Crestwood Equity Partners 8K Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement | CEQP 16 Aug 23

Exhibit 10.1

FORM OF DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement, dated as of [•], 2023 (this “Agreement”), is made by and between Crestwood Equity GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), and [•] (“Indemnitee” ).

RECITALS:

WHEREAS, the Company is the general partner of Crestwood Equity Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), and Indemnitee is a [director/officer] of the Company;

WHEREAS, Section 4.1 of the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company dated as of August 20, 2021 (the “LLC Agreement”) provides that the business and affairs of the Company shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors of the Company.

WHEREAS, significant authority with respect to the management of the Company and, accordingly, the Partnership, has been delegated to the officers of the Company.

WHEREAS, the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) has determined that enhancing the ability of the Company to retain and attract as directors and officers the most capable persons is in the best interest of the Company and that the Company therefore should seek to assure such person that indemnification and insurance coverage is available;

WHEREAS, both the Company and Indemnitee recognize the increased risk of litigation and other claims being asserted against directors and officers of public companies;

WHEREAS, Indemnitee is a director or officer of the Company and does not regard the protection afforded to him or her by Delaware law and the LLC Agreement as adequate, and his/her willingness to serve in such capacity is predicated, in substantial part, upon (1) the Company’s willingness to provide protection to him/her pursuant to express contract rights providing for the Company to indemnify him/her in accordance with the principles reflected above, to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, and (2) the other undertakings set forth in this Agreement; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of the need to provide Indemnitee with substantial protection against personal liability, in order to procure Indemnitee’s continued service as a director or officer of the Company and to enhance Indemnitee’s ability to serve the Company in an effective manner, and in order to provide such protection pursuant to express contract rights (intended to be enforceable irrespective of, among other things, any amendment to the Company’s certificate of formation or the LLC Agreement (collectively, the “Constituent Documents”), any change in the composition of the Board or any change-in-control or business combination transaction relating to the Company), the Company wishes to provide in this Agreement for (1) the indemnification of and the advancement of Expenses (as defined in Section 1(h) below) to Indemnitee as set forth in this Agreement and (2) the continued coverage of Indemnitee under the Company’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies; and

WHEREAS, in light of the considerations referred to in the preceding recitals, it is the Company’s intention and desire that the provisions of this Agreement be construed liberally, subject to their express terms, to maximize the protections to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the Indemnitee’s agreement to continue to provide services to the Company, the parties hereby agree as follows:

AGREEMENT:

1. Certain Definitions. In addition to terms defined elsewhere herein, the following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement with initial capital letters:

(a) “Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Person in question. As used herein, the term “control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.

(b) “Beneficial Owner” has the meaning given to the term “beneficial owner” in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act.

(1) 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;

(2) 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 Company 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 Company or one or more other Affiliates of the Partnership cease to be general partner(s) of the Partnership or its successor;

(3) 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

(4) 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 Company; 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 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.

A Change in Control shall not be deemed to have occurred as a result of a transaction or series of transactions undertaken solely for the purpose of converting the Partnership from a limited partnership to a c-corporation or limited liability company.

(d) “Claim” means (i) any threatened, asserted, pending or completed claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative, investigative or other, and whether made pursuant to federal, state or other law; or (ii) any threatened, pending or completed inquiry, hearing or investigation, whether made, instituted or conducted by the Company or any other person, including any federal, state or other governmental entity, that Indemnitee determines might lead to the institution of any such claim, demand, action, suit, proceeding or alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

(e) “Controlled Affiliate” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit, that is directly or indirectly controlled by the Company. For purposes of this definition, “control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of an entity or enterprise, whether through the ownership of voting securities, through other voting rights, by contract or otherwise; provided that direct or indirect beneficial ownership of capital stock or other interests in an entity or enterprise entitling the holder to cast 20% or more of the total number of votes generally entitled to be cast in the election of directors (or persons performing comparable functions) of such entity or enterprise shall be deemed to constitute control for purposes of this definition.

(f) “Disinterested Director” means a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Claim in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

(g) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(h) “Expenses” means any and all expenses, including attorneys’ and experts’ fees, court costs, transcript costs, travel expenses, duplicating, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, and all other costs and expenses incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in or participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to investigate, defend, be a witness in or participate in (including on appeal), any Claim. Expenses also shall include (i) Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Claim, including without limitation the premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent, and (ii) for purpose of Section 5 only, Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the interpretation, enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement, by litigation or otherwise. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee unless otherwise provided for herein. The parties agree that for the purposes of any advancement of Expenses for which Indemnitee has made written demand to the Company in accordance with this Agreement, all Expenses included in such demand that are certified by affidavit of Indemnitee’s counsel as being reasonable shall be presumed conclusively to be reasonable.

(i) [Reserved]

(j) “Incumbent Directors” means the individuals who, as of the date hereof, are directors of the Company, and any individual becoming a director of the Company subsequent to such date whose election, nomination for election by the Company’s members, or appointment, was approved by a vote of a majority of the then Incumbent Directors (either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such person is named as a nominee for director, without objection to such nomination).

(k) “Indemnifiable Claim” means any Claim based upon, arising out of or resulting from (i) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit, as to which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent, (ii) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in respect of any business, transaction, communication, filing, disclosure or other activity of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of this sentence, or (iii) Indemnitee’s status as a current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or as a current or former director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of this sentence or any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in connection with any obligation or restriction imposed upon Indemnitee by reason of such status. In addition to any service at the actual request of the Company, for purposes of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be deemed to be serving or to have served at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of another entity or enterprise if Indemnitee is or was serving as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of such entity or enterprise and (i) such entity or enterprise is or at the time of such service was a Controlled Affiliate, (ii) such entity or enterprise is or at the time of such service was an employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or a Controlled Affiliate, or (iii) the Company or a Controlled Affiliate directly or indirectly caused or authorized Indemnitee to be nominated, elected, appointed, designated, employed, engaged or selected to serve in such capacity.

(l) “Indemnifiable Losses” means any and all Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim.

(m) “Independent Counsel” means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporation, limited liability company, and/or partnership law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company (or any Subsidiary of the Company) or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other named (or, as to a threatened matter, reasonably likely to be named) party to the Indemnifiable Claim giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.

(n) “Losses” means any and all Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties (whether civil, criminal or other), ERISA excise taxes, amounts paid or payable in settlement, including all interest, assessments, any federal, state, local or foreign taxes imposed as a result of the actual or deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement and all other charges paid or payable in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in or participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to defend, be a witness or participate in, any Claim.

(o) “Person” means an individual, corporation, firm, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, estate, trust, unincorporated organization, association, government agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity and includes the meaning set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act.

(p) “Subsidiary” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which such Person owns directly or indirectly more than 50% of the outstanding shares of voting stock or other voting interest.

(q) “Voting Securities” means the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or persons who serve similar functions.

2. Service to the Company. Indemnitee agrees to [serve/continue to serve] as a director or officer of the Company for so long as Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or until Indemnitee tenders [his/her] resignation or is no longer serving in such capacity. This Agreement shall not be deemed an employment agreement between the Company (or any of its Subsidiaries or Controlled Affiliates) and Indemnitee. Indemnitee specifically acknowledges that [his/her] [employment with/service to] the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Controlled Affiliates is at will and the Indemnitee may be discharged at any time for any reason, with or without cause, except as may be otherwise provided in any written agreement between Indemnitee and the Company (or any of its Subsidiaries or Controlled Affiliates), or other applicable formal severance policies duly adopted by the Board or, with respect to service as a director or officer of the Company, by the Company’s Constituent Documents or Delaware law. This Agreement shall continue in force after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a director or officer of the Company or, at the request of the Company, or any of its Subsidiaries or Controlled Affiliates, as provided in Section 12 hereof.

3. Indemnification Obligation. The Company shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware in effect on the date hereof or as such laws may from time to time hereafter be amended to increase the scope of such permitted indemnification, against any and all Indemnifiable Claims and Indemnifiable Losses.

4. Advancement of Expenses. Indemnitee shall have the right to advancement by the Company, prior to the final disposition of any Indemnifiable Claim to which there are no further rights of appeal, of any and all Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim actually and reasonably paid or incurred by Indemnitee or which Indemnitee determines are reasonably likely to be paid or incurred by Indemnitee. Indemnitee’s right to such

advancement is not subject to the satisfaction of any standard of conduct. Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, within five business days after any request by Indemnitee, the Company shall, in accordance with such request (but without duplication), (a) pay such Expenses on behalf of Indemnitee, (b) advance to Indemnitee funds in an amount sufficient to pay such Expenses, or (c) reimburse Indemnitee for such Expenses. In connection with any request for Expense Advances, Indemnitee shall not be required to provide any documentation or information to the extent that the provision thereof would undermine or otherwise jeopardize attorney-client privilege. In connection with any request for Expense Advances, Indemnitee shall execute and deliver to the Company an undertaking (which shall be accepted without reference to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expense Advances), in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A, to repay any amounts paid, advanced, or reimbursed by the Company for such Expenses to the extent that it is ultimately determined, following the final disposition of such Claim, that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder. Indemnitee’s obligation to reimburse the Company for Expense Advances shall be unsecured and no interest shall be charged thereon.

5. Indemnification for Expenses in Enforcing Rights. Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing and to the fullest extent allowable under applicable law, the Company shall also indemnify against and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall advance to Indemnitee subject to and in accordance with Section 3, any and all Expenses actually and reasonably paid or incurred by Indemnitee or which Indemnitee determines are reasonably likely to be paid or incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any Claim made, instituted or conducted by Indemnitee for (a) indemnification or reimbursement or advance payment of Expenses by the Company under any provision of this Agreement, or under any other agreement or provision of the Constituent Documents now or hereafter in effect relating to Indemnifiable Claims, and/or (b) recovery under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company, regardless in each case of whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, reimbursement, advance or insurance recovery, as the case may be; provided, however, that Indemnitee shall return, without interest, any such advance of Expenses (or portion thereof) which remains unspent at the final disposition of the Claim to which the advance related. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, Indemnitee shall be required to reimburse the Company in the event that a final judicial determination is made that such action brought by Indemnitee was frivolous or not made in good faith.

6. Partial Indemnity. If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of any Indemnifiable Loss, but not for all of the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion thereof to which Indemnitee is entitled.

7. Notification and Defense of Claims.

(a) Notification of Claims. Indemnitee shall notify the Company in writing as soon as practicable of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss for which Indemnitee could seek Expense Advances, including a brief description (based upon information then available to Indemnitee) of the nature of, and the facts underlying, such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss. If, at the time of the receipt of such notice, the Company has directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in effect under which coverage for such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss is potentially available, the Company shall give prompt written notice of such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss to the applicable insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the

applicable policies. The Company shall provide to Indemnitee a copy of such notice delivered to the applicable insurers, and copies of all subsequent correspondence between the Company and such insurers regarding the Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss, in each case substantially concurrently with the delivery or receipt thereof by the Company. The failure by Indemnitee to timely notify the Company of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss shall not relieve the Company from any liability hereunder, and any delay in so notifying the Company shall not constitute a waiver by Indemnitee of any rights under this Agreement.

(b) Defense of Claims. The Company shall be entitled to participate in the defense of any Indemnifiable Claim at its own expense and, except as otherwise provided below, to the extent the Company so wishes, it may assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee. After notice from the Company to Indemnitee of its election to assume the defense of any Indemnifiable Claim, the Company shall not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement or otherwise for any Expenses subsequently directly incurred by Indemnitee in connection with Indemnitee’s defense of such Indemnifiable Claim other than reasonable costs of investigation or as otherwise provided below. Indemnitee shall have the right to employ [his/her] own legal counsel in such Indemnifiable Claim, but all Expenses related to such counsel incurred after notice from the Company of is assumption of the defense shall be at Indemnitee’s own expenses; provided, however, that if (i) Indemnitee’s employment of its own legal counsel has been authorized by the Company, (ii) Indemnitee has reasonably determined that there may be a conflict of interest between Indemnitee and the Company in the defense of such Indemnifiable Claim, (iii) after a Change in Control, Indemnitee’s employment of its counsel has been approved by the Independent counsel, (iv) the use of counsel chosen by the Company to represent Indemnitee would present such counsel with an actual or potential conflict, (v) the named parties in any such Indemnifiable Claim (including any impleaded parties) include both the Company and Indemnitee and Indemnitee shall conclude that there may be one or more legal defenses available to him or her that are different from or in addition to those available to the Company, (vi) any such representation by counsel chosen by the Company would be precluded under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing or (vii) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense of such Indemnifiable Claim, then Indemnitee shall be entitled to retain separate counsel (but not more than one law firm plus, if applicable, local counsel in respect of any particular Indemnifiable Claim) and all Expenses related to such separate counsel shall be borne by the Company.

8. Procedure upon Application for Indemnification. In order to obtain indemnification pursuant to this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor, including in such request such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification following the final disposition of the Indemnifiable Claim, provided that documentation and information need not be so provided to the extent that the provision thereof would undermine or otherwise jeopardize attorney-client privilege. Indemnification shall be made insofar as the Company determines Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification in accordance with Section 9 below.

9. Determination of Right to Indemnification.

(a) Mandatory Indemnification; Indemnification as a Witness.

(i) To the extent that Indemnitee shall have been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any Indemnifiable Claim or any portion thereof or in defense of any issue or matter therein, including dismissal without prejudice, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Indemnifiable Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from such Indemnifiable Claim in accordance with Section 3 to the fullest extent allowable by law, and no Standard of Conduct Determination (as defined in Section 9(b)) shall be required.

(ii) To the extent that Indemnitee’s involvement in an Indemnifiable Claim is to prepare to serve and serve as a witness, and not as a party, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Indemnifiable Losses incurred in connection therewith to the fullest extent allowable by law, and no Standard of Conduct Determination (as defined in Section 9(b)) shall be required.

(b) Standard of Conduct. To the extent that the provisions of Section 9(a) are inapplicable to an Indemnifiable Claim that shall have been finally disposed of, any determination of whether Indemnitee has satisfied any applicable standard of conduct under Delaware law that is a legally required condition precedent to indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against Indemnifiable Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from such Indemnifiable Claim and any determination that Expense Advances must be repaid to the Company (a “Standard of Conduct Determination”) shall be made as follows:

(i) if a Change in Control shall not have occurred, or if a Change in Control shall have occurred but Indemnitee shall have requested that the Standard of Conduct Determination be made pursuant to this clause (i), (A) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even if less than a quorum of the Board, (B) if such Disinterested Directors so direct, by a majority vote of a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of all Disinterested Directors, or (C) if there are no such Disinterested Directors, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion addressed to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee; and

(ii) if a Change in Control shall have occurred and Indemnitee shall not have requested that the Standard of Conduct Determination be made pursuant to clause (i), by Independent Counsel in a written opinion addressed to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee.

Indemnitee will cooperate with the person or persons making such Standard of Conduct Determination, including providing to such person or persons, upon reasonable advance request, any documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall reimburse Indemnitee for, or advance to Indemnitee, within five business days of such request, any and Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person or persons making such Standard of Conduct Determination.

(c) Making the Standard of Conduct Determination. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause any Standard of Conduct Determination required under Section 9(b) to be made as promptly as practicable. If (i) the person or persons empowered or selected under Section 9(b) to make the Standard of Conduct Determination shall not have made a determination within 30 days after the later of (A) receipt by the Company of written notice from Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to Section 8 (the date of such receipt being the

“Notification Date”) and (B) the selection of an Independent Counsel, if such determination is to be made by Independent Counsel, that is permitted under the provisions of Section 9(e) to make such determination and (ii) Indemnitee shall have fulfilled his/her obligations set forth in the first sentence of the last paragraph of Section 9(b), then Indemnitee shall be deemed to have satisfied the applicable standard of conduct; provided that such 30-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional 30 days, if the person or persons making such determination in good faith requires such additional time for the obtaining or evaluation or documentation and/or information relating thereto. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no determination as to entitlement of Indemnitee to indemnification under this Agreement shall be required to be made prior to the final disposition of any Indemnifiable Claim.

(d) Payment of Indemnification. If (i) Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification hereunder against any Indemnifiable Losses pursuant to Section 9(a), (ii) no Standard of Conduct Determination is legally required as a condition to indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against any Indemnifiable Losses, or (iii) Indemnitee has been determined or deemed pursuant to Section 9(b) or 9(c) to have satisfied any applicable Standard of Conduct Determination, then the Company shall pay to Indemnitee, within five business days after the later of (A) the Notification Date in respect of the Indemnifiable Claim or portion thereof to which such Indemnifiable Losses are related, out of which such Indemnifiable Losses arose or from which such Indemnifiable Losses resulted and (B) the earliest date on which the applicable criterion specified in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above shall have been satisfied, an amount equal to the amount of such Indemnifiable Losses.

(e) Selection of Independent Counsel for Standard of Conduct Determination. If a Standard of Conduct Determination is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 9(b)(i), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board of Directors, and the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising [him/her] of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. If a Standard of Conduct Determination is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 9(b)(ii), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee, and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. In either case, Indemnitee or the Company, as applicable, may, within five business days after receiving written notice of selection from the other, deliver to the other a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not satisfy the criteria set forth in the definition of “Independent Counsel” in Section 1(m), and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person or firm so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is properly and timely made and substantiated, (i) the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court has determined that such objection is without merit and (ii) the non-objecting party may, at its option, select an alternative Independent Counsel and give written notice to the other party advising such other party of the identity of the alternative Independent Counsel so selected, in which case the provisions of the two immediately preceding sentences and clause (i) of this sentence shall apply to such subsequent selection and notice. If applicable, the provisions of clause (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to successive alternative selections. If no Independent Counsel that is permitted under the foregoing provisions of this Section 9(e) to make the Standard of Conduct Determination shall have been selected within 30 days after the Company gives its initial notice pursuant to the first sentence of this Section 9(e) or Indemnitee gives its initial notice

pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 9(e), as the case may be, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (“Delaware Court”) to resolve any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person or firm selected by the Court or by such other person as the Delaware Court shall designate, and the person or firm with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person or firm so appointed will act as Independent Counsel. In all events, the Company shall pay all of the reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent Counsel incurred in connection with the Independent Counsel’s determination pursuant to Section 9(b).

(f) Presumption and Defenses.

(i) Indemnitee’s Entitlement to Indemnification. In making any Standard of Conduct Determination, the person or persons making such determination shall presume that Indemnitee has satisfied the applicable standard of conduct and is entitled to indemnification, and the Company may overcome such presumption only by its adducing clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Any Standard of Conduct Determination that is adverse to Indemnitee may be challenged by Indemnitee in the Delaware Court. No determination by the Company (including by its directors or any Independent Counsel) that Indemnitee has not satisfied any applicable standard of conduct shall be a defense to any legal proceedings brought by Indemnitee to secure indemnification or reimbursement or advance payment of Expenses by the Company hereunder or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard of conduct.

(ii) Reliance as a Safe Harbor. For purposes of this Agreement, and without creating any presumption as to a lack of good faith if the following circumstances do not exist, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith and in a manner [he/she] reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of the Company if Indemnitee’s actions or omissions to act are taken in good faith reliance upon the records of the Company, including its financial statements, or upon information, opinions, reports or statements furnished to Indemnitee by the officers or employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the course of their duties, or by committees of the Board or by any other Person (including legal counsel, accountants and financial advisors) as to matters Indemnitee reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Company. In addition, the knowledge and/or actions, or failures to act, of any director, officer, agent or employee of the Company shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnity hereunder..

(iii) No Other Presumptions. For purposes of this Agreement, the termination of any Claim by judgment, order, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, will not create a presumption that Indemnitee did not meet any applicable standard of conduct or have any particular belief, or that indemnification hereunder is otherwise not permitted.

(iv) Defense to Indemnification and Burden of Proof. It shall be a defense to any action brought by Indemnitee against the Company to enforce this Agreement (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for Indemnifiable Losses incurred in defending against an Indemnifiable Claim in advance of its final disposition) that it is not permissible under applicable law for the Company to indemnify Indemnitee for the amount claimed. In connection with any such action or any related Standard of Conduct Determination, the burden of proving such a defense or that the Indemnitee did not satisfy the applicable standard of conduct shall be on the Company.

(v) Resolution of Claims. The Company acknowledges that a settlement or other disposition short of final judgment may be successful on the merits or otherwise for purposes of Section 9.1(a)(i) if it permits a party to avoid expense, delay, distraction, disruption and uncertainty. In the event that any Indemnifiable Claim to which Indemnitee is a party is resolved in any manner other than by adverse judgment against Indemnitee (including, without limitation, settlement or such action, claim or proceeding with or without payment of money or other consideration) it shall be presumed that Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise for purposes of Section 9.1(a)(i). The Company shall have the burden of proof to overcome this presumption.

10. Exclusions from Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated to:

(a) indemnify or advance funds to Indemnitee for Expenses or Losses with respect to proceedings initiated by Indemnitee, including any proceedings against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees and not by way of defense, except:

(i) proceedings referenced in Section 5 above (unless a court of competent jurisdiction determines that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee in such proceeding was not made in good faith or was frivolous); or

(ii) where the Company has joined in or the Board has consented to the initiation of such proceedings.

(b) indemnify Indemnitee if a final decision by a court of competent jurisdiction determines that such indemnification is prohibited by applicable law.

(c) indemnify Indemnitee for the disgorgement of profits arising from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company in violation of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, or any similar successor statute.

(d) indemnify or advance funds to Indemnitee for Indemnitee’s reimbursement to the Company or any bonus or other incentive-based or equity-based compensation previously received by Indemnitee from the sale of securities of the Company, as required in each case under the Exchange Act (including any such reimbursements under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in connection with an accounting restatement of the Company or the payment to the Company of profits arising from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 306 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act).

11. Settlement of Claims; Contribution.

(a) The Company shall not enter into any settlement of any Claim in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Claim) unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee.

(b) To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification rights provided for in this Agreement are unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee, shall pay, in the first instance, the entire amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with any Claim without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment, and the Company hereby waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it may have at any time against Indemnitee.

(c) The Company hereby agrees, to the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, to fully indemnify Indemnitee from any claims for contribution which may be brought by any representative of the Company other than Indemnitee who may be jointly liable with Indemnitee.

12. Duration. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period that Indemnitee is a director or officer of the Company (or is serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, member, trustee or agent of a Controlled Affiliate) and shall continue thereafter (i) so long as Indemnitee may be subject to any possible Indemnifiable Claim (including any rights of appeal thereto) and (ii) throughout the pendency of any proceeding (including any rights of appeal thereto) commenced by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret [his/her] rights under this Agreement, even if, in either case, [he/she] may have ceased to serve in such capacity at the time of any such Indemnifiable Claim or proceeding.

13. Non-Exclusivity. The rights of Indemnitee hereunder will be in addition to any other rights Indemnitee may have under the Constituent Documents, or the substantive laws of the Company’s jurisdiction of formation, any other contract or otherwise (collectively, “Other Indemnity Provisions” ); provided, however, that (a) to the extent that Indemnitee otherwise would have any greater right to indemnification under any Other Indemnity Provision, Indemnitee will be deemed to have such greater right hereunder and (b) to the extent that any change is made to any Other Indemnity Provision which permits any greater right to indemnification than that provided under this Agreement as of the date hereof, Indemnitee will be deemed to have such greater right hereunder. Except as set forth in the proviso to the immediately preceding sentence, the Other Indemnity Provisions shall not be taken into account in construing or applying the provisions of this Agreement, which are intended to operate independently of the Other Indemnity Provisions. The Company will not adopt any amendment to any of the Constituent Documents the effect of which would be to deny, diminish or encumber Indemnitee’s right to indemnification under this Agreement or any Other Indemnity Provision.

14. Liability Insurance and Funding. For the duration of Indemnitee’s service as a [director/officer] of the Company, and thereafter for so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any pending or possible Indemnifiable Claim, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts (taking into account the scope and amount of coverage available relative to the cost thereof) to cause to be maintained in effect policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing coverage for directors and/or officers of the Company that is at least substantially comparable in scope and amount to that provided by the Company’s current policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. Upon request, the Company shall provide Indemnitee with a copy of all directors’ and officers’ liability insurance applications, binders, policies, declarations, endorsements and other related materials, and shall provide Indemnitee with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on the same. Without limiting the generality or effect of the two immediately preceding sentences, the Company shall not discontinue or significantly reduce

the scope or amount of coverage from one policy period to the next (i) without the prior approval thereof by a majority vote of the Incumbent Directors, even if less than a quorum, or (ii) if at the time that any such discontinuation or significant reduction in the scope or amount of coverage is proposed there are no Incumbent Directors, without the prior written consent of Indemnitee (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed). In all policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance maintained by the Company, Indemnitee shall be named as an insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee the same rights and benefits, subject to the same limitations, as are provided to the most favorably insured of the Company’s directors, if Indemnitee is a director, or of the Company’s officers, if Indemnitee is an officer (and not an a director) by such policy. The Company may, but shall not be required to, create a trust fund, grant a security interest or use other means, including a letter of credit, to ensure the payment of such amounts as may be necessary to satisfy its obligations to indemnify and advance expenses pursuant to this Agreement.

15. Subrogation. In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee against other Persons (other than Indemnitee’s successors), including any entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of the definition of “Indemnifiable Claim” in Section 1(k). Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do everything that may be necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents necessary to enable the Company effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.

16. No Duplication of Payments. The Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment to Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Losses to the extent Indemnitee has otherwise actually received payment (net of Expenses incurred in connection therewith) under any insurance policy, the Constituent Documents, Other Indemnity Provisions or otherwise (including from any entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of the definition of “Indemnifiable Claim” in Section 1(k)) in respect of such Indemnifiable Losses otherwise indemnifiable by the Company hereunder.

17. Binding Agreement; Successors and Assignment.

(a) Binding Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company (and such successor will thereafter be deemed the “Company” for purposes of this Agreement), assigns, spouses, heirs and personal and legal representative. The Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise) to all, substantially all or a substantial part of the business and/or assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Indemnitee and [his/her] counsel, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

(b) Assignment. This Agreement is personal in nature and neither of the parties hereto shall, without the consent of the other, assign or delegate this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder except as expressly provided in Section 17(a). Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, Indemnitee’s right to receive payments hereunder shall not be assignable, whether by pledge, creation of a security interest or otherwise, other than by a transfer by Indemnitee’s will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, in the event of any attempted assignment or transfer contrary to this Section 17(b), the Company shall have no liability to pay any amount so attempted to be assigned or transferred.

18. Notices. For all purposes of this Agreement, all communications, including notices, consents, requests or approvals, required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when hand delivered or dispatched by electronic facsimile transmission (with receipt thereof orally confirmed), or five business days after having been mailed by United States registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid or one business day after having been sent for next-day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, addressed to the Company (to the attention of the Secretary of the Company) and to Indemnitee at the applicable address shown on the signature page hereto, or to such other address as any party may have furnished to the other in writing and in accordance herewith, except that notices of changes of address will be effective only upon receipt.

19. Governing Law and Forum. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of Delaware applicable to contracts made and to be performed in such state without giving effect to the principles of conflict of laws of such State. The Company and Indemnitee each hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (a) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Delaware Court and not in any other state or federal court in the United States, (b) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, and (d) waive, and agree not to plead or make, any claim that the Delaware Court lacks venue or that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

20. Validity. If any provision of this Agreement or the application of any provision hereof to any Person or circumstance is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal, the remainder of this Agreement and the application of such provision to any other Person or circumstance shall not be affected, and the provision so held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal shall be reformed to the extent, and only to the extent, necessary to make it enforceable, valid or legal. In the event that any court of competent jurisdiction or other adjudicative body shall decline to reform any provision of this Agreement held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal as contemplated by the immediately preceding sentence, the parties hereto shall take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate to replace the provision so held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal with one or more alternative provisions that effectuate the purpose and intent of the original provisions of this Agreement as fully as possible without being invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal.

21. Amendments and Waivers. No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both parties hereto. No wavier of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be binding unless in the form of a writing signed by the party against whom enforcement of the waiver is sought, and no such waiver shall operate as a waiver of any other provisions hereof (whether or not similar), nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. Except as specifically provided herein, no failure to exercise or delay in exercising any right or remedy hereunder shall constitute a waiver thereof. No agreements or representations, oral or otherwise, expressed or implied with respect to the subject matter hereof have been made by either party that are not set forth expressly in this Agreement.

22. Legal Fees and Expenses. It is the intent of the Company that Indemnitee not be required to incur legal fees and or other Expenses associated with the interpretation, enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement by litigation or otherwise because the cost and expense thereof would substantially detract from the benefits intended to be extended to Indemnitee hereunder. Accordingly, without limiting the generality or effect of any other provision hereof, if it should appear to Indemnitee that the Company has failed to comply with any of its obligations under this Agreement or in the event that the Company or any other Person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, the Company irrevocably authorizes Indemnitee from time to time to retain counsel of Indemnitee’s choice, at the expense of the Company as hereafter provided, to advise and represent Indemnitee in connection with any such interpretation, enforcement or defense, including the initiation or defense of any litigation or other legal action, whether by or against the Company or any director, officer, member or other person affiliated with the Company, in any jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any existing or prior attorney-client relationship between the Company and such counsel, the Company irrevocably consents to Indemnitee’s entering into an attorney-client relationship with such counsel, and in that connection the Company and Indemnitee agree that a confidential relationship shall exist between Indemnitee and such counsel. Without respect to whether Indemnitee prevails, in whole or in part, in connection with any of the foregoing, the Company will pay and be solely financially responsible for any and all attorneys’ and related fees and expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any of the foregoing.

23. Certain Interpretive Matters. Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (a) “it” or “its” or words of any gender include each other gender, (b) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively, (c) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement, (d) the terms “Article,” “Section,” “Annex” or “Exhibit” refer to the specified Article, Section, Annex or Exhibit of or to this Agreement, (e) the terms “include,” “includes” and “including” will be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation” (whether or not so expressed), and (f) the word “or” is disjunctive but not exclusive. Whenever this Agreement refers to a number of days, such number will refer to calendar days unless business days are specified and whenever action must be taken (including the giving of notice or the delivery of documents) under this Agreement during a certain period of time or by a particular date that ends or occurs on a non-business day, then such period or date will be extended until the immediately following business day. As used herein, “business day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or a United States federal holiday. The Section headings contained in this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a part of this Agreement.

24. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

25. Indemnitor of First Resort. The Company hereby acknowledges that Indemnitee may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement and insurance provided by one or more Persons with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated. The Company hereby acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Company shall be the indemnitor of first resort with respect to any

Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss, (ii) the Company shall be primarily liable for all indemnification and advancement of Expenses obligations provided hereunder and any indemnification or advancement of Expenses afforded to Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss, whether created by applicable law, organizational or constituent documents, contract (including this Agreement) or otherwise, (iii) any obligation of any other Persons with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated to indemnify Indemnitee or advance Expenses or liabilities to Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss shall be secondary to the obligations of the Company hereunder, (iv) the Company shall be required to indemnify Indemnitee and advance Expenses or liabilities to Indemnitee hereunder to the fullest extent provided herein without regard to any rights Indemnitee may have against any other Person with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated or insurer of any such Person and (v) the Company irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases any other Person with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated from any claim of contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect of amounts paid by the Company hereunder. In the event any other Person with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated or their insurers advances or extinguishes any liability or loss which is the subject of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss owed by the Company or payable under any Company insurance policy, the payor shall have a right of subrogation against the Company or its insurer or insurers for all amounts so paid which would otherwise be payable by the Company or its insurer or insurers under this Agreement. In no event will payment of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss by any other Person with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated or their insurers affect the obligations of the Company hereunder or shift primary liability for any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss to any other Person with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated. Any indemnification, insurance or advancement provided by any other Person with whom or which Indemnitee may be associated with respect to any liability arising as a result of Indemnitee’s status as director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or capacity as an officer or director of any Person is specifically in excess over any indemnification or advancement of Expenses provided by the Company hereunder or valid and any collectible insurance (including but not limited to any malpractice insurance or professional errors and omissions insurance).

[Signatures Appear On Following Page]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Indemnitee has executed and the Company has caused its duly authorized representative to execute this Agreement as of the date first above written.


CRESTWOOD EQUITY GP LLC 811 Main Street, Suite 3400 Houston, Texas 77002

By:
		Name
		Title:

[DIRECTOR/OFFICER] [ADDRESS] [ADDRESS] [ADDRESS] [CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE]


[NAME]

EXHIBIT A

FORM OF UNDERTAKING TO REPAY ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES

[DATE]

[OFFICER(S) TO WHOM NOTICE IS DELIVERED]

Crestwood Equity GP LLC

811 Main Street, Suite 3400

Houston, Texas 77002

Re:	Undertaking to Repay Advancement of Expenses.

Dear [ADDRESSEE]:

This undertaking is being provided pursuant to that certain Indemnification Agreement, dated [DATE], by and between Crestwood Equity GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), and the undersigned as Indemnitee (the “Indemnification Agreement”). Terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Indemnification Agreement. Pursuant to the Indemnification Agreement, among other things, I am entitled to the advancement of Expenses paid or incurred in connection with Indemnifiable Claims.

I have become subject to [DESCRIPTION OF PROCEEDING] (the “Proceeding”) based on [my status as [an officer/[TITLE OF OFFICER]/a director] of the Company/alleged actions or failures to act in my capacity as [an officer/[TITLE OF OFFICER]/a director] of the Company.] This undertaking also constitutes notice to the Company of the Proceeding pursuant to Section 7 of the Indemnification Agreement. The following is a brief description of the [current status of the] Proceeding:

[DESCRIPTION OF PROCEEDING]

Pursuant to Section 4 of the Indemnification Agreement, the Company can (a) pay such Expenses on my behalf, (b) advance funds in an amount sufficient to pay such Expenses, or (c) reimburse me for such Expenses. Pursuant to Section 4 of the Indemnification Agreement, I hereby request an Expense Advance in connection with the Proceeding. The Expenses for which advances are requested are as follows:

[DESCRIPTION OF EXPENSES]

In connection with the request for Expense Advances [set out above/delivered to the Company separately on [DATE]], I hereby undertake to repay any amounts paid, advanced or reimbursed by the Company for such Expense Advances to the extent that it is ultimately determined that I am not entitled to indemnification under the Indemnification Agreement.

A-1

This undertaking shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws thereof.

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

Very truly yours,

Name:

[Title:]

[cc:	[ADD PARTY NAME AND ADDRESS AS REQUIRED]]

A-2

Crestwood Equity Partners (CEQP) 8-KEntry into a Material Definitive Agreement