Certain Covenants
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following restrictions will apply to each series of debt securities:
Restrictions on Liens. We will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, Incur any Lien on any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property of ours or a Restricted Subsidiary, whether such shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or Principal Property is owned at the date of the indenture or thereafter acquired, without in any such case effectively providing that all the debt securities issued under the indenture will be directly secured equally and ratably with such Lien. These restrictions do not apply to:
(1) the Incurrence of any Lien on any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property acquired after the date of the indenture (including acquisitions by way of merger or consolidation) by us or a Restricted Subsidiary contemporaneously with such acquisition, or within 120 days thereafter, to secure or provide for the payment or financing of any part of the purchase price thereof, or the assumption of any Lien upon any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property acquired after the date of the indenture existing at the time of such acquisition, or the acquisition of any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property subject to any Lien without the assumption thereof, provided that every such Lien referred to in this clause (1) shall attach only to the shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property so acquired and fixed improvements thereon;
(2) any Lien on any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property existing on the date the debt securities are initially issued;
(3) any Lien on any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property in favor of Republic Services, Inc. or any Restricted Subsidiary;
(4) any Lien on Principal Property being constructed or improved securing loans to finance such construction or improvements;
(5) any Lien on shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property Incurred in connection with the issuance oftax-exempt government obligations; or
(6) any renewal of or substitution for any Lien permitted by any of the preceding clauses (1) through (5), provided, in the case of a Lien permitted under clause (1), (2) or (4), the debt secured is not increased nor the Lien extended to any additional assets.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we or any Restricted Subsidiary may create or assume Liens in addition to those permitted by clauses (1) through (6), and renew, extend or replace such Liens, provided that at the time of such creation, assumption, renewal, extension or replacement of such Lien, and after giving effect thereto, together with any sale and leaseback transactions entered into pursuant to the provisions of the indenture described below in the last paragraph under “— Certain Covenants — Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions,” Exempted Debt does not exceed 20% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets.
For the purposes of this “Restrictions on Liens” covenant and the “Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions” covenant, the giving of a guarantee that is secured by a Lien on any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property, and the creation of a Lien on any shares of stock, Indebtedness or other obligations of a Subsidiary or any Principal Property to secure Indebtedness that existed prior to the creation of such Lien, shall be deemed to involve the creation of Indebtedness in an amount equal to the principal amount guaranteed or secured by such Lien.
Given the size of our operations, at any given time we expect to have very few or no Principal Properties and, accordingly, very few or no Restricted Subsidiaries.
Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions. The indenture provides that we will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, sell or transfer, directly or indirectly, except to us or a Restricted Subsidiary, any Principal Property as an entirety, or any substantial portion thereof, with the intention of taking back a lease of such property, except a lease for a period of two years or less at the end of which it is intended that the use of such property by the lessee will be discontinued; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, we or any Restricted Subsidiary may sell any such Principal Property and lease it back for a longer period:
(1) if we or such Restricted Subsidiary would be entitled, pursuant to the provisions of the indenture described above under “— Certain Covenants — Restrictions on Liens,” to create a mortgage on the property to be leased securing Funded Debt in an amount equal to the Attributable Debt with respect to such sale and leaseback transaction without equally and ratably securing the outstanding debt securities issued under the indenture; or
6