusive of the Proposed Amendment) is executed by the Managing General Partner, even if you do not approve the Proposal and Proposed Amendment by submitting a Consent, you will still be subject to and bound by the AR Partnership Agreement, including the amendments to the terms of the Preferred Units effected thereby (i.e., the AR Partnership Agreement, inclusive of the Proposed Amendment, will govern the terms of the Preferred Units held by all holders and their transferees, regardless of whether such holders have consented to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment).

How do I deliver my consent to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment?

Preferred Holders who wish to consent to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment must deliver their properly submitted Consent in accordance DTC’s ATOP Procedures so that it is received on or before the Expiration Date. Do not, for any reason, deliver your Preferred Units to us, the Managing General Partner, or the Information and Tabulation Agent, and do not deliver the Consent to any person other than us and the Managing General Partner. See “The Consent Solicitation — How to Consent.”

When will the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment become effective?

If the Tabulation Agent receives the Requisite Consents from the Preferred Holders and all other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, the AR Partnership Agreement (inclusive of the Proposed Amendment) will become effective upon execution of the AR Partnership Agreement by the Managing General Partner. The Managing General Partner intends to execute such AR Partnership Agreement as soon as possible after the date on which the Requisite Consents have been received and all other conditions to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement have been satisfied or waived, as applicable.

When will the Consent Fee be paid?

If the Requisite Consents are received (and not revoked) at or prior to the Expiration Date and any other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, then the Partnership will, as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date, pay to the Consenting Holders from whom properly submitted Consents are received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP on or prior to the Expiration Date the Consent Fee for each Preferred Unit with respect to which consents are received (and not revoked) on or prior to the Expiration Date.

Are there tax consequences upon the receipt of the Consent Fee?

The Partnership will report the receipt of the Consent Fee by each Consenting Holder as ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

THE PARTNERSHIP

Crestwood Equity Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership formed in March 2001, is a master limited partnership that develops, acquires, owns or controls, and operates primarily fee-based assets and operations within the energy midstream sector. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, we provide broad-ranging infrastructure solutions across the value chain to service premier liquids-rich natural gas and crude oil shale plays across the United States. We own and operate a diversified portfolio of natural gas liquids, crude oil, natural gas, and produced water gathering, processing, storage, disposal, and transportation assets that connect fundamental energy supply with energy demand across North America. Our primary business objective is to maximize the value of the Partnership for our unitholders.

Crestwood Equity Partners LP is a holding company. All of our consolidated operating assets are owned by or through our wholly owned subsidiary, Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership. In addition, we have equity investments in joint ventures through which we operate certain of their respective assets.

Our principal executive office is located at 811 Main Street, Suite 3400, Houston, Texas 77002, and77002. The written notice must comply with Section 13.4(b)(vi)(A)(2) of our telephone number is (832) 519-2200. Our website address is https://www.crestwoodlp.com. The information on our website is not part of this Consent Solicitation Statement.

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described throughout this Consent Solicitation Statement, including those described below,Partnership Agreement and the risk factorsprocedures set forth in Section 13.4(b)(vi)(C) of our annualPartnership Agreement, including the information requirements included in 13.4(b)(vi)(A)(2) of our Partnership Agreement. The chairman designated by the General Partner pursuant to Section 13.10 of our Partnership Agreement shall have the power and periodic reports that we fileduty to (a) determine whether a nomination was made in accordance with the SEC regardingabove procedures and (b) declare that such nomination shall be disregarded if any proposed nomination was not made in compliance with Section 13.4(b) of our Partnership Agreement.

If each member of the riskslimited partner group (or a qualified representative of investmenteach member) does not appear at the annual meeting to present a nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded notwithstanding that proxies in our securities, before you decide whetherrespect of such vote may have been received by the General Partner or the Partnership. To be considered a qualified representative of a member of the limited partner group, a person must be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such Limited Partner or must be authorized by a writing executed by such Limited Partner or an electronic transmission delivered by such Limited Partner to Consentact for such Limited Partner as proxy at the meeting of Limited Partners and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission at the meeting of Limited Partners.

Compensation of Directors

Officers of the General Partner who also serve as directors, such as Mr. Phillips, do not receive additional compensation. Each director receives cash compensation of $100,000 per year for serving on the Board. The lead director, Audit Committee chairperson, Finance Committee chairperson, Compensation Committee chairperson, Nominating and Governance Committee

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Board of Directors Information

chairperson and Sustainability Committee chairperson each receive additional cash compensation of $20,000 per year. All cash compensation is paid to the Proposal andnon-employee directors in quarterly installments. Additionally, each non-employee director receives an annual grant of restricted units under our long-term incentive plan equal to approximately $110,000 in value that vests on the Proposed Amendment.

Risk Related to the Consent Solicitation

Conflicts of interest may exist between holders of common units, including our officers and directors, and Preferred Holders.

As of April 30, 2021, our directors, executive officers, and holders of more than 5%first anniversary of the Partnership’s common units representing limited partner interests (the “Common Units”) collectively beneficially owned approximately 18.55%date of issuance. Each grant compensates for future performance, and generally no portion of a restricted unit vests until the outstanding Common Units. Our directors and executive officers do not beneficially own any Preferred Units.

The existence of separate classes of limited partner interests, with one class holdingyear after it is granted. If a liquidation preference, may give risedirector leaves the Board prior to a conflict of interest. Our Board has sought to act in the best interest of all equityholders, mindful ofvest date for any potential conflicts of interest. However, the Consent Solicitation and the Proposed Amendment may give rise to certain conflicts of interest between the Preferred Holders and holders of the Partnership’s Common Units, which we may not be able to effectively address, including, but not limited to, the fact that the amendments to the terms of the Preferred Units reflected in the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment may reduce the likelihood ofreason other than a Change of Control occurring and thus a Change of Control remedy being exercised by the Preferred Holders (e.g., redemption of the Preferred Units at a price per Preferred Unit equal to 101% of $9.1273, plus accrued and unpaid distributions to the date of such redemption), which would indirectly benefit the existing holders of Common Units by potentially preserving cash in the Partnership or avoiding dilution of the Common Units.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EQUITY INTERESTS IN THE PARTNERSHIP

As of April 30, 2021, the outstanding equity interests in the Partnership include 62,832,258 Common Units and 71,257,445 Preferred Units.

For a complete description of the equity interests in the Partnership, you should refer to the Partnership Agreement (prior to the Effective Time), the AR Partnership Agreement (on or after the Effective Time), and to the applicable provisions of Delaware law. Solely for purposes of this section of this Consent Solicitation Statement, the term “Partnership Agreement” shall refer to the Partnership Agreement (prior to the Effective Time) or the AR Partnership Agreement (on or after the Effective Time).

Common Units

The Common Units represent limited partner interests in the Partnership. The holders of Common Units are entitled to participate in Partnership distributions and exercise the rights or privileges available to limited partners under the Partnership Agreement.

Cash Distributions

The Partnership Agreement specifies the manner in which we will make cash distributions to our unitholders. The Partnership Agreement requires that, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, we distribute all of our available cash to unitholders of record on the applicable record date. Available cash, for any quarter, consists of all cash and cash equivalents on hand at the end of that quarter, minus the amount of cash reserves necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable discretion of the Managing General Partner, to provide for the proper conduct of our business, to comply with applicable law, our debt instruments, or other agreements, or to provide funds for future distributions to our partners for any one or more of the next four quarters, plus all cash on hand on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made subsequent to the end of the quarter. Working capital borrowings are generally borrowings that are made(as defined under our revolving credit facility and, in all cases, are used solely for working capital purposeslong-term incentive plan), death or to pay distributions to our partners. Available cash does not include any IPCH/Crestwood Partners Available Cash (as defined in the Partnership Agreement). Our general partner is not entitled to distributions on its non-economic interest.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC serves as the registrar and transfer agent for the Common Units. WePermanent Disability, he or she will pay all fees charged by the transfer agent for transfers of Common Units except the following, which must be paid by the holders of Common Units:

surety bond premiums to replace lost or stolen certificates, taxes and other governmental charges;

special charges for services requested by a holder of a Common Unit; and

other similar fees or charges.

There is no charge to the holders of Common Units for disbursements of our cash distributions. We will indemnify each of the transfer agent, its agents, and their respective stockholders, directors, officers, and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.

The transfer agent may resign, by notice to us, or be removed by us. The resignation or removal of the transfer agent will become effective upon our appointment of a successor transfer agent and registrar and its acceptance of the appointment. If no successor is appointed, our Managing General Partner may act as the transfer agent and registrar until a successor is appointed.

Transfer of Common Units

Upon the transfer of a Common Unit in accordance with the Partnership Agreement, the transferee of the Common Unit will be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the Common Units transferred when such transfer and admission are reflected in our books and records. Each transferee:

represents that the transferee has the capacity, power, and authority to become bound by the Partnership Agreement;

automatically becomes bound by the terms and conditions of, and is deemed to have executed, the Partnership Agreement; and

gives the consents, waivers, and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement.

In addition to other rights acquired upon transfer, the transferor gives the transferee the right to become a substituted limited partner in the Partnership for the transferred Common Units. A transferee will become a substituted limited partner of the Partnership for the transferred Common Units automatically upon the recording of the transfer on our books and records. Our Managing General Partner will cause any transfers to be recorded on our books and records no less frequently than quarterly.

Until a Common Unit has been transferred on our books, we and the transfer agent may treat the record holder of the Common Unit as the absolute owner for all purposes, except as otherwise required by law or stock exchange regulations.

We may, at our discretion, treat the nominee holder of a Common Unit as the absolute owner. In that case, the beneficial holder’s rights are limited solely to those that it has against the nominee holder as a result of any agreement between the beneficial owner and the nominee holder.

Common Units are securities, and any transfers of Common Units are subject to the laws governing the transfer of securities.

Preferred Units

On May 5, 2015, we entered into a definitive agreement with Crestwood Midstream Partners LP (“Crestwood Midstream”) and certain of its affiliates (the “Merger Agreement”) under which Crestwood Midstream agreed to merge with a wholly owned subsidiary of ours, with Crestwood Midstream surviving as our wholly owned subsidiary (the “Merger”). On September 30, 2015 (the “Closing Date”), we and Crestwood Midstream jointly announced the completion of our acquisition of Crestwood Midstream. As part of the merger consideration, Crestwood Midstream’s unitholders became our unitholders in a tax-free exchange, with Crestwood Midstream’s common unitholders receiving 2.75 of our Common Units for each common unit of Crestwood Midstream held upon completion of the Merger, and Crestwood Midstream’s preferred unitholders receiving 2.75 of our Preferred Units for each preferred unit of Crestwood Midstream held upon completion of the Merger. To that end, we issued 59,345,672 Preferred Units in connection with the Merger and an additional 11,911,773 Preferred Units subsequent to the Merger. Crestwood Midstream’s incentive distribution rights were also eliminated upon completion of the Merger and Crestwood Midstream’s common units ceased to be listed on the NYSE. On November 23, 2015, we effected a reverse unit split at the ratio of 1-for-10, with fractional units rounded to the nearest whole unit. On June 28, 2019, we registered the resale of our Preferred Units, and on July 3, 2019, we listed the Preferred Units on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Preferred Units represent a separate class of our limited partner interests. As of April 30, 2021, there were 71,257,445 Preferred Units outstanding, which are convertible into approximately 7,125,745 Common Units, with fractional units rounded to the nearest whole unit; provided, however, that in certain circumstances, the preferred units may be converted using the Special Conversion Amount (as defined in the Partnership Agreement) or the Adjusted Conversion Amount (as defined in the Partnership Agreement). Holders of Preferred Units may elect, (i) to convertforfeit all or any portion of the Preferred Units held by such holder, in an aggregate amount equal to or greater than the Minimum Conversion Amount (as defined in the Partnership Agreement), into Common Units,restricted units that has not previously vested, unless vesting is otherwise accelerated at the then applicable Conversion Ratio (as defined in the Partnership Agreement), subject to payment of any accrued but unpaid distributions to the date of conversion, and (ii) in the event of our voluntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up, to convert all or any portion of the Preferred Units held by such holder into Common Units, at the then applicable Conversion Ratio, subject to payment of any accrued but unpaid distributions to the date of conversion.

Additionally, holders of the Preferred Units are entitled to a cumulative distribution (the “Preferred Distribution”) of $0.2111 per quarter in respect of each Preferred Unit, subject to certain adjustments described in the Partnership Agreement. During the Initial Distribution Period (as defined in the Partnership Agreement), the Preferred Distribution was paid, in the sole discretion of the Managing General Partner, in additional Preferred Units, in cash, or in a combination of additional Preferred Units and cash. Following such period,Compensation Committee. If the Preferred Distribution must be paid in cash at the Distribution Amount, subjectdirector’s service relationship ends due to certain exceptions described in the Partnership Agreement. We will not declare or make any distributions in respect of any Junior Securities (as defined in the Partnership Agreement), including our Common Units, or any Parity Securities (as defined in the Partnership Agreement), subject to certain limited exceptions, unless and until all accrued and unpaid distributions on the Preferred Units have been paid in full in cash.

Class A Units

Class A units represent limited partner interests in us (the “Class A Units”). The rights and obligations of holders of Class A Units are identical to the rights and obligations of holders of Common Units, including with respect to cash distributions, except that holders of Class A Units (i) do not have the right to vote on, approve or disapprove, or otherwise consent with respect to any matter (including mergers, share exchanges, and similar statutory authorizations), except as otherwise required by any non-waivable provision of law, on account of their Class A Units, (ii) do not, on account of their Class A Units, share in (a) any income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits that are attributable to our ownership of, or sale or other disposition of, the shares of common stock of IPCH Acquisition Corp. (“IPCH”), and the membership interests of Crestwood Partners LLC (“Crestwood Partners”), or (b) any cash and cash equivalents on hand derived from or attributable to our ownership of, or sale or other disposition of, the shares of common stock of IPCH and the membership interests of Crestwood Partners, (iii) were not entitled to participate in the distribution of 56,398,707 Crestwood Midstream common units that we owed to holders of Common Units, pro rata, and (iv) for each of the first ten quarters ending on or after March 31, 2014 after the end of the subordination period, are entitled to a distribution equal to $10.00 per Class A unit prior to the quarterly distributions of available cash to all unitholders.

Subordinated Units

The subordinated units represent limited partner interests in us (the “Subordinated Units”). In connection with Crestwood Holdings’ acquisition of our general partner, and prior to the reverse unit split, we issued 4,387,889 Subordinated Units to Crestwood Gas Services Holdings LLC. Subsequent to the reverse unit split, there are 438,789 Subordinated Units outstanding. The rights and obligations of the Subordinated Units are identical to the rights and obligations of Common Units except that the Subordinated Units are subordinate to Common Units with respect to distribution. As a result of the First Reserve Separation, we indirectly acquired all of the outstanding Subordinated Units, which we have cancelled and retired.

PURPOSE OF THE CONSENT SOLICITATION

Background

On March 25, 2021, the Partnership entered into certain agreements pursuant to which the Partnership acquired approximately 11.5 million Common Units and will acquire the general partner interest in the Partnership from Crestwood Holdings LLC, an entity controlled by First Reserve. The transactions contemplated under those agreements, which we refer to as the “First Reserve Separation,” will ultimately result in First Reserve exiting its investment in the Partnership, and the Partnership owning all of the equity interests in the Managing General Partner. In connection with and after consummation of the acquisition of the Managing General Partner by the Partnership, our management intends to effect certain amendments (the “Governance Amendments”) to the governance provisions of the limited liability company agreement of the Managing General Partner and the Partnership Agreement, pursuant to which, among other things, the Managing General Partner will transition to having a board of directors elected by the holders of the Common Units. The Governance Amendments are intended to further ensure alignment between the board of directors of the Managing General Partner (the “Board”), our management and the holders of the Common Units, which is consistent with the Partnership’s long-term environmental, social, and corporate governance strategy.

Pursuant to the terms of the Partnership Agreement governing the rights of Preferred Holders, the Preferred Units are convertible into Common Units, and the Preferred Holders are entitled to vote together with the holders of Common Units, as a single class (or as a separate class, if the matter being voted on adversely affects the rights, powers, privileges, or preferences of the Preferred Units in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests (as defined under the Partnership Agreement) or as required by law), on an as-converted basis. Thus, as a result of the Governance Amendments, Preferred Holders would also participate with the holders of the Common Units in electing the board of directors. Prior to the Governance Amendments, members of the board of directors of the Managing General Partner have been appointed by the owners of the Managing General Partner, and neither the holders of the Common Units nor the Preferred Holders were entitled to vote in the election of such board of directors. Additionally, under SEC rules, as a result of holding annual meetings for unitholders to participate in the election of directors, the Partnership will become subject to “say-on-pay” and “say-on-frequency” votes, further increasing unitholder participation in the governance of the Partnership and aligning interests of management and the Board with those of unitholders.

The Governance Amendments will also:

provide unitholders with the ability to call for special meetings of the unitholders;

impose certain independence standards pertaining to the composition of the Board;

permit a limited partner or a group of limited partners to be able to nominate persons for election to the Board upon timely written notice to the Managing General Partner, subject to certain ownership requirements; and

permit the Board to create a nominating and corporate governance committee of the Board to help (i) identify individuals qualified to become Board members consistent with criteria approved by the Board, (ii) select or recommend that the Board select director nominees, (iii) oversee the set of corporate governance principles applicable to the Managing General Partner, and (iv) oversee the evaluation of the Board and the officers of the Managing General Partner.

We are requesting your affirmative Consent with respect to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment as consideration for increasing the involvement of the Preferred Holders in the governance of the Partnership.

Reasons for the Consent Solicitation

The rationale for the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment is that, upon completion of the First Reserve Separation, the event described in clause (i)(a) of the existing definition of Change of Control will have occurred (“First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. or an Affiliate of First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. has ceased, directly or indirectly, in one or more series of related transactions to control the Managing General Partner”), and consequently, a Change of Control could occur under clause (i)or the director’s death or Permanent Disability, then the forfeiture restrictions lapse and the award vests in full. Permanent Disability means the director’s inability, with or without reasonable accommodation, by reason of illness, incapacity, or other disability, to perform his or her duties, as determined by the Board for a cumulative total of 180 days in any 12-month period. Each non-employee director is reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses in connection with attending meetings of the existing definition of Change of Control simply uponBoard or committees.

The following table sets forth, for the subsequent cessation of Robert G. Phillips beingyear ended December 31, 2021, all compensation reportable for directors who served during 2021, as determined by SEC rules.

Director Compensation for 2021

Name

 Fee Earned or
Paid in Cash ($)
  Unit
Awards ($)(1)
  Non-Qualified
Deferred Comp
Earnings ($)
  Total
($)
 

Alvin Bledsoe

  120,000   109,410   6,338   235,748 

Warren H. Gfeller

  140,000   109,410  

 

 

 

  249,410 

Janeen S. Judah

  120,000   109,410  

 

 

 

  229,410 

David Lumpkins

  120,000   109,410  

 

 

 

  229,410 

John J. Sherman

  100,000   109,410  

 

 

 

  209,410 

Frances M. Vallejo

  100,000   119,957  

 

 

 

  219,957 

Gary D. Reaves (2)

  0   0  

 

 

 

  0 

William R. Brown (2)

  0   0  

 

 

 

  0 

(1)

Reflects the grant date fair value of unit awards. See Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, Note 13 of the Partnership’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. The restricted unit grants issued to Mr. Gfeller, Ms. Judah, Mr. Lumpkins, and Mr. Sherman will vest on the first anniversary of the grant date. Ms. Vallejo’s restricted unit grant was issued on February 1, 2021 and will vest on January 5, 2022, the same date as the other directors. As of December 31, 2021, our non-employee directors held the following restricted unit awards: Mr. Gfeller, Ms. Judah, Mr. Lumpkins, Mr. Sherman, and Ms. Vallejo each held 5,795 restricted units. Mr. Bledsoe deferred his unit awards pursuant to the Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan.

(2)

Mr. Reaves and Mr. Brown resigned from the board effective March 30, 2021 and each forfeited their 2021 restricted unit grant of 5,795 units, respectively.

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          Proposal 2 — Advisory Vote to Approve

          Executive Compensation

This proposal, commonly known as a “say-on-pay” proposal, provides our unitholders with the Chief Executive Officeropportunity to cast a pass-through advisory vote on the approval of the Managing General Partner. Managementcompensation of our named executive officers. We are asking unitholders to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the Summary Compensation Table, and the related compensation tables and narrative.

As described in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this Proxy Statement, the Compensation Committee has structured our executive compensation program to tie total compensation to long-term performance that supports unitholder value, as reflected primarily in our common unit price.

We believe our compensation philosophy has served our employees and unitholders well. In 2021, as part of our corporate governance engagement with our unitholders, including both large and small investors, we met with representatives of unitholders owning over 40% of our common units. During these meetings, unitholders expressed no concerns with the manner in which our executive compensation program operates.

We urge unitholders to read the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” as well as the Summary Compensation Table and related compensation tables and narrative, which provide detailed information on the compensation of our named executive officers. The Compensation Committee and the Board believe that the policies and procedures articulated in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” are effective in achieving our goals and that the compensation of our named executive officers has supported and contributed to our success.

The Board of Directors recommends that the unitholders vote in favor of the Managing General Partner believesfollowing resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the potential triggeringcompensation paid to the named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of a ChangeRegulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion is hereby APPROVED.”

Although this advisory vote is not binding, the Compensation Committee will consider the voting results when evaluating our executive compensation program.

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The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” approval, on an advisory basis, of our executive compensation as described in this Proxy Statement.

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          Beneficial Ownership of Control based solely onShares

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the continued Chief Executive Officer statusbeneficial ownership of Mr. Phillips would be inconsistent with conventional and customary changeour common units as of control provisions appearing in the equity and debt instrumentsMarch 21, 2022 (except as otherwise indicated) by (i) each person or entity known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of publicly traded companies, and as such potentially would not be in the best interestsour common units, (ii) each of the Partnership. Furthermore, the existing definition of Change of Control would unduly focus on the continued employment of Mr. Phillips as the Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner. Consistent with corporate governance best practices, the Board believes that it should be free to select the executive officers of the Managing General Partner, from time to time based on the best interests of the Partnership. Unless amended, the definition of Change of Control in the Partnership Agreement may interfere with the Board’s ability to conduct ordinary course succession planning and ultimately its discretion in the selection of a Chief Executive Officer. If adopted, the proposed changes to the definition of Change of Control in the Partnership Agreement would eliminate the possibility that a mere cessation of the service of Mr. Phillips as Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner would constitute a Change of Control (and thus trigger the potential consequences thereof set forth in the Partnership Agreement).

Proposal and Proposed Amendment

On May 6, 2021, the Board approved the Proposed Amendment, which would, when approved by the holders of at least two-thirds of the Preferred Units, be included in the AR Partnership Agreement to be executed by the Managing General Partner (which would thereby implement the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment). You are being asked to approve the Proposal, as described below, and the Proposed Amendment.

If the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment are approved, then the cessation of Robert G. Phillips being the Chief Executive Officer of the Managing General Partner will no longer be deemed a Change of Control.

The Proposal seeks to make the following changes to the Partnership Agreement:

To amend the definition of “Change of Control” in Section 1.1 of the Partnership Agreement as set forth below, with deletions denoted as strikethrough text and insertions denoted as bold underlined text:

“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) (a) First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. or an Affiliate of First Reserve Fund XI, L.P. has ceased, directly or indirectly, in one or more series of related transactions, to control the General Partner (the Person, if any, acquiring such control of the General Partner, and each Person, if any, that subsequently acquires control of the General Partner, is hereinafter referred to as a “New GP Owner”) and (b) Robert G. Phillips has ceased to be the Chief Executive Officer of the General Partner; (ii) the Common Units are no longer listed or admitted for trading on the New York Stock Exchange or another National Securities Exchange; (iiiii) a Cash COC Event; (iviii) any direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition, in one or more series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Partnership to any Person; or (viv) any dissolution or liquidation of the Partnership (other than in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding or a statutory winding up); provided, if a Change of Control under clause (i) of this definition has occurred, and one or more Preferred Holders has elected, pursuant to Section 5.8(e)(ii)(C), to continue to hold Preferred Units, then, with respect to each such Preferred Holder, a Change of Control shall also mean the occurrence of any of the following events: (a) a New GP Owner has ceased, directly or indirectly, in one or more series of related transactions, to control the General Partner; or (b) if there is no New GP Owner, any merger, consolidation or other combination of the Partnership with another entity in which the Partnership is not the surviving entity.

Accordingly, after giving effect to the Proposed Amendment, definition of “Change of Control” in Section 1.1 of the Partnership Agreement would read as follows:

“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the Common Units are no longer listed or admitted for trading on the New York Stock Exchange or another National Securities Exchange; (ii) a Cash COC Event; (iii) any direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition, in one or more series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Partnership to any Person; or (iv) any dissolution or liquidation of the Partnership (other than in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding or a statutory winding up).

THE CONSENT SOLICITATION

Record Date

The Record Date is the close of business on             , 2021. This Consent Solicitation Statement and the Consent are being sent to all record holders of Preferred Units as of the Record Date. The Record Date has been fixed as the date for the determination of Preferred Holders entitled to give Consents pursuant to the Consent Solicitation. The Managing General Partner reserves the right to establish, from time to time, but in all cases prior to the Consent Effective Date (as defined below), any new date as such Record Date with respect to the Preferred Units and, thereupon, any such new date will be deemed to be the Record Date for purposes of the Consent Solicitation. “Consent Effective Date” means the 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the date, if any, on which Requisite Consents shall have been received by the Tabulation Agreement.

General

As of the Record Date, there were 71,257,445 outstanding Preferred Units. The Proposal and the Proposed Amendment will not become operative until after the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to the Consent Solicitation, as applicable. These conditions include receipt of the Requisite Consents and the satisfaction of the conditions described herein. See “—Conditions to the Consent Solicitation.” The Managing General Partner reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions of the Consent Solicitation at any time prior to the Expiration Date for any reason, including, but not limited to, extending and/or terminating the Consent Solicitation. If the Requisite Consents are received (and not revoked) at or prior to the Expiration Date and any other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, and the AR Partnership Agreement, inclusive of the Proposed Amendment, is executed by the Managing General Partner, the amendments to the terms of the Preferred Units effected thereby will be binding on all Preferred Holders, including non-consenting Preferred Holders and their transferees. The delivery of a Consent will not affect a Preferred Holder’s right to sell or transfer Preferred Units, and a sale or transfer of any Preferred Units after the Record Date will not have the effect of revoking any Consent properly given by the registered holder of such Preferred Unit. Therefore, each properly executed and delivered Consent will be counted notwithstanding any sale or transfer of any Preferred Unit to which such Consent relates, unless the applicable registered holder has complied with the procedure for revoking Consents, as described herein.

Conditions to the Consent Solicitation

The sole condition to the Consent Solicitation is receipt of the Requisite Consents.

Requisite Consents

The Proposal and the Proposed Amendment require the affirmative consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the issued and outstanding Preferred Units. As of the Record Date, there were 71,257,445 Preferred Units issued and outstanding.

How to Consent

General

This Consent Solicitation Statement is being sent to record holders of Preferred Units as of 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on             , 2021.

Preferred Holders who wish to consent to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment must deliver their properly submitted Consent in accordance with the procedures described below so that it is received on or before the Expiration Date.

Each Preferred Holder who delivers a Consent in accordance with the procedures set forth herein will be deemed to have validly consented to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment.

All of the Preferred Units are held in book-entry form. Only registered holders of the Preferred Units are authorized to deliver Consents with respect to their Preferred Units. Therefore, to deliver a Consent, the beneficial owner of Preferred Units must instruct its DTC Participant to deliver the Consents on the beneficial owner’s behalf according to the procedures described below.

DTC has confirmed that the Consent Solicitation is eligible for DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program (“ATOP”) procedures. Accordingly, DTC Participants must electronically deliver a Consent by causing DTC to temporarily transfer and surrender their Preferred Units to the Information and Tabulation Agent in accordance with DTC’s ATOP (contra CUSIP) procedures. By making such transfer, DTC Participants will be deemed to have delivered a Consent with respect to any Preferred Units so transferred and surrendered. DTC will verify each temporary transfer and surrender and confirm the electronic delivery of such Consent by sending an Agent’s Message to the Information and Tabulation Agent.

The term “Agent’s Message” means a message transmitted by DTC and received by the Information and Tabulation Agent, which states that DTC has received an express acknowledgment from the DTC Participant delivering Consents that such DTC Participant (1) has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the applicable Consent Solicitation as set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement and that the Partnership may enforce such agreement against such DTC Participant and (2) consents to the to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment as described in this Consent Solicitation Statement.

The Information and Tabulation Agent will establish a new ATOP account or utilize an existing account with respect to the Preferred Units at DTC (the “Book-Entry Transfer Facility”) promptly after the date of this Consent Solicitation Statement (to the extent that such arrangement has not already been made by the Information and Tabulation Agent), and any financial institution that is a participant in the Book-Entry Transfer Facility system and whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner of Preferred Units may make book-entry delivery of Preferred Units into the Information and Tabulation Agent’s account in accordance with the Book-Entry Transfer Facility’s procedures for such transfer. Delivery of documents to the Book-Entry Transfer Facility in accordance with such Book-Entry Transfer Facility does not constitute delivery to the Information and Tabulation Agent.

CONSENTS MUST BE ELECTRONICALLY DELIVERED IN ACCORDANCE WITH DTC’S ATOP PROCEDURES.

A beneficial owner of Preferred Units held through a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company, other nominee or DTC Participant must provide appropriate instructions to such person in order to cause a delivery of Consent through ATOP with respect to such Preferred Units.

Preferred Holders desiring to deliver their Consents prior to the applicable Expiration Date should note that they must allow sufficient time for completion of the ATOP procedures during the normal business hours of DTC on such respective date. Consents not delivered prior to the Expiration Date will be disregarded and of no effect.

The method of delivery of Consents through the ATOP procedures and any other required documents to the Information and Tabulation Agent is at the election and risk of the Preferred Holder, and delivery will be deemed made only when made through ATOP in accordance with the procedures described herein.

Deliveries of Consents or notices of revocation will not be deemed to have been made until such irregularities have been cured or waived. The Partnership’s interpretation of the terms and conditions of the Consent Solicitations (including this Consent Solicitation Statement) will be final and binding on all parties.

No consent form or letter of transmittal needs to be executed in relation to the Consent Solicitations or the Consents delivered through DTC. The valid electronic delivery of Consents through the temporary transfer and surrender of Preferred Units in accordance with DTC’s ATOP procedures shall constitute a written consent to the Consent Solicitation.

Preferred Holders should not tender or deliver their Preferred Units at any time.

The registered ownership of a Preferred Unit as of the Record Date shall be determined by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as transfer agent and registrar of the Preferred Units. The ownership of Preferred Units held through DTC by DTC Participants shall be established by a DTC security position listing provided by DTC as of the Record Date.

Giving a Consent will not affect the Preferred Holder’s right to sell or transfer the Preferred Units. DTC will create escrow positions for each Preferred Holder who delivers a valid Consent to the applicable Proposed Amendments prior to the Expiration Date, and who has not validly revoked such Consent, prior to the Consent Effective Date. The payment of any Consent Fee will be paid to the Preferred Holders who delivered valid Consents even if such Preferred Holder sells or transfers its Preferred Units prior to the consummation of the Acquisition.

Determination of Validity

All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance of any delivered Consent pursuant to any of the procedures described above shall be determined by the Partnership, in its sole discretion (which determination shall be final and binding). The Partnership reserves the absolute right to reject any or all deliveries of any Consent determined by it not to be in proper form or the acceptance of which would, in the Partnership’s opinion, be unlawful. The Partnership also reserves the absolute right, in its sole discretion, to waive any defect or irregularity as to any delivery of any Consent of any particular Preferred Holder, regardless of whether similar defects or irregularities are waived in the case of other Preferred Holders. The Partnership’s interpretation of the terms and conditions of the Consent Solicitation, shall be final and binding. Any defect or irregularity in connection with deliveries of Consents must be cured within such time as the Partnership determines, unless waived by the Partnership. Deliveries of Consents shall not be deemed to have been made until all defects and irregularities have been waived by the Partnership or cured. Neither the Partnership nor any other person shall be under any duty to give notification to any Preferred Holder of any defects or irregularities in deliveries of Consents or shall incur any liability for failure to give any such notification.

Expiration Date; Extensions; Amendment

The Expiration Date is, 2021 at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The Managing General Partner reserves the right (but is not obligated), in its sole discretion and subject to applicable law, at any time prior to the Expiration Date to (i) terminate the Consent Solicitation for any reason, including if the Requisite Consents has not been received; or (ii) amend the terms of the Consent Solicitation (including to extend the Expiration Date). The Managing General Partner reserves the right (but is not obligated) to accept any Consent received by any other reasonable means or in any form that reasonably evidences the giving of consent to the approval of the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment.

Revocation of Consent

Prior to the Consent Effective Date, any Preferred Holder may revoke any Consent given as to its Preferred Units or any portion of such Preferred Units. Only a Preferred Holder on the Record Date may deliver a Consent or revoke any Consent previously delivered by such Preferred Holder. Any person or entity that becomes a holder of the Preferred Units after the Record Date will not have the authority to deliver a Consent to the Proposed Amendments or to revoke any Consent previously delivered by a Holder relating to the Preferred Units held by the subsequent holder. Preferred Holders who wish to exercise their right of revocation with respect to a Consent must give a properly transmitted “Requested Message” through ATOP, which must be received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP, prior to the Consent Effective Date.

In order to be valid, a notice of revocation must specify the Preferred Holder in the Book-Entry Transfer Facility whose name appears on the security position listing as the owner of such Preferred Units and the number of the Preferred Units with respect to which a Consent is to be revoked. Validly revoked Consents may be redelivered by following the procedures described elsewhere in this Consent Solicitation Statement at any time prior to the Expiration Date. Consents may not be revoked after the Consent Effective Date.

Also, if the Consent Solicitation is amended prior to the Expiration Date in a manner determined by the Partnership, in its sole discretion, to constitute a material change to the terms of the Consent Solicitation, the Partnership will promptly disseminate additional applicable Consent Solicitation materials and may (but is not required to) extend the Expiration Date for a period deemed by the Partnership to be adequate to permit Preferred Holders to consider such amendments and, if required by applicable law or in the Partnership’s sole discretion, extend the right of Preferred Holders to revoke or withdraw their Consents.

To be effective, a notice of revocation must be in a format customarily used by DTC.

A revocation of a Consent may only be rescinded by the execution and delivery of a new Consent in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement. A Preferred Holder who has delivered a revocation at any time prior to the Consent Effective Date may thereafter deliver a new Consent until the Expiration Date in accordance with the procedures described in this Consent Solicitation Statement. A revocation to a Consent can only be accomplished in accordance with the foregoing procedures.

The Partnership intends to consult with the Information and Tabulation Agent to determine whether the Information and Tabulation Agent has received any revocations of Consents. The Partnership reserves the right to contest the validity of any revocation, and all questions as to the validity (including time of receipt) of any revocation will be determined by the Partnership in its sole discretion, which determination will be conclusive and binding.

A revocation of the Consent will be effective only as to the Preferred Units listed on the revocation and only if such revocation complies with the provisions of this Consent Solicitation Statement. Only a Preferred Holder is entitled to revoke a Consent previously given. A beneficial owner of the Preferred Units must arrange with its broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee company to execute and deliver on its behalf a revocation of any Consent already given with respect to such Preferred Units.

Consent Fee

If the Requisite Consents are received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP (and not revoked) at or prior to the Expiration Date and any other conditions set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement are satisfied or waived, as applicable, then the Partnership will, as promptly as practicable after the Expiration Date, pay to the Consenting Holders from whom properly submitted Consents are received by the Tabulation Agent through ATOP on or prior to the Expiration Date the Consent Fee for each Preferred Unit with respect to which consents are received (and not revoked) on or prior to the Expiration Date.

Tax Consequences Related to the Consent Fee

The Partnership will report the receipt of the Consent Fee by each Consenting Holder as ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Information and Tabulation Agent

The Partnership has appointed D.F. King & Co., Inc. as Information and Tabulation Agent for the Consent Solicitation to, among other things, receive, tabulate and verify Consents. All correspondence sent to the Information and Tabulation Agent should be directed to the address set forth on the back cover of this Consent Solicitation Statement. The Partnership has agreed to indemnify the Information and Tabulation Agent for certain liabilities, including liabilities under the federal securities laws. D.F. King & Co., Inc. has agreed to facilitate the Consent Solicitations; however, the Partnership is solely responsible for the information contained in the Consent Solicitation materials. The Information and Tabulation Agent makes no recommendation as to whether Preferred Holders should deliver Consents in response to the Consent Solicitation.

Requests for additional copies of and questions relating to the Consent Solicitation Statement, the Partnership Agreement, and the documents incorporated by reference into this Consent Solicitation Statement may be directed to the Information and Tabulation Agent at the address and telephone number set forth on the back cover of this Consent Solicitation Statement. Holders of the Preferred Units may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company, other nominee or DTC Participant for assistance concerning the Consent Solicitation.

In connection with the Consent Solicitation, directors, officers and regular employees of the Partnership (who will not be specifically compensated for such services) may solicit Consents by use of the mails, personally or by telephone, facsimile or other means.

The Partnership will pay the Information and Tabulation Agent reasonable and customary fees for its services and will reimburse it for its reasonable and documented expenses in connection those services. The Partnership will also reimburse brokers and dealers for customary mailing and handling expenses incurred by them in forwarding copies of this Consent Solicitation Statement and related documents to the beneficial owners of the Preferred Units.

Board Recommendation

The Board unanimously determined that the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment are in the best interests of the Partnership and its unitholders and declared the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment advisable. The Board believes that the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment, including the amendments to the terms of the Preferred Units, are fair to both the holders of Common Units and the Preferred Holders. The Board, did not retain any unaffiliated representative to act solely on behalf of the Preferred Holders nor engage an investment bank or other financial expert to render a report concerning the fairness of the transaction.

The Board recommends that all Preferred Holders consent to the Proposed Amendment and the Proposal by electronically delivering their Consents in accordance with DTC’s ATOP procedures. See “The Consent Solicitation – How to Consent.”

No Appraisal Rights

Preferred Holders are not entitled to rights of an objecting stockholder or appraisal rights under Delaware law in connection with the Proposal, the Proposed Amendment, or this Consent Solicitation.

Fees and Expenses

We expect to incur reasonable and customary fees and expenses in connection with the Consent Solicitation, including filing and legal fees, printing costs, and Information and Tabulation Agent expenses. The entire cost of this Solicitation will be borne by the Partnership. We will request brokerage houses, nominees, custodians, fiduciaries, and other like parties to forward this Consent Solicitation Statement to the beneficial owners of the Preferred Units held of record by them, and we will reimburse such persons for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in forwarding such materials.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table presents information known to us about the beneficial ownership of the Partnership’s Common Units and Preferred Units as of April 30, 2021 (unless otherwise indicated below) by: (i) each person who then beneficially owned more than 5% of such units then outstanding; (ii) each of the named executive officers of the Managing General Partner; (iii) each of the directors of the Managing General Partner;Partner, and (iv) all of the directors and executive officers of the Managing General Partner as a group. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rulesExcept as otherwise indicated, and subject to any interests of the SEC and generally includes voting or dispositive power with respect to securities. To our knowledge, except as indicated inreporting person’s spouse, we believe that the footnotes to this table and pursuant to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the tablebeneficial owners of common units listed below, based on information furnished by such owners, have sole voting and investment power with respect to all Common Units shown as beneficially owned by them.such common units. As of the Record Date, there were 62,832,258 Common Units outstanding and 71,257,445 Preferred UnitsMarch 21, 2022, we had 97,978,074 common units outstanding.

 

Title of Class

  

Name and Address of

Beneficial Owner(1)

  Units Beneficially Owned  Percent of
Class
 

Preferred Units

  

Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Capital Partners LP

Supernova Management LLC

Alec N. Litowitz

1603 Orrington Avenue, 13th Floor

Evanston, IL 60201

   4,553,641   6.3

Common Units

  

ALPS Advisors, Inc.(2)

1290 Broadway, Suite 1000

Denver, CO 80203

   6,419,825   10.22

Common Units

  Alvin Bledsoe   26,611(3)   * 

Common Units

  William Brown   12,050   * 

Common Units

  Steven M. Dougherty   284,399   * 

Common Units

  Warren H. Gfeller   57,778   * 

Common Units

  Robert T. Halpin   400,509   * 

Common Units

  Janeen S. Judah   13,693   * 

Common Units

  Joel C. Lambert   232,156   * 

Common Units

  David Lumpkins   47,385   * 

Common Units

  William H. Moore   146,806   * 

Common Units

  Robert G. Phillips   779,466   1.24

Common Units

  John J. Sherman   3,237,277   5.15

Common Units

  Frances M. Vallejo   5,795   * 

Common Units

  Directors and executive officers of Managing General Partner as a group (11 persons)   5,231,875(4)   8.33

Name of Beneficial Owner(1)

  Amount and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership(2)
   Percent of
Common
Units
Owned
 

Oasis Petroleum, Inc.(3)

   20,985,668    21.4 

ALPS Advisors, Inc.(4)

   7,518,269    7.7 

Diaco Aviki

   107,687    * 

Steven M. Dougherty

   361,226    * 

Warren H. Gfeller

   61,764    * 

Robert T. Halpin

   503,703    * 

John Jacobi

   4,782    * 

Janeen S. Judah

   17,679    * 

Joel C. Lambert

   307,286    * 

H. John Lancaster, Jr.

   3,986    * 

David Lumpkins

   51,371    * 

Angela A. Minas

   3,986    * 

William H. Moore

   213,819    * 

Robert G. Phillips

   1,054,885    1.1 

John J. Sherman

   3,241,263    3.3 

Frances M. Vallejo

   9,781    * 

Clay C. Williams

   3,986    * 

Directors and executive officers as a group (15 persons)

   5,947,204    6.1 

 

*

Indicates lessLess than 1%.

(1)

Unless otherwise indicated, the contact address for all beneficial owners in this table is 811 Main Street, Suite 3400, Houston, Texas 77002.

(2)

Based on Schedule 13G filed by ALPS Advisors, Inc. on February 9, 2021.

(3)

Excludes 19,952 restricted units held in the Crestwood Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan.

(4)

Excludes 373,277329,985 performance phantom units granted to our executive officers pursuant to the Crestwood Equity Long-Term Incentive Plan.

(3)

Consists of 11,769,668 common units held of record by OMS Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oasis Petroleum LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oasis Petroleum Inc., and 9,216,000 common units held of record by Oasis Investment Holdings LLC. OMS Holdings LLC is the managing member of and owns an 87.3% membership interest in Oasis Investment Holdings LLC. Oasis Petroleum North America LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oasis Petroleum LLC, owns the remaining 12.7% membership interest in Oasis Investment Holdings LLC. The business address of Oasis Petroleum, Inc. is 1001 Fannin Street, Suite 1500, Houston, Texas 77002.

(4)

Based on Schedule 13G filed by ALPS Advisors, Inc. on February 3, 2022. The address of ALPS Advisors, Inc. is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203.

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INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS

IN OPPOSITION TO MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON

As of April 30, 2021, the directors and executive officers of the Managing General Partner as a group owned approximately 8.33% of the issued and outstanding Common Units, and, together with persons who then beneficially owned more than 5% of the issued and outstanding Common Units, owned approximately 18.55% of the issued and outstanding Common Units. Our directors and executive officers do not own, beneficially or of record, any Preferred Units.

The existence of separate classes of limited partner interests, with one class holding a liquidation preference, may give rise to a conflict of interest. Our Board has sought to act in the best interest of all equityholders, mindful of any potential conflicts of interest. However, the Consent Solicitation and the Proposed Amendment may give rise to certain conflicts of interest between the Preferred Holders and holders of the Partnership’s Common Units, which we may not be able to effectively address, including, but not limited to, the fact that the amendments to the terms of the Preferred Units reflected in the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment may reduce the likelihood of a Change of Control occurring and thus a Change of Control remedy being exercised by the Preferred Holders (e.g., redemption of the Preferred Units at a price per Preferred Unit equal to 101% of $9.1273, plus accrued and unpaid distributions to the date of such redemption), which would indirectly benefit the existing holders of Common Units by potentially preserving cash in the Partnership or avoiding dilution of the Common Units.

Based upon the foregoing, holders of the Common Units have interests that are different from and may conflict with the interests of the Preferred Holders. Our directors were selected by the prior owners of the Managing General Partner. While all directors comprising our Board seek to act in the best interest of the Partnership and, indirectly, in the best interests of all equityholders, our directors may have a conflict of interest when the interests of the holders of the Common Units differ from those of Preferred Holders.

No Preferred Holder will be treated differently from any other Preferred Holder in connection with the Consent Solicitation.LOGO

WHERE YOU CAN OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Partnership is subject to the information          Sustainability and periodic requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, files annual, quarterly, and current reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. You can access the Partnership’s SEC filings, including this Consent Solicitation Statement, free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

The Partnership maintains a website at https://www.crestwoodlp.com. Other than with respect to copies of this Consent Solicitation Statement available on this website, the reference to this website does not constitute incorporation by reference of any information contained on, or accessible through, such website, and you should not consider the contents of such website in making a decision regarding whether to consent to the Proposal and the Proposed Amendment.

Important notice regarding the availability of consent solicitation statement: ESGCopies of this Consent Solicitation Statement are also available on our website, https://www.crestwoodlp.com.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows the Partnership to “incorporate by reference” information from other documents that the Partnership files with the SEC, which means that the Partnership can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this Consent Solicitation Statement. Certain information that the Partnership files after the date of this Consent Solicitation Statement with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information included or incorporated by reference herein. The Partnership incorporates by reference into this Consent Solicitation Statement the documents listed below, which were filed with the SEC, and such documents form an integral part of this Consent Solicitation Statement:

 

At Crestwood, sustainability means operating in an ethically, environmentally and socially responsible manner; focusing on safety; respecting and supporting our Annual Reportcommunities; protecting the environment; and developing our employees.

In November 2021, we developed Crestwood’s second three-year sustainability strategy which outlines the focus areas for Crestwood’s ESG/sustainability initiatives that will continue to drive its performance, create impact and maintain its MLP ESG midstream leadership position. The development of our 2022 - 2024 sustainability strategy is a result of our recent materiality assessment update, which includes input from key stakeholders and investors.

Over the next three years, our sustainability strategy will focus on Form Supply Chain Management, Transparency and Disclosure, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Protection, Carbon Management, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Indigenous Relations.

Strategy Objective
Crestwood’s three-year Sustainability Strategy is aligned with the delivery of our business goals while also being responsive to our stakeholders needs. Integrating sustainability across our business will underpin our success as a best-in-class midstream company.

Crestwood’s Sustainability Strategy
BUSINESS
STRATEGY

   Differentiate Crestwood through execution, sustainability and industry leadership to be a must-own investment

   Focused on quality growth, asset optimization and thoughtful consolidation opportunities, while maintaining financial strength and discipline

   Continue to generate strong free cash flow after distributions to enhance our return of capital to unitholders

   Drive best-in-class operations for safety, customer service, community engagement and environmental responsibility

FOCUS  AREAS
2022-2024
GovernanceEnvironmentSocial
Supply Chain ManagementTransparency & DisclosureBiodiversity & Ecosystem ProtectionCarbon ManagementDiversity, Equity & InclusionIndigenous Relations
To build a dynamic and diverse supply chain that operationalizes sustainability, mitigates risk, and meets organizational objectives.To strive for robust, quality and verified data as the core foundation to reliable ESG disclosures.To mitigate impacts on and to enhance species and ecosystems.To lead the midstream industry in best-in-class carbon management practices and technology implementation.To create a diverse culture where everyone feels valued, while building the pipeline of future talent and enhancing retention efforts of current talent.

To continue to further our existing culture of open and transparent dialogue with Indigenous stakeholders where all parties feel engaged and respected.

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10-KSustainability and ESG

Carbon Management Plan

Carbon management a leading component of Crestwood’s three-year sustainability strategy. Our recently published carbon management plan outlines near-term emissions reduction activities that we intend to implement and highlights not only a series of commitments, but also the mechanisms for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 (SEC File No. 001-34664) filed with the SECachievement of those commitments as we continue to expand our leading Gathering and Processing asset portfolio. For more information on February 26, 2021; andour Carbon Management Plan, see https://www.crestwoodlp.com/sustainability.

LOGO

 

24LOGO

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 6, 2021, January 21, 2021, February 1, 2021, March 26, 2021 and March 31, 2021.


The Partnership is also incorporating by reference any future filings it makes with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Consent Solicitation StatementSustainability and prior to the expiration or termination of the Consent Solicitation, except that, unless otherwise indicated, the Partnership is not incorporating any information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K. Any statement contained in this Consent Solicitation Statement or in a document (or part thereof) incorporated or considered to be incorporated by reference in this Consent Solicitation Statement shall be considered to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Consent Solicitation Statement to the extent that a statement contained in this Consent Solicitation Statement or in any other subsequently filed document (or part thereof) that is or is considered to be incorporated by reference in this Consent Solicitation Statement modifies or supersedes that statement. The modifying or superseding statement need not state that it has modified or superseded a prior statement or include any other information set forth in the document that it modifies or supersedes. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be considered, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute part of this Consent Solicitation Statement.

The Partnership will provide, without charge, to each person to whom a copy of this Consent Solicitation Statement is delivered, upon written request of such person, a copy of any documents incorporated into this Consent Solicitation Statement by reference other than exhibits thereto unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in the document that this Consent Solicitation Statement incorporates. You may obtain documents incorporated by reference by requesting them in writing or by telephone at the following address and telephone number:

Crestwood Equity Partners LP

Attention: Corporate Secretary

811 Main Street, Suite 3400

Houston, Texas 77002

Telephone: (832) 519-2200ESG

 

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CONSENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT IT WILL BE COUNTED. AS NOTED ABOVE THE EXPIRATION DATE IS 5:00 PM EASTERN TIME ON, 2021. ANY CONSENTS RECEIVED AFTER THE EXPIRATION DATE WILL NOT BE COUNTED.

CRESTWOOD EQUITY PARTNERS LP

QuestionsSustainability and requests for assistance or additional copies of the Consent Solicitation Statement may be directed to the Information and Tabulation Agent at the address below. Holders should retain their Preferred Units and not deliver any such Preferred Units to the Information and Tabulation Agent.

The Information and Tabulation Agent for the Consent Solicitation is:

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor

New York, New York 10005

Banks and Brokers call: (212) 269-5550ESG Highlights

All others call toll free: (866) 530-8635

ceqp@dfking.comIn 2021, Crestwood continued to demonstrate MLP midstream industry leading ESG performance.

 

By Facsimile:
Environmental By Regular, Registered or Certified Mail, By Overnight Courier or By Hand:SocialGovernance
Linked employee compensation to methane emissions intensity reduction 

Confirmations:Reduced Lost Time Incident Rate by 33% and Preventable Vehicle Incident Rate by 41%

(212)

Announced transition to a publicly elected board;

90% of Board members are independent

Initiated a 232-3233continuous methane monitoring pilot program

30% ofmanagement positions held by women

22% of our workforce comprised of women

Linked employee compensation to diversity and inclusion goals

ESG Risks incorporated into the Enterprise Risk Management process
Received Wildlife Habitat Council Grassland Award

Donated approximately $1.2 million to organizations where we live and operate

Provided approximately $570,000 in scholarships to 139 recipients since 2019

Since 2019, over $165 million spent with diverse suppliers

Crestwood’s Approach to ESG Continues to Rank Best-in-Class in the Midstream Sector

Rating/Ranking

Performance

MSCI

BBB Rating

Sustainalytics

Ranks in the 6th percentile in the Refiners and Pipelines industry group

Corporate Knights

Ranks 40th out of 398 companies in Oil and Gas sector

Bloomberg

45.5

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Our Sustainability Reporting

Crestwood provides its stakeholders with open, transparent reporting and discussion on sustainability and ESG performance. Our 2020 Sustainability Report — our 3rd annual — follows best practice in ESG reporting and provides more detailed disclosure of our ESG performance. Our ESG reporting is in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Midstream Framework, the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the EIC/GPA ESG Reporting Framework. Our 2021 sustainability report is on track for an early June 2022 issuance.

For more information on Crestwood’s approach to sustainability, please visit https://esg.crestwoodlp.com

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Sustainability and ESG

Human Capital Management

Crestwood knows that it is crucial that we continue to attract and retain talent.Through our diverse and inclusive workplace, our comprehensive compensation and benefits, our career management, and our focus on health, safety and employee wellbeing, we strive to holistically support our employees.

Our innovation stems from the diverse perspectives, knowledge, and experiences of our employees. We strive to create an inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) starts at the top with a highly skilled and diverse Board. Of our independent directors, 30 percent are female. As of December 31, 2021, of our 645 employees, women represented 30 percent of Crestwood’s full-time executive positions and 22 percent of full-time employees. Our Sustainability Committee at the board-level has oversight of our DEI programs.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Accomplishments in 2021 and Continuing into 2022

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In 2021, and continuing into 2022, we have committed to furthering DEI at Crestwood. Highlights include:

   Continued to implement strategic elements outlined in Crestwood’s DEI five-point plan

   Crestwood’s executive DEI Council met quarterly to continue to provide strategic guidance to our DEI strategy

   Progressed on diversity hiring initiatives

   Continued to monitor pay equity including gender, race and age

   Joined CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion

   Trained 100% of employees on unconscious bias

   Conducted cultural Indigenous awareness training

   64% of our social investment was donated to organizations advancing DEI in our communities

   Included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for a second year in a row; only one of three midstream companies to be included in the Index

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          Executive Compensation

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Introduction

We do not directly employ any of the persons responsible for managing the Partnership. The General Partner currently manages our operations and activities, and its board of directors (i.e. the Board) and officers make decisions on our behalf. The compensation of the directors and the executive officers of the General Partner is determined by the Board based on the recommendations of our Compensation Committee.

All of the executive officers of the Partnership also serve in the same capacities as executive officers of the Partnership’s subsidiaries and the compensation of the named executive officers (“NEOs”) discussed below reflects total compensation for services to all Crestwood entities described in more detail below.

For purposes of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis our NEOs for Fiscal 2021 were comprised of:

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Robert G. Phillips, Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)

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Robert T. Halpin, President, Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)

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William H. Moore, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy

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Steven M. Dougherty, Executive Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer

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Joel C. Lambert, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal, Compliance and Safety Officer

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Executive Compensation

The titles set forth beside each NEO above are current as of the date of this filing. During the 2021 calendar year, in addition to his role as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Phillips also served as our President. Mr. Halpin served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer during the 2021 calendar year, although effective January 18, 2022, Mr. Halpin was promoted to the role of President, also retaining his role as Chief Financial Officer.

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

We employ a compensation philosophy that emphasizes pay for performance. The primary measure of our long-term performance is total shareholder return (TSR). We believe that by tying a substantial portion of each NEO’s total compensation to financial, operational and safety performance metrics that support TSR, our pay-for-performance approach aligns the interests of our executive officers with that of our unitholders. Accordingly, the objectives of our total compensation program consist of:

aligning executive compensation incentives with the creation of unitholder value;

balancing short and long-term performance;

tying short-term and long-term compensation to the achievement of performance objectives (company, business unit, department and/or individual); and

attracting and retaining the best possible executive talent for the benefit of our unitholders.

By accomplishing these objectives, we intend to optimize long-term unitholder value.

Compensation Setting Process

Performance Evaluation

For the CEO, in Fiscal 2021, the Board met in executive session without management present to review the CEO’s performance in the areas of financial results, operational safety and efficiency, progress against ESG and sustainability goals, and leadership team development, among other areas of focus designed to align with increasing long term unitholder value. In this session, the Board also reviewed:

Evaluations of the CEO completed by the Board members;

The CEO’s written assessment of his own performance compared with the stated goals;

Business performance of the Partnership relative to established targets;

Management’s achievement of several key strategic transactions throughout the year; and

Management’s response and execution against extraordinary COVID-19 challenges.

The Compensation Committee used these evaluations and competitive market data to determine CEO compensation. For all NEOs except the CEO, the Compensation Committee reviewed the CEO’s recommendations, including supporting market data, and individual performance assessments. In addition, the Compensation Committee reviewed the reasonableness of the CEO’s pay recommendations for NEOs based on a competitive market study that includes proxy and annual report data from the approved comparator peer group and published compensation survey data (discussed further below). Based on this input, the Compensation Committee determined compensation for the other NEOs. The Board then reviewed and ratified all aspects of executive compensation based on the reports and recommendations from the Compensation Committee.

Role of CEO and Management

The Compensation Committee relies on the CEO and management for certain inputs into the compensation setting process. Our compensation consultant provides the CEO with data from the annual proxy statements and annual reports of companies in our comparator group along with pay information compiled from nationally recognized executive and industry-related compensation surveys. Our CEO then uses this data to analyze pay practices among companies in the comparator group in order to help the Compensation Committee asses the market as a whole. The CEO also:

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Executive Compensation

assists in helping the Compensation Committee establish business performance goals and objectives;

evaluates executive officer and company performance;

recommends compensation levels and awards for executive officers other than himself; and

implements the Compensation Committee-approved compensation plans.

Our CEO makes recommendations to the Compensation Committee with respect to financial metrics to be used and determination of performance for performance-based awards. He also makes recommendations regarding non-CEO executive compensation, which may be based on our performance, individual performance and the peer group compensation market analysis. The Compensation Committee considers these recommendations when establishing the total compensation packages of our executive officers.

The CEO’s performance and compensation is reviewed, evaluated and established separately by the Compensation Committee and the full Board based on criteria similar to those used for non-CEO executive compensation.

Role of the Compensation Consultant

Willis Towers Watson serves as our third-party compensation consultant. Our Compensation Committee believe it is beneficial to have a third-party analysis to assist in evaluating and setting executive compensation. The Compensation Committee, in consultation with management, chose Willis Towers Watson based on its extensive experience in providing executive compensation advice, including specific experience in the oil and gas industry. For Fiscal 2021, Willis Towers Watson provided the Compensation Committee with an analysis of our executive compensation programs, including total direct compensation comprised of base salary, annual incentive and long-term incentive compensation, in order to assess the competitiveness of our programs and to provide conclusions and recommendations. Our Compensation Committee has taken and will take into consideration the discussions, guidance and compensation studies produced by our compensation consultant to make compensation decisions. The Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of the compensation consultant and has concluded that the compensation consultant’s work for the Compensation Committee does not raise any conflict of interest.

Competitive Benchmarking and Peer Group

Our Compensation Committee considers competitive industry data in making executive pay determinations. Pursuant to our Compensation Committee’s decisions to maintain a peer group for executive compensation purposes and in view of evolving industry and competitive conditions, Willis Towers Watson, with the assistance of management, proposed certain peer group companies for our Compensation Committee’s review.

After discussion with Willis Towers Watson and reviewing its recommendation of a peer group based on companies with annual revenues, assets and net income similar to ours and taking into account geographic footprint and employee count, our Compensation Committee determined that the peer group listed below was the most appropriate for purposes of the 2021 executive compensation analyses.

MPLX LPWestern Midstream Partners, LP
Targa Resources Corp.Enable Midstream Partners, LP
The Williams Companies, Inc.Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.
DCP Midstream, LPSprague Resources LP
NGL Energy Partners LPGenesis Energy, L.P.
EnLink Midstream LLCEquitrans Midstream Corporation
NuStar Energy, L.P.Antero Midstream Corporation
Summit Midstream Partners, LP

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Executive Compensation

Willis Towers Watson compiled compensation data for the peer group from a variety of sources, including proxy statements and other publicly filed documents, and compiled published survey compensation data from multiple sources. This compensation data was then presented to the Compensation Committee and used to compare the compensation of our NEOs to our peer group where the peer group had individuals serving in similar positions and to the market. The Compensation Committee generally strives to maintain target base salary and short-term incentives in the range of the 50th percentile of market. Provided management maintains a high level of performance, executes well against Partnership goals, and creates long term value for unitholders, the Compensation Committee targets expected long-term incentive opportunities in the range of the 75th percentile of market.

Elements of Compensation

The principal elements of compensation for the NEOs are the following:

base salary;

incentive awards;

long-term incentive plan awards; and

retirement and health benefits

Base Salary

Base salary is designed to compensate executives commensurate with the level of the position they hold and for sustained individual performance (including experience, scope of responsibility, results achieved and potential). The initial base salaries for our NEOs were determined in 2013 and documented in employment agreements we entered into with each of our executive officers (the, “Executive Employment Agreements”) in January 2014. For a more detailed description of the Executive Employment Agreements, see “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table - Employment Agreements” in this proxy statement.

Base salaries for our NEOs are reviewed on an annual basis and at the time of promotion or other change in responsibilities. In determining the amount of any adjustments, the Compensation Committee uses market data as a tool for assessing the reasonableness of the base salary amounts of the NEOs as compared to the compensation of executives in similar positions with similar responsibility levels in our industry. However, the final determination of base salary amounts was within the Compensation Committee’s discretion. The annual base salaries for our NEOs are as follows: Mr. Phillips ($800,000), Mr. Halpin ($500,000), Mr. Dougherty ($435,000), Mr. Lambert ($470,000) and Mr. Moore ($395,000).

In connection with Mr. Halpin’s promotion to President in January 2022, his base salary was set at $600,000 for the 2022 calendar year. This amount was determined by reviewing the market data for comparable executive officer roles at our peer companies.

Annual Incentive Awards

Incentive bonuses are granted based on a percentage of each NEO’s base salary. Incentive awards are designed to reward the performance of key employees, including the NEO’s, by providing annual incentive opportunities for the Partnership’s achievement of its annual financial, operational, and individual performance goals. These bonus awards are provided to the NEOs in order to provide competitive incentives to these individuals who can significantly impact performance and promote achievement of our short-term business objectives.

Annual incentive target payouts were initially established for each of our NEOs pursuant to their Executive Employment Agreements. For a more detailed description of the Executive Employment Agreements, see “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table - Employment Agreements” in this proxy statement. The annual target bonus

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Executive Compensation

amounts of our NEOs are reviewed on an annual basis and at the time of promotion or other change in responsibilities. In determining the amount of any adjustments, the Compensation Committee uses market data as a tool for assessing the reasonableness of the annual incentive targets of the NEOs as compared to executives in similar positions with similar responsibility levels in our industry. However, the final determination of annual target bonus amounts is within the Compensation Committee’s discretion.

Actual annual incentive awards for 2021 were determined based on our achievement of Compensation Committee approved key performance indicators (“KPIs”) and a board discretionary component. The KPIs for Fiscal 2021 were distributable cash flow per common unit, adjusted EBITDA, total shareholder return relative to peers, safety, and sustainability. Each KPI is then weighted based on the relative impact to our overall compensation philosophy and objectives. Actual results between the minimum and maximum target thresholds are pro-rated based on the percentage of target reached. Actual results above the maximum threshold are capped at 140% and results below 40% achievement result in 0% achievement for that KPI, excluding total unitholder return relative to peers. The board discretionary component allows the Board the ability to increase the total recommended bonus pool as much as 25% or decrease the bonus pool by as much as 20% based on qualitative factors deemed relevant by the Board.

  

 

  2021
Actuals
  2021
Target
  %
Achieved
  Weighting  Weighted
Achieved
 

Consolidated Distributable Cash Flow per Common Unit

  $5.91  $4.28   139  30  42

Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA

  $600  $550   140  30  42

Total Shareholder Return Relative to Peers

   112  100  112  10  11

Safety

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Recordable Incident Rate

   1.10   1.10   100  4  4

Preventable Vehicle Incident Rate

   0.66   1.25   140  4  6

Days Away Restricted Transferred Rate

   0.66   0.75   112  4  4

Safety and Compliance Leading Indicators

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near Miss Reports

   1,559   1,000   140  4  6

Safety, Ethics, HR, IT Training Completed On-Time

   99.9  99.0  136  4  5

Sustainability

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cybersecurity Phish Training and Penetration Testing

   100  100  100  2  2

Methane Emissions Intensity (metric Tons per Mscf throughput)

   0.048  0.054  111  2  2

Portion of Charitable Giving/Volunteerism for D&I Organizations

   48  35  136  2  3

D&I Training Completed On-Time

   100.0  99.0  140  2  3

D&I Representation in Internship Program

   55  50  110  2  2
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Achievement

  

 

 

 

  100 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  132
   

 

 

    

 

 

 
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Based on the company’s KPI achievement, the annual incentive bonus pool for Fiscal 2021 was calculated at 132% of target. The Board then utilized its discretionary authority to increase the recommended bonus pool by 124%, resulting in a final bonus payout of 164% of target. The Board cited management’s COVID-19 response and execution, record financial and operating performance, ESG leadership, and the completion of several strategic transactions as the rationale for increasing the bonus pool.

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Executive Compensation

Individual Performance

After adjustments for KPI achievement, the actual bonus amount paid to the individual NEO is then further adjusted based on the individual performance review for such NEO. Bob Phillips, Robert Halpin, Steven Dougherty, and William Moore received the highest performance rating of “1” which increased the actual percentage for such individuals to 200% of target, which is equivalent to the company-wide target payout for “1” performance ratings. Mr. Lambert received the second highest performance rating of “2” which increased the actual percentage for such individuals to 175% of target, which is equivalent to the company-wide target payout for “2” performance ratings.

Some of the factors that impact an individual performance review of an NEO include: (i) whether or not we achieved the goals established for the year and any notable shortfalls relative to expectations; (ii) the level of difficulty associated with achieving such objectives based on the opportunities and challenges encountered during the year; (iii) current year operating and financial performance relative to both public guidance and prior year’s performance; (iv) significant transactions or accomplishments for the period not included in the goals for the year; (v) our relative prospects at the end of the year with respect to future growth and performance; and (vi) our equity price performance and returns during the year and our positioning at the end of the year with respect to our targeted leverage metrics and credit profile.

During 2021, the executive leadership team successfully led the organization through a very challenging and unprecedented year and worked closely to achieve the vast majority of the goals set at the beginning of the year.

The 2021 annual incentive cash payouts were as follows:

Name

  2021 Base
Salary ($)
   Target
Bonus ($)
   Percentage of
Target Bonus
  Percentage
Multiplier
  Total ($) 

Robert G. Phillips

   800,000    1,000,000    125  200  2,000,000 

Robert T. Halpin

   500,000    500,000    100  200  1,000,000 

William H. Moore

   395,000    395,000    100  200  790,000 

Steven M. Dougherty

   435,000    391,500    90  200  783,000 

Joel C. Lambert

   470,000    423,000    90  175  740,250 

Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards

Long term incentive awards for the NEOs are granted under the Crestwood Equity Partners LP Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) to promote achievement of our primary long-term strategic business objective of increasing TSR. This plan was designed to align the economic interests of key employees and directors with those of our unitholders and to provide an incentive to management for continuous employment with the Partnership. Long-term incentive compensation is based upon the common units representing limited partnership interests in us. For Fiscal 2021, awards under the LTIP consisted of: (i) the standard annual grant of restricted units, (ii) two interim grants of restricted units and (iii) performance unit awards.

Annual Restricted Unit Awards

The initial annual long-term equity incentive targets for our NEOs were established in their Employment Agreements. For a more detailed description of the Executive Employment Agreements, see “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table - Employment Agreements” in this proxy statement. The annual target long-term equity incentives for our NEOs are reviewed on an annual basis and at the time of promotion or other changes in responsibilities. In determining the amount of any adjustments, the Compensation Committee uses market data as a tool for assessing the reasonableness of long-term

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Executive Compensation

incentive targets of the NEOs as compared to executives in similar positions with similar responsibility levels in our industry. However, the final determination of long-term equity awards is within the Compensation Committee’s discretion. The following annual restricted unit awards were made to our NEOs in 2021:

Name

  Target Equity
Percentage
  2021 Annual
Restricted Units
Awarded(1)(2)
   Value at Grant
Date ($)
 

Robert G. Phillips

   400  168,599    3,205,067 

Robert T. Halpin

   275  72,445    1,377,179 

William H. Moore

   225  46,826    890,162 

Steven M. Dougherty

   225  51,567    980,289 

Joel C. Lambert

   250  61,907    1,176,852 

(1)

The annual restricted unit grants pay cash distributions in the same amount that would be payable to the holder of common units.

(2)

The annual restricted unit awards vest ratably over a three-year period (one-third on each anniversary of the grant date), subject to continued employment through the applicable vesting date. We believe this vesting schedule appropriately encourages continued employment with the Partnership while allowing our NEOs to realize compensation in line with the value they have created for our unitholders.

Interim Restricted Unit Awards

In addition to annual incentive awards, from time to time the Compensation Committee may recommend and have the Board ratify and approve off-cycle discretionary restricted unit awards. These discretionary awards are designed to incentivize key employees to remain employed by the Partnership on a longer-term basis.

On December 17, 2020, the Board approved interim restricted unit awards to the NEOs to be issued on January 6, 2021. These awards vest fully three-years from the grant date. The Compensation Committee and the Board believes that a three-year “cliff” vesting schedule is appropriate to help secure a long-term commitment from each NEO. Despite the uncertainty early in 2020, we continued to outperform market peers and delivered record financial results. These discretionary grants were awarded to incentivize and reward employees over a long-term basis. With guidance from our outside executive compensation consultant, the Compensation Committee approved the unit pool and allocated the awards based on position and performance.

The restricted units granted on January 6, 2021 were as follows:

Name

  Units Awarded(1)   Value at Grant Date ($) 

Robert G. Phillips

   30,000    570,300 

Robert T. Halpin

   6,000    114,060 

William H. Moore

   4,000    76,040 

Steven M. Dougherty

   5,000    95,050 

Joel C. Lambert

   5,000    95,050 

(1)

The units vest in full three years from the grant date.

On December 10, 2021, the board approved a discretionary restricted unit award to the NEOs to be issued on December 27, 2021. These awards vest fully three-years from the grant date. The Compensation Committee and the Board believe that a three-year “cliff” vesting schedule is appropriate to help secure a long-term commitment from each NEO. Following the historic and record-breaking year of organizational and financial achievements as well as continuing to grow our award-winning sustainability program, the Compensation Committee and the Board chose to

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Executive Compensation

reward certain employees with discretionary restricted unit awards. These awards were recommended by our outside executive compensation consultant and approved by the Compensation Committee and Board.

The restricted units granted on December 27, 2021 were as follows:

Name

  Units Awarded(1)   Value at Grant Date ($) 

Robert G. Phillips

   38,022    999,979 

Robert T. Halpin

   15,209    399,997 

William H. Moore

   19,011    499,989 

Steven M. Dougherty

   11,406    299,978 

Joel C. Lambert

   11,406    299,978 

(1)

The units vest in full three years from the grant date.

Performance Units

In addition to the annual restricted unit grants, our NEOs are eligible to receive performance phantom unit awards. In Fiscal 2021, each of our NEOs received a grant of performance phantom units. These performance phantom units vest over a three-year performance period and are paid out based on a performance multiplier ranging between 50% and 200%, with the determination based on the actual performance in the third year of the performance period compared to pre-established performance goals. The performance goals were based on achieving a specified level of adjusted EBITDA, distributable cash flow per unit, and three-year relative total shareholder return, based on the Partnership’s percentile ranking as compared with companies that are contained in the Alerian MLP Index at the time the goals were set. The Compensation Committee selected these metrics because we believe these are the key value indicators for our unitholders and will most closely align the interests of our NEOs with those of our unitholders. The Compensation Committee then weighted the three performance measures as follows:

Performance Unit Metric

  Weighting  50% Payout  100% Payout  200% Payout

Adjusted EBITDA

   35 $510  $560  $610

Distributable Cash Flow per Unit

   35 $3.90  $4.15  $4.40

Total Unitholder Return

   30  25th Percentile   50th Percentile   75th Percentile

For all performance phantom unit grants, the last year of the respective performance period is used to measure whether the performance goal is achieved. The payout multiplier for performance equal to or greater than the threshold is determined on a linear scale between performance levels. The Compensation Committee has the discretion to revise the performance unit metrics based on any mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures that occur during the performance period.

In making the 2021 performance phantom unit grants to our NEOs, the Compensation Committee considered peer benchmarking data specific to each NEO and each NEO’s contribution to our long-term growth.

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Executive Compensation

Based on this analysis, the Compensation Committee approved the following grants of performance units to our named executive officers on February 16, 2021:

Name

  Performance Units   

Value at

Grant Date ($)

 
  Minimum (#)   Target (#)   Maximum (#) 

Robert G. Phillips

   15,000    30,000    60,000    748,860 

Robert T. Halpin

   3,000    6,000    12,000    149,772 

William H. Moore

   2,000    4,000    8,000    99,848 

Steven M. Dougherty

   2,500    5,000    10,000    124,811 

Joel C. Lambert

   2,500    5,000    10,000    124,811 

The performance units are entitled to partnership distributions in the same amount that would be payable to the holder of common units. However, distributions paid on performance units are paid in additional performance units in lieu of cash and such additional performance units are subject to the same performance, vesting and forfeiture provisions as the original performance phantom units. For performance units granted in 2021, the value of the distributions is converted into units each quarter based on the closing price of CEQP units on the payment date.

Other Compensation Related Matters

Retirement and Health Benefits

We offer a variety of health and welfare and retirement programs to all eligible employees. The NEOs are eligible for these programs on the same basis as other employees. We maintain a 401(k) retirement plan that provides eligible employees with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax advantaged basis. We match 6% of the deferral to the retirement plan (not to exceed the maximum amount permitted by law) made by eligible participants. Our named executive officers are also eligible to participate in additional employee benefits available to our other employees.

Prerequisites and Other Compensation

We do not provide perquisites or other personal benefits to any of the NEOs.

Tax Considerations

With respect to the deduction limitations under Section 162(m) of the Code, we are a limited partnership and do not meet the definition of a “corporation” under Section 162(m). Thus, the compensation that we pay to our employees is not subject to the deduction limitations under Section 162(m) of the Code.

Anti-Hedging Policy

Under our trading policies, directors, executive officers, and other employees, as well as persons sharing their households or their designees, are prohibited from engaging in any speculative, hedging, or derivative security transaction that primarily involves or references CEQP securities.

Unitholder Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation

As described above in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) section of this proxy statement, we believe our compensation program is effective, appropriate and strongly aligned with the long-term interests of our unitholders and that the total compensation provided to the NEOs (including potential payouts upon a termination or change of control) is reasonable and not excessive. As you consider this proposal, we urge you to read the CD&A section of this proxy statement for additional details on executive compensation, including the more detailed information

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Executive Compensation

about our compensation philosophy and objectives, and to review the tabular disclosures regarding NEO compensation together with the accompanying narrative disclosures in the “Executive Compensation” section of this proxy statement.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2012, as well as Section 14A of the Exchange Act, and the rules promulgated thereunder, enables our unitholders the opportunity to express their views, on an advisory basis, on the compensation of the named executive officers. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of the named executive officers and the philosophy, policies and practices described in this proxy statement.

As an advisory vote, this proposal is not binding on the Board or the Compensation Committee, will not overrule any decisions made by the Board or the Compensation Committee or require the Board or the Compensation Committee to take any action. Although the vote is non-binding, the Board and the Compensation Committee value the opinions of our unitholders and will carefully consider the outcome of the vote when making future compensation decisions. In particular, to the extent there is any significant vote against the named executive officers’ compensation as disclosed in this proxy statement, we will consider our unitholders’ concerns, and the Compensation Committee will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address those concerns.

Compensation Committee Report

The Compensation Committee, which is composed solely of independent members of the Board of Directors, assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibility relating to, among other things, establishing and reviewing compensation of the Partnership’s executive officers. The Compensation Committee reviewed and discussed with management the Partnership’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis and, based on the review and discussion, recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement.

The Compensation Committee

Clay Williams (Chair)

N. John Lancaster, Jr.

Angela Minas

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Executive Compensation

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth for the year ended December 31, 2021, the compensation reportable for the named executive officers, as determined by SEC rules.

2021 Summary Compensation Table

Name and

Principal Position

 Fiscal
Year
  Salary
($)
  Bonus
($)
  Unit
Awards
($)(1)
  Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)
  All Other
Compensation
($)(2)
  Total ($) 

Robert G. Phillips

Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

 

2021

 

 

 

800,000

 

  

 

5,581,674

 

 

 

2,000,000

 

 

 

158,404

 

 

 

8,540,078

 

 

 

2020

 

 

 

829,807

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,783,070

 

 

 

1,200,000

 

 

 

153,409

 

 

 

6,966,286

 

 

 

 

2019

 

 

 

 

 

774,038

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,154,121

 

 

 

1,085,000

 

 

 

52,138

 

 

 

9,065,297

 

Robert T. Halpin

President, Chief Financial Officer

 

 

2021

 

 

 

500,000

 

  

 

2,052,504

 

 

 

1,000,000

 

 

 

50,985

 

 

 

3,603,489

 

 

 

2020

 

 

 

517,884

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,314,193

 

 

 

600,000

 

 

 

21,402

 

 

 

3,453,479

 

 

 

2019

 

 

 

464,423

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,414,740

 

 

 

651,000

 

 

 

21,705

 

 

 

3,551,868

 

William H. Moore

Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy

 

 

2021

 

 

 

395,000

 

  

 

1,573,701

 

 

 

790,000

 

 

 

20,108

 

 

 

2,778,809

 

 

 

2020

 

 

 

409,807

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,716,894

 

 

 

474,000

 

 

 

20,266

 

 

 

2,620,967

 

 

 

 

2019

 

 

 

 

 

385,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,706,964

 

 

 

539,000

 

 

 

20,379

 

 

 

2,651,343

 

Steven M. Dougherty

Executive Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer

 

 

2021

 

 

 

435,000

 

  

 

1,509,706

 

 

 

783,000

 

 

 

21,747

 

 

 

2,749,453

 

 

 

2020

 

 

 

451,230

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,555,474

 

 

 

469,800

 

 

 

24,222

 

 

 

2,500,726

 

 

 

2019

 

 

 

421,538

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,800,332

 

 

 

472,640

 

 

 

21,654

 

 

 

2,716,164

 

Joel C. Lambert

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal, Compliance and Safety Officer

 

 

2021

 

 

 

470,000

 

  

 

1,706,269

 

 

 

740,250

 

 

 

44,365

 

 

 

2,960,884

 

 

 

2020

 

 

 

486,730

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,578,347

 

 

 

507,600

 

 

 

22,902

 

 

 

2,595,579

 

 

 

 

2019

 

 

 

 

 

434,038

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,138,998

 

 

 

435,000

 

 

 

22,839

 

 

 

3,030,875

 

(1)

The material terms of our outstanding LTIP awards are described in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis - Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards.” Unit award amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of unit awards granted during the periods. For performance units granted in 2020 and 2021, the value of the distributions is converted into units each quarter based on the closing price of CEQP units on the payment date and this value is included in the total unit awards amounts. See Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, Note 13 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year December 31, 2021 for more information.

(2)

All Other Compensation for Fiscal Year 2021 consisted of the following:

Name

  401(k) Matching
Contributions ($)
   Group Term Life
Insurance ($)
   Other ($)(1)   Total ($) 

Robert G. Phillips

   17,400    7,641    133,363    158,404 

Robert T. Halpin

   17,400    4,812    28,772    50,984 

William H. Moore

   17,400    2,708        20,108 

Steven M. Dougherty

   17,400    4,347        21,747 

Joel C. Lambert

   17,400    6,502    20,463    44,365 

(1)

Represents the incremental cost to the Partnership of the personal use of the Partnership’s aircraft.

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Executive Compensation

Grants of Plan-Based Awards

Grants of Plan-Based Awards in 2021

Name Grant
Date
  Estimated Future Payouts
Under Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards(1)
  Estimated Future Payout
Under Equity Incentive
Plan Awards(2)
  All Other
Unit
Awards
(#)(3)
  Grant
Date Fair
Value of
Unit and
Option
Awards
($)(4)
 
 Threshold
($)
  Target
($)
  Maximum
($)
  Threshold
(#)
  Target
(#)
  Maximum
(#)
 

Robert G. Phillips

  01/06/21         168,599   3,205,067 
  01/06/21         30,000   570,300 
  12/27/21         38,022   999,979 
  02/16/21   800,000   1,000,000   2,000,000   15,000   30,000   60,000    748,860 

Robert T. Halpin

  01/06/21         72,445   1,377,179 
  01/06/21         6,000   114,060 
  12/27/21         15,209   399,997 
  02/16/21   500,000   500,000   1,000,000   3,000   6,000   12,000    149,772 

William H. Moore

  01/06/21         46,826   890,162 
  01/06/21         4,000   76,040 
  12/27/21         19,011   499,989 
  02/16/21   395,000   395,000   790,000   2,000   4,000   8,000    99,848 

Steven M. Dougherty

  01/06/21         51,567   980,289 
  01/06/21         5,000   95,050 
  12/27/21         11,406   299,978 
  02/16/21   435,000   391,500   783,000   2,500   5,000   10,000    124,811 

Joel C. Lambert

  01/06/21         61,907   1,176,852 
  01/06/21         5,000   95,050 
  12/27/21         11,406   299,978 
  02/16/21   470,000   423,000   740,250   2,500   5,000   10,000    124,811 

(1)

Actual amounts paid pursuant to the annual incentive bonus are reported in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table. The amount of the annual bonus may be increased at the discretion of the Compensation Committee, irrespective of actual KPI performance, as described above in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis - Incentive Awards.

(2)

Represents grants of performance phantom units granted under the Long-Term Incentive Plan. The vesting of the performance units is subject to the attainment of pre-established performance goals based on adjusted EBITDA, distributable cash flow per unit and total shareholder return relative to the Alerian MLP Index during the third year of a three-year fiscal period. The amounts in the table reflect the grant date fair value of the performance unit awards.

(3)

Represents grants of restricted units granted under the Long-Term Incentive Plan. For each NEO, the restricted unit awards granted on January 6, 2021 listed first in the above table will vest ratably (33.33%) over a three-year period beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date, while the second listed grant on January 6, 2021 will vest in full (100%) on the third anniversary of the grant date. The awards granted on February 16, 2021 and December 27, 2021 will vest in full (100%) on the third anniversary of the grant date.

(4)

Unit award amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of unit awards granted during 2021. See Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, Note 13 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 for a discussion of the assumptions used to determine the value of the awards.

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Executive Compensation

Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table1

Employment Agreements

The Executive Employment Agreements provide for the base salary, target bonus amounts and a target equity compensation grant described in our “Compensation Discussion and Analysis.”

Under the terms of the Executive Employment Agreements, if the named executive officer’s employment is terminated during the initial term or a subsequent one-year renewal by Crestwood Operations, LLC (“Crestwood Operations”) without “employer cause” or the executive resigns due to “employee cause” or the named executive officer’s employment with Crestwood Operations terminates as a result of Crestwood Operations’ election not to renew the Executive Employment Agreement or due to the executive’s death or permanent disability, the executive will be entitled to receive, subject to the executive’s execution of a release of claims, severance equal to two (or, in the case of Mr. Phillips, three) times the sum of the executive’s base salary and average annual bonus for the prior two years, payable in equal installments over an 18-month period following termination. In addition, the named executive officer would be entitled to certain subsidized medical benefits over such 18-month period. If the named executive officer fails to comply with covenants in the Executive Employment Agreement, the release of claims or similar agreement, he forfeits the right to receive any severance payment installments following such failure to comply.

On February 22, 2018, Crestwood Operations entered into an Omnibus Amendment to each Executive Employment Agreement (“Omnibus Amendment”). Pursuant to the Omnibus Amendment, if the employment of Messrs. Halpin, Moore, Dougherty or Lambert is terminated during the period beginning three months prior to a Change in Control and ending twelve months after a Change in Control, then the severance amount payable shall be increased to three times the sum of base salary and average annual bonus for the prior two years.

For more information regarding potential severance and/or change in control payments for the NEOs, please see the section below titled “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.”

Outstanding Equity Awards and Units Vested

The following table summarizes the outstanding equity awards as of the end of Fiscal 2021 for the each of our NEOs (although as noted below, some of these awards may have vested prior to this filing). The table includes restricted units and phantom performance units granted under the Crestwood Equity Partners LP Long Term Incentive Plan. The market value for CEQP units is based on the NYSE closing price of $27.59 on December 31, 2021.

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Executive Compensation

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2021 Fiscal Year-End

  Unit Awards 
Name                                      Restricted
Units That
Have Not
Vested
  Vest Date Market Value
of Units That
Have Not
Vested($)
  

Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Units That
Have Not
Vested

(#)(2)

  Vest Date  Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market
Value of
Unearned
Units That
Have Not
Vested ($)
 

Robert G. Phillips

  34,610  January 3, 2022  954,890   107,488   February 12, 2022   2,965,594 
  56,199  January 6, 2022  1,550,530   65,272   February 10, 2023   1,800,854 
  37,024  January 10, 2022  1,021,492   32,008   February 16, 2024   883,101 
  34,610  January 3, 2023  954,890    
  56,200  January 6, 2023  1,550,558    
  30,000  January 6, 2024  827,700    
  56,200  January 6, 2024  1,550,558    

 

  38,022  December 27, 2024  1,049,027  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert T. Halpin

  14,871  January 3, 2022  410,291   28,663   February 12, 2022   790,812 
  24,148  January 6, 2022  666,243   17,407   February 10, 2023   480,259 
  15,273  January 10, 2022  421,382   6,402   February 16, 2024   176,631 
  16,223  January 2, 2023  447,593    
  14,872  January 3, 2023  410,318    
  24,148  January 6, 2023  666,243    
  6,000  January 6, 2024  165,540    
  24,149  January 6, 2024  666,271    

 

  15,209  December 27, 2024  419,616  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William H. Moore

  9,612  January 3, 2022  265,195   21,497   February 12, 2022   593,102 
  15,608  January 6, 2022  430,625   13,056   February 10, 2023   360,215 
  10,346  January 10, 2022  285,446   4,268   February 16, 2024   117,754 
  16,223  January 2, 2023  447,593    
  9,613  January 3, 2023  265,223    
  15,609  January 6, 2023  430,652    
  4,000  January 6, 2024  110,360    
  15,609  January 6, 2024  430,652    

 

  19,011  December 27, 2024  524,513  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steven M. Dougherty

  10,586  January 3, 2022  292,068   21,497   February 12, 2022   593,102 
  17,189  January 6, 2022  474,245   13,056   February 10, 2023   360,215 
  11,340  January 10, 2022  312,871   5,334   February 16, 2024   147,165 
  8,112  January 2, 2023  223,810    
  10,586  January 3, 2023  292,068    
  17,189  January 6, 2023  474,245    
  5,000  January 6, 2024  137,950    
  17,189  January 6, 2024  474,245    

 

  11,406  December 27, 2024  314,692  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joel C. Lambert

  12,708  January 3, 2022  350,614   26,872   February 12, 2022   741,398 
  20,635  January 6, 2022  569,320   16,319   February 10, 2023   450,241 
  12,989  January 10, 2022  358,367   5,334   February 16, 2024   147,165 
  12,709  January 3, 2023  350,641    
  20,636  January 6, 2023  569,347    
  5,000  January 6, 2024  137,950    
  20,636  January 6, 2024  569,347    

 

  11,406  December 27, 2024  314,692  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2)

As described further in the CD&A section, the awards will vest on a combination of Adjusted EBITDA, Distributable Cash Flow per Unit and Total Unitholder Return, as determined over a three year period for each award as described below. Potential acceleration or forfeiture events are described in more detail below within the section titled “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.”

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Executive Compensation

Units Vested in 2021

The following table provides information regarding restricted and performance units vesting during Fiscal 2021 for each of the NEOs. For the restricted units, the value realized on vesting was calculated by using the NYSE closing price of CEQP common units on the day immediately prior to the date that the award vested. For the performance units, the value realized on vesting was calculated by using the NYSE closing price of CEQP common units on the day the award vested.

   UNIT AWARDS 
  Name  

Number of Units

Acquired on Vesting

   

Value Realized

on Vesting ($)

 

Robert G. Phillips

   175,703    3,388,619 

Robert T. Halpin

   121,132    2,340,972 

William H. Moore

   83,734    1,618,523 

Steven M. Dougherty

   83,844    1,620,148 

Joel C. Lambert

   87,615    1,692,216 

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan

None of the NEOs currently participate in the Crestwood Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan.

Potential Payments Upon Termination of Employment or Change-in-Control

Termination and Change-in-Control Agreements or Arrangements

Under the terms of the Executive Employment Agreements, if the named executive officer’s employment is terminated during the initial term or a subsequent one-year renewal by Crestwood Operations without “employer cause” or the executive resigns due to “employee cause” or the named executive officer’s employment with Crestwood Operations terminates as a result of death, permanent disability, or Crestwood Operations’ election not to renew the Executive Employment Agreement, the executive will be entitled to receive, subject to the executive’s execution of a release of claims, severance equal to two (or, in the case of Mr. Phillips, three) times the sum of the executive’s base salary and average annual bonus for the prior two years, payable in equal installments over an 18-month period following termination. In addition, the named executive officer would be entitled to certain subsidized medical benefits over such 18-month period and all restricted units held by the named executive officer would vest in full. The vesting of the performance units would depend on how much of the original performance period remains outstanding.

Under the terms of the Executive Employment Agreements (other than Mr. Phillips), if the named executive officer is terminated during the period beginning three months prior to a Change in Control and ending twelve months after a Change in Control, then the severance amount payable shall be increased to three times the sum of his base salary and average annual bonus for the prior two years.

If the named executive officer fails to comply with covenants in the Executive Employment Agreement (such as non-compete restrictions), the release of claims or similar agreement, he forfeits the right to receive any severance payment installments following such failure to comply.

For purposes of the Executive Employment Agreements, the following terms are generally defined as follows:

Employee Cause will exist if one of the following occurs: (A) a substantial and continuing diminution in the nature of Employee’s responsibilities; (B) a material breach by Employer of any material provision of this Agreement; (C) a material and continuing reduction in the aggregated total of Employee’s Base Salary, target term sheet bonus potential and target

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Executive Compensation

equity percentage; (D) a reassignment by the Company of the employee’s principal place of employment to a location more than 50 miles from his principal place of employment on the Effective Date, but excluding normal business travel consistent with Employee’s duties, responsibilities and position.

“Permanent Disability” shall mean the inability of Employee, with or without reasonable accommodation, by reason of illness, incapacity, or other disability, to perform Employee’s duties or fulfill Employee’s employment obligations to Employer, as determined by Employer’s Senior Executive Committee and as certified in writing by a competent medical physician chosen by such Senior Executive Committee, for a cumulative total of 180 days in any 12 month period; provided, however, that such period of absence may be extended if required by applicable law.

The restricted units and the performance units granted to our NEOs pursuant to the Crestwood Equity Long-Term Incentive Plan will receive accelerated vesting upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, or a termination due to a termination without cause. In August 2021, the plan was amended to modify the definition of a Change in Control, the new definition of which is defined below. With respect to any performance unit that is outstanding at the time of a Change in Control, the award will vest at different levels depending on how much of the original performance period remains outstanding. If there are less than twelve months left in the performance period, the awards will be calculated at actual performance levels; if there are more than twelve months left within the original performance period, the awards will be calculated using 100% of target levels.

In the event that an NEO is terminated due to a death or disability, the restricted units and performance units will also be accelerated. Performance units will accelerate at 100% of target levels.

The new “Change in Control” definition is generally as follows:. Change of Control,” means and shall be deemed to have occurred upon one or more of the following events:

(i) any direct or indirect sale, lease, exchange, liquidation, division or other transfer (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership to any person or persons, other than to one or more Affiliates;

(ii) the consolidation, reorganization, merger, recapitalization, exchange, division or other similar transaction (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) (any such transaction or series of transactions referred to herein as a “Merger”) pursuant to which (a) more than 50% of the combined voting power of the outstanding equity interests in the General Partner or its successor entities cease to be owned, directly or indirectly, by the Partnership, (b) more than 50% of the combined voting power of the outstanding equity interests in the Partnership or its successor entities cease to be, directly or indirectly, owned immediately following the Merger by the owners of such interests immediately prior to the Merger, or (c) the General Partner or one or more other Affiliates of the Partnership cease to be general partner(s) of the Partnership or its successor;

(iii) a person or group other than the Partnership or its consolidated subsidiaries directly or indirectly becoming the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act) of more than 35% of the voting power of the then outstanding common units of the Partnership or its successor; or

(iv) individuals who, as of the date hereof, constitute the Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board or of the board of directors or equivalent body of any successor parent of the Partnership or of the General Partner; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election or nomination for election by the Partnership’s unitholders was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board in the ordinary course of business shall be considered as though such individual was a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the

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Executive Compensation

election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board or otherwise outside the ordinary course of business.

The terms “cause” and “disability” generally have the same meaning as the terms provided above with respect to the Executive Employment Agreements.

The following table presents information about the gross payments potentially payable to our named executive officers pursuant to the Executive Employment Agreements, assuming each such named executive officer experienced a qualifying termination of employment on December 31, 2021. The amounts that each NEO could receive separately upon a Change in Control event, without an accompanying termination of employment, pursuant to the accelerated vesting and settlement of awards pursuant to the Crestwood Equity Long-Term Incentive Plan are also listed separately in the table below. Each value is calculated using the closing market price of the units as of December 31, 2021, which was $27.59. Each of the amounts below reflect our best estimate of the amounts that could become payable to the NEOs pursuant to existing compensation arrangements, but will not be fully determinable unless or until the triggering event were to take place.

Name

  

Cash Severance

($)(1)

   

Accelerated

Vesting of

Restricted and

Performance

Units ($)(2)

   

Benefit

Continuation ($)(3)

   

Employment

Agreement

Total ($)

 

Robert G. Phillips

   5,827,500    15,109,190    27,058    20,963,748 

Robert T. Halpin

   2,251,000    5,721,183    29,613    8,001,796 

William H. Moore

   1,803,000    4,261,307    29,619    6,093,926 

Steven M. Dougherty

   1,812,440    4,096,677    29,619    5,938,736 

Joel C. Lambert

   1,882,600    4,559,074    31,336    6,473,010 

(1)

As described above, amounts reflect cash severance payments payable upon a qualifying termination without “employer cause” or the named executive officer resigns due to “employee cause” that the named executive officer will be entitled to receive pursuant to his Employment Agreements, subject to the executive’s execution of a release of claims. The severance payments are equal to two (or, in the case of Mr. Phillips, three) times the sum of the named executive officer’s base salary and average annual bonus for the prior two years. The cash severance payable to each of Messrs. Halpin, Moore, Dougherty and Lambert would increase to $3,376,500, $2,704,500, $2,718,660, and $2,823,900, respectively, in the event his qualifying termination was in connection with a Change in Control.

(2)

The amounts reflected in the table above include the value of restricted units and performance phantom units which would be subject to accelerated vesting upon a Change in Control, death, disability, termination without “employer cause” or the named executive officer resigns due to “employee cause.” The performance units were valued assuming all outstanding performance units vested at the 100% target on December 31, 2021. This value does not reflect the unitization of the accrued distributions on the performance phantom unit grants. As discussed in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section these performance phantom units vest over a three-year performance period and are paid out based on a performance multiplier ranging between 50% and 200%, determined based on the actual performance in the third year of the performance period compared to pre-established performance goals

(3)

As described above, amounts reflect the value of 18 months subsidized medical benefit coverage provided upon a qualifying termination without “employer cause” or the named executive officer resigns due to “employee cause” the named executive officer will be entitled to receive pursuant to his Employment Agreement, subject to the executive’s execution of a release of claims

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          Securities Authorized for Issuance Under

          Equity Compensation Plans

The following table sets forth in tabular format, a summary of CEQP’s equity compensation plan information as of December 31, 2021:

Plan category

Number of
securities to be
issued upon
exercise of
outstanding
options, warrants
and rights
Weighted-
average exercise
price of
outstanding
options, warrants
and rights
Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected in
column (a))

(a)(b)(c)

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

$

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

$3,899,478

Total

            —$            —3,899,478

Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Security Holders

The Board adopted the Crestwood Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the “NQDC”) in December 2016 and an employee unit purchase plan (the “Plan” and together with NQDC, the “Compensation Plans”) in August 2018, both of which are further described below. The Compensation Plans have not been approved by our unitholders. The Compensation Committee is the administrator of the Compensation Plans, and as such determines all matters relating to options granted under the Compensation Plans, including the selection of the recipients, the size of the grants, and the conditions to vesting and exercisability.

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan

Our Compensation Committee adopted the Crestwood Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the “NQDC”) under which designated eligible participants may elect to defer compensation. Eligible participants include the executive officers, certain other senior officers and members of the Board.

Subject to applicable tax laws, the eligible executive and senior officers may elect to defer up to 50% of their base salary and up to 100% of incentive compensation earned and equity grants and the members of the Board may elect to defer up to 100% of their directors’ fees and up to 100% of equity grants. In addition to elective deferrals, the NQDC permits us to make matching contributions and discretionary contributions. Participants may elect to receive payment of their vested account balances in a single cash payment or in annual installments for a period of up to five years. Payments will be made on March 15 of any year at least one year after the deferral date, or upon separation from service. If a participant’s employment terminates before the designated year, payment is accelerated and paid in a lump sum. Compensation deferred under the Plan represents an unsecured obligation of the Partnership.

Currently, none of our NEOs or directors participate in the NQDC.

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Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

Employee Unit Purchase Plan

In August 2018, the Board approved an employee unit purchase plan (the “Plan”) under which employees of the General Partner may purchase common units through payroll deductions up to a maximum of 10% of the employees’ eligible compensation, not to exceed $25,000 for any calendar year. Under the Plan, we anticipate purchasing common units on the open market for the benefit of participating employees based on their payroll deductions. In addition, we may match up to 10% of participating employees’ payroll deductions to purchase additional common units for participating employees. The Board authorized 1,500,000 common units (subject to adjustment as provided in the Plan) to be available for purchase. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, 9,932, 29,784 and 6,341 common units were purchased under the Plan, respectively.

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          Pay Ratio Disclosure

As required by Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K, we are providing the following information about the relationship of the annual total compensation of our employees and the annual total compensation of our CEO.

We identified the median employee by examining 2021 cash compensation (including, but not limited to, salary and overtime earned, 401(k) employer matches and equity grants), for all individuals, including our CEO, who were employed on December 31, 2021. We included all fulltime, salaried and hourly employees. As of December 31, 2021, we employed 618 such persons. We annualized the compensation for any employees that were not employed for all of 2021, but did not make any other assumptions, adjustments, or estimates with respect to total cash compensation or equity. Since all of our employees, including our CEO, are located in the United States, we did not make any cost-of-living adjustments in identifying the median employee. We believe the use of total cash and equity compensation for all employees is the most appropriate compensation measure since it includes the main elements of compensation for the majority of our employees.

After identifying the median employee, we calculated annual 2021 compensation for the median employee using the same methodology used to calculate the Chief Executive Officer’s total compensation as reflected in the Summary Compensation Table above. The median employee’s annual 2021 compensation was as follows:

Name

 Year  Salary  Bonus  Stock
Awards
  Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
  All Other
Compensation
  Total 

Median Employee

  2021  $88,000  $0  $0  $22,880  $6,030  $116,910 

With respect to the annual total compensation of our CEO, we used the amount reported in the “Total” column of our 2021 Summary Compensation Table included in this Annual Report, which was $8,540,078. Our 2021 ratio of Chief Executive Officer total compensation to our median employee’s total compensation is reasonably estimated to be 74:1.

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          Certain Relationships and Related Person

          Transactions

Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

Our related person transactions policy applies to any transaction since the beginning of our fiscal year (or currently proposed transaction) in which we or any of our subsidiaries was or is to be a participant, the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and any director, director nominee, executive officer, 5% or greater unitholder (or their immediate family members) had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. A transaction that would be covered by this policy would include, but not be limited to, any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships.

Under our related person transactions policy, related person transactions may be entered into or continue only if the transaction is deemed to be “fair and reasonable” to us, in accordance with the terms of our Partnership Agreement. Under our Partnership Agreement, transactions that represent a “conflict of interest” may be approved in one of three ways and, if approved in any of those ways, will be considered “fair and reasonable” to us and the holders of our common units. The three ways enumerated in our related person transactions policy for reaching this conclusion include:

i.

approval by the Conflicts Committee under Section 7.9 of our Partnership Agreement (Special Approval);

ii.

approval by our Chief Executive Officer applying the criteria specified in Section 7.9 of our Partnership Agreement if the transaction is in the normal course of the Partnership’s business and is (a) on terms no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or (b) fair to the Partnership, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership); and

iii.

approval by an independent committee of the Board (either the Audit Committee or a Special Committee) applying the criteria in Section 7.9 of our Partnership Agreement

Once a transaction is approved in any of these ways, it is “fair and reasonable” and accordingly deemed (i) approved by all of our partners and (ii) not to be a breach of any fiduciary duties of the General Partner.

The General Partner determines in its discretion which method of approval is required depending on the circumstances.

Under our Partnership Agreement, when determining whether a related party transaction is “fair and reasonable,” if the General Partner elects to adopt a resolution or a course of action that has not received Special Approval, then the General Partner may consider:

the relative interests of any party to such conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such interest;

any customary or accepted industry practices and any customary or historical dealings with a particular person;

any applicable generally accepted accounting practices or principles; and

such additional factors as the General Partner or Conflicts Committee determines in its sole discretion to be relevant, reasonable or appropriate under the circumstances.

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Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions

A related party transaction that is approved by the Conflicts Committee is conclusively deemed to be fair and reasonable to us. Under our Partnership Agreement, the material facts known to the General Partner or any of our affiliates regarding the transaction must be disclosed to the Conflicts Committee at the time the committee gives its approval. When approving a related party transaction, the Conflicts Committee considers all factors it considers relevant, reasonable or appropriate under the circumstances, including the relative interests of any party to the transaction, customary industry practices and generally accepted accounting principles.

Under our Partnership Agreement, in the absence of bad faith by the General Partner, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or provided by the General Partner with respect to approval of the related party transaction will not constitute a breach of our Partnership Agreement or any standard of fiduciary duty.

Under our related person transactions policy, as well as under our Partnership Agreement, there is no obligation to take any particular conflict to the Conflicts Committee -empaneling that committee is entirely at the discretion of the General Partner. In many ways, the decision to engage the Conflicts Committee can be analogized to the kinds of transactions for which a Delaware corporation might establish a special committee of independent directors. The General Partner considers the specific facts and circumstances involved. Relevant facts would include:

the nature and size of the transaction (i.e., transaction with a controlling unitholder, magnitude of consideration to be paid or received, impact of proposed transaction on the General Partner and holders of common units);

the related person’s interest in the transaction;

whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances;

if applicable, the availability of other sources of comparable services or products; and

the financial costs involved, including costs for separate financial, legal and possibly other advisors at our expense.

When determining whether a related party transaction is in the normal course of our business and is (a) on terms no less favorable to us than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or (b) fair to us, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to us), the General Partner considers any facts and circumstances that it deems to be relevant, including:

the terms of the transaction, including the aggregate value;

the business purpose of the transaction;

the relative interests of any party to such conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such interest;

whether the terms of the transaction are comparable to the terms that would exist in a similar transaction with an unaffiliated third party;

any customary or accepted industry practices;

any applicable generally accepted accounting practices or principles; and

such additional factors as the General Partner or the Conflicts Committee determines in its sole discretion to be relevant, reasonable or appropriate under the circumstances.

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          Report of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee of the Board oversees the Partnership’s financial reporting process on behalf of the Board. Management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process, including the systems of internal controls.

In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the audit committee reviewed and discussed with management the audited financial statements contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

The Partnership’s independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, is responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of the audited financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The Audit Committee reviewed with Ernst & Young LLP the firm’s judgment as to the quality, not just the acceptability, of the Partnership’s accounting principles and such other matters as are required to be discussed with the Audit Committee under generally accepted auditing standards.

The audit committee discussed with Ernst & Young LLP the matters required to be discussed under applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”). The Audit Committee received written disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding Ernst & Young LLP’s communications with the audit committee concerning independence, and has discussed with Ernst & Young LLP its independence from management and the Partnership.

Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the audit committee recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 for filing with the SEC.

The Audit Committee
Angela Minas, Chair
David Lumpkins
Frances Vallejo

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          Proposal 3 — Advisory Vote on the Frequency

         of Future Executive Compensation

         Advisory Votes

Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 also requires the Partnership to submit for a vote a proposal as to whether to have the advisory vote on executive compensation (Item 2 in this proxy statement) on the agenda for future annual unitholders meetings everyone, two or three years.

The Board recognizes the importance of receiving regular input from the Partnership’s unitholders on important issues such as the Partnership’s executive compensation program. Additionally, the Board is aware that many influential commentators in the area of corporate governance recommend that the advisory vote on executive compensation be held every year. Therefore, the Board recommends that the advisory vote on executive compensation be held every year.

While the Board recommends that the advisory vote on executive compensation be held every year, the proxy card provides you the ability to vote to approve holding the vote every one, two or three years, or to abstain from voting. This vote is advisory and is not binding on the Partnership or the Board in any way. Although the vote is non-binding, the Board and the Compensation Committee value the opinions of the Partnership’s unitholders, and will take them into account in making a determination concerning the frequency of advisory votes on executive compensation.

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The Board of Directors recommends a vote for the option of “EVERY YEAR”, on an advisory basis, as the preferred frequency for advisory votes on executive compensation.

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          Proposal 4 — Ratification of Appointment of

          Independent Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has selected Ernst & Young LLP as the independent auditors of the Partnership for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Ernst & Young LLP has audited the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements since 2013. The 2021 audit of the Partnership’s annual consolidated financial statements was completed on February 25, 2022.

The Board of Directors is submitting the selection of Ernst & Young LLP for ratification at the Annual Meeting. The submission of this matter for approval by unitholders is not legally required, but the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee believe the submission provides an opportunity for unitholders through their vote to communicate with the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee about an important aspect of corporate governance. If the unitholders do not ratify the selection of Ernst & Young LLP, the Audit Committee will reconsider the selection of that firm as the Partnership’s auditors.

The Audit Committee has the sole authority and responsibility to retain, evaluate and replace the Partnership’s auditors. The unitholders’ ratification of the selection of Ernst & Young LLP does not limit the authority of the Audit Committee to change auditors at any time.

The Company expects that representatives of Ernst & Young LLP will be present at the Annual Meeting to respond to appropriate questions and to make a statement if they desire to do so.

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The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as the independent auditor of the Partnership for 2022.

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          Audit and Other Fees

The Audit Committee has approved the use of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent principal accountant. All services provided by our independent principal accountant are subject to pre-approval by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is informed of each engagement of the independent principal accountant to provide services to us.

We have engaged Ernst & Young LLP as our independent principal accountant. The following table summarizes fees we were billed by Ernst & Young LLP for independent auditing, tax and related services for each of the last two fiscal years:

($ millions)

  2021   2020 

Audit-related fees (1)

  $1.8   $1.6 

All other fees (2)

   0.1     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $1.9   $1.6 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

(1)

Includes fees related to the performance of the annual audit and quarterly reviews (including internal control evaluation and reporting) of the consolidated financial statements of Crestwood Equity and Crestwood Midstream and its subsidiaries.

(2)

Includes fees primarily associated with other SEC filings.

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          Other Information

Expenses of Solicitation

The accompanying proxy is solicited by and on behalf of the Board of Directors, and the cost of such solicitation will be borne by the Partnership. D.F. King & Co., Inc. may solicit proxies by personal interview, mail, telephone, and electronic communications. We will pay $25,000 for additional proxy solicitation services. We will also supply proxy materials to brokers and other nominees to solicit proxies from beneficial owners, and we will reimburse them for their expenses in forwarding solicitation materials. Solicitations also may be made by personal interview, mail, telephone, and electronic communications by directors, officers, and other employees of the Partnership without additional compensation.

Other Matters

As of the date of this proxy statement there are no other matters that we intend to present, or have reason to believe others will present, at the Annual Meeting. If, however, other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, the accompanying proxy authorizes the persons named as proxies or their substitutes to vote on such matters as they determine appropriate.

Proposals of Unitholders

Our Partnership Agreement includes separate advance notice provisions applicable to unitholders desiring to bring nominations for directors before an annual unitholders meeting other than pursuant to the Partnership Agreement’s proxy access provisions or to bring proposals before an annual unitholders meeting other than pursuant to Rule 14a-8. These advance notice provisions require that, among other things, unitholders give timely written notice to the General Partner regarding such nominations or proposals and provide the information and satisfy the other requirements set forth in the Partnership Agreement.

To be timely, a unitholder who intends to present nominations or a proposal at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Unitholders other than pursuant to the Partnership Agreement’ proxy access provisions or Rule 14a-8 must provide the information set forth in the Partnership Agreement to the General Partner no later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, prior to the first anniversary of this Annual Meeting. However, if we hold the 2023 Annual Meeting of Unitholders more than 30 days before, or more than 70 days after, the anniversary of the 2022 Annual Meeting date, then the information must be received no earlier than the 120th day prior to the 2023 Annual Meeting date, and not later than (i) the 90th day prior to the 2023 Annual Meeting date and (ii) the tenth day after public disclosure of the 2023 Annual Meeting date, whichever is later. If a unitholder fails to meet these deadlines and fails to satisfy the requirements of Rule 14a-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, we may exercise discretionary voting authority under proxies we solicit to vote on any such proposal as we determine appropriate.

We reserve the right to reject, rule out of order, or take other appropriate action with respect to any nomination or proposal that does not comply with these and other applicable requirements.

Householding; Availability of Annual Report on Form 10-K and Proxy Statement

A copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “2021 Annual Report”) accompanies this proxy statement. If you and others who share your mailing address own common units in street name, meaning through a bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee, you may have received a notice that your household will receive only one annual report and proxy statement, or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, from each

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Other Information

company whose units are held in such accounts. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to reduce the volume of duplicate information and reduce printing and postage costs. Unless you responded that you did not want to participate in householding, you were deemed to have consented to it, and a single copy of this proxy statement and the 2021 Annual Report (and/or a single copy of our Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials) has been sent to your address. Each street name unitholder receiving this proxy statement by mail will continue to receive a separate voting instruction form.

If you would like to revoke your consent to householding and in the future receive your own set of proxy materials (or your own Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable), or if your household is currently receiving multiple copies of the same items and you would like in the future to receive only a single copy at your address, please contact Investor Relations at (832) 519-2200, or write to Crestwood Equity Partners LP, 811 Main Street, Suite 3400, Houston, Texas 77002, and indicate your name, the name of each of your brokerage firms or banks where your common units are held, and your account numbers. The revocation of a consent to householding will be effective 30 days following its receipt. You will also have an opportunity to opt in or opt out of householding by contacting your bank or broker.

If you would like an additional copy of the 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, this Proxy statement, or the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, these documents are available in digital form for download or review by visiting Key Investor Materials at www.crestwoodlp.com/investors. Alternatively, we will promptly send a copy of these documents to you without charge upon request by mail to Investor Relations, Crestwood Equity Partners LP or Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, 811 Main Street, Suite 3400, Houston, Texas 77002, or by calling 832-519-2200. Please note, however, that if you did not receive a printed copy of our proxy materials and you wish to receive a paper proxy card or voting instruction form or other proxy materials for the purposes of the Annual Meeting, you should follow the instructions included in your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

If you own common units in street name, you can also register to receive all future unitholder communications electronically, instead of in print. This means that links to the annual report, proxy statement, and other correspondence will be delivered to you via e-mail. Holders in street name should follow the instructions received from your bank or broker to register for electronic delivery.

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    P.O. BOX 8016, CARY, NC 27512-9903

              YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT! PLEASE VOTE BY:

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INTERNET

Go To: www.proxypush.com/CEQP

•  Cast your vote online

•  Have your Proxy Card ready

•  Follow the simple instructions to record your vote

PHONE Call1-866-318-2454
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•  Use any touch-tone telephone

•  Have your Proxy Card ready

•  Follow the simple recorded instructions

MAIL
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•  Mark, sign and date your Proxy Card

•  Fold and return your Proxy Card in the postage-paid envelope provided

LOGOYou must register to attend the meeting online and/or participate at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP

Crestwood Equity Partners LP
Annual Meeting of Holders
(For Eligible Institutions only) (212) Holders of record as of March 21, 2022

TIME:Thursday, May 12, 2022 2:00 PM, Central Time
PLACE:Annual Meeting to be held live via the Internet - please visit
www.proxydocs.com/CEQP to register to attend.

This proxy is being solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors

The undersigned hereby appoints Robert T. Halpin, Joel C. Lambert and Michael K. Post (the “Named Proxies”), and each or either of them, as the true and lawful attorneys of the undersigned, with full power of substitution and revocation, and authorizes them, and each of them, to vote all the units of Crestwood Equity Partners LP which the undersigned is entitled to vote at said meeting and any adjournment thereof upon the matters specified and upon such other matters as may be properly brought before the meeting or any adjournment thereof, conferring authority upon such true and lawful attorneys to vote in their discretion on such other matters as may properly come before the meeting and revoking any proxy heretofore given.

THE UNITS REPRESENTED BY THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, UNITS WILL BE VOTED IDENTICAL TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ RECOMMENDATION. This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. In their discretion, the Named Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other matters that may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

You are encouraged to specify your choice by marking the appropriate box (SEE REVERSE SIDE) but you need not mark any box if you wish to vote in accordance with the Board of Directors’ recommendation. The Named Proxies cannot vote your units unless you sign (on the reverse side) and return this card.

PLEASE BE SURE TO SIGN AND DATE THIS PROXY CARD AND MARK ON THE REVERSE SIDE


Crestwood Equity Partners LP

Annual Meeting of Holders

Please make your marks like this: LOGO

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE:

FOR ON PROPOSALS 1, 2 AND 4

        THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT AN ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION FOR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS BE HELD EVERY 1 YEAR.

PROPOSALYOUR VOTE

BOARD OF

DIRECTORS

RECOMMENDS

1.To elect the three directors named in this proxy statement to serve as Class I directors on the board of directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) of our general partner, Crestwood Equity GP, LLC (the “General Partner”) until the 2025 annual meeting of unitholders or until their respective successors are elected and qualifiedLOGO
FORWITHHOLD
1.01 Warren H. GfellerFOR
1.02 Janeen S. JudahFOR
1.03 John J. ShermanFOR
FORAGAINSTABSTAIN
2.709-3328To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, our named executive officer compensation. 48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor New York, New York 10005 

Attn: Michael Horthman

FOR
1YR2YR3YRABSTAIN
3.  To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the frequency of future advisory votes on our named executive officer compensation.1 YEAR
FORAGAINSTABSTAINFOR
4.To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for the Partnership for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.
5.To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

You must register to attend the meeting online and/or participate at www.proxydocs.com/CEQP

Authorized Signatures - Must be completed for your instructions to be executed.

Please sign exactly as your name(s) appears on your account. If held in joint tenancy, all persons should sign. Trustees, administrators, etc., should include title and authority. Corporations should provide full name of corporation and title of authorized officer signing the Proxy/Vote Form.

Email: ceqp@dfking.com

Signature (and Title if applicable)Date                         Signature (if held jointly)                    Date