Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under the Archaea Energy Inc. 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan

EX-10.5 2 archaea-exfor10xqxformofps.htm EX-10.5 Document
Exhibit 10.5
ARCHAEA ENERGY INC.
2021 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT GRANT NOTICE

Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Archaea Energy Inc. 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time (the “Plan”), Archaea Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby grants to the individual listed below (“you” or the “Participant”) the number of performance-based restricted stock units (the “PSUs”) set forth below. This award of PSUs (this “Award”) is subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, in the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Agreement”) and in the Plan, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Plan.

Type of Award:    Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units

Participant:    __________________________________

Date of Grant:    __________________________________

Target Number of
Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (“Target PSUs”):



        __________________________________
Performance Period:    The period commencing as of ____________________ and ending ________________ (the “Performance Period”).

Vesting:    Subject to Section 5 of the Agreement, the Plan and the other terms and conditions set forth herein, the PSUs shall vest based on achievement of the performance vesting conditions set forth on Exhibit B during the Performance Period, so long as you remain continuously employed by, or providing services to, the Company or an Affiliate from the Date of Grant through the Certification Date (as defined in Exhibit B). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of your death or Disability, a pro-rated portion of the outstanding and unvested PSUs shall immediately vest, with such portion determined by multiplying the number of Target PSUs by a fraction, (i) the numerator of which equals the number of calendar days that you were employed by, or providing services to, the Company or an Affiliate since the Date of Grant and (ii) the denominator of which equals the number of calendar days in the Performance Period.

By your signature below, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Agreement and this Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice (this “Grant Notice”). You acknowledge that you have reviewed the Agreement, the Plan and this Grant Notice in their entirety and fully understand all provisions of the Agreement, the Plan and this Grant Notice. You hereby agree to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Committee regarding any questions or determinations arising under the Agreement, the Plan or this Grant Notice. This Grant Notice may be executed in one or more



counterparts (including portable document format (.pdf) and facsimile counterparts), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

Notwithstanding any provision of this Grant Notice or the Agreement, if you have not executed and delivered to the Company either this Grant Notice or a copy of that certain Confidentiality, Intellectual Property, Non- Competition, and Non-Solicitation Agreement, by and between you and the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”), in each case, prior to the date on which any portion of this Award would otherwise vest, the Company shall have the right to immediately cancel this Award and cause a forfeiture of this Award for no consideration, and this Grant Notice and the Agreement shall in such event be null and void ab initio and of no force or effect.

[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Grant Notice to be executed by an officer thereunto duly authorized, and the Participant has executed this Grant Notice, effective for all purposes as provided above.

ARCHAEA ENERGY INC.

By:     ______________________________
Name:     ______________________________
Title:    ______________________________



































Signature Page to
Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice



EXHIBIT A

PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT

This Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (together with the Grant Notice to which this Agreement is attached, this “Agreement”) is made as of the Date of Grant set forth in the Grant Notice to which this Agreement is attached by and between Archaea Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and __________________________________ (the “Participant”). Capitalized terms used but not specifically defined herein shall have the meanings specified in the Plan or the Grant Notice.

1.Award. In consideration of the Participant’s past and/or continued employment with, or service to, the Company or an Affiliate and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, effective as of the Date of Grant set forth in the Grant Notice (the “Date of Grant”), the Company hereby grants to the Participant the number of PSUs set forth in the Grant Notice on the terms and conditions set forth in the Grant Notice, this Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference as a part of this Agreement. In the event of any inconsistency between the Plan and this Agreement, the terms of the Plan shall control. To the extent vested, each PSU represents the right to receive one Share, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Grant Notice, this Agreement and the Plan. Unless and until the PSUs have become vested in the manner set forth in the Grant Notice, the Participant will have no right to receive any Shares or other payments in respect of the PSUs. Prior to settlement of this Award, the PSUs and this Award represent an unsecured obligation of the Company, payable only from the general assets of the Company.

2.Vesting of PSUs. Except as otherwise set forth in Section 5, the PSUs shall vest in accordance with the vesting schedule set forth in the Grant Notice. Unless and until the PSUs have vested in accordance with such vesting schedule, the Participant will have no right to receive any dividends or other distribution with respect to the PSUs. Upon the Participant’s Termination of Service prior to the vesting of all of the PSUs, any unvested PSUs (and all rights arising from such PSUs and from being a holder thereof) will terminate automatically without any further action by the Company and will be forfeited without further notice and at no cost to the Company, except as expressly provided in a written employment-related agreement with the Participant effective on or prior to the Date of Grant or, if the Participant is a participant in any severance plan, such severance plan.

3.Dividend Equivalents. In the event that the Company declares and pays a dividend in respect of its outstanding Shares and, on the record date for such dividend, the Participant holds PSUs granted pursuant to this Agreement that have not been settled, the Company shall record the amount of such dividend in a bookkeeping account and pay to the Participant an amount in cash equal to the cash dividends the Participant would have received if the Participant was the holder of record, as of such record date, of a number of Shares equal to the number of PSUs held by the Participant that have not been settled as of such record date, such payment to be made on the date on which such PSUs are settled in accordance with Section 4 (the “Dividend Equivalents”). For purposes of clarity, if the PSUs (or any portion thereof) are forfeited by the Participant pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, then the Participant shall also forfeit the Dividend Equivalents, if any, accrued with respect to such forfeited PSUs. No interest will accrue on the Dividend Equivalents between the declaration and payment of the applicable dividends and the settlement of the Dividend Equivalents.

4.Settlement of PSUs. As soon as administratively practicable following the vesting of PSUs pursuant to Section 2, but in no event later than 30 days after the Certification Date, the Company shall deliver to the Participant a number of Shares equal to the number of PSUs subject to this Award. All Shares issued hereunder shall be delivered either by delivering
Exhibit A-2









one or more certificates for such shares to the Participant or by entering such shares in book-entry form, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. The value of Shares shall not bear any interest owing to the passage of time. Neither this Section 4 nor any action taken pursuant to or in accordance with this Agreement shall be construed to create a trust or a funded or secured obligation of any kind.

5.Restrictive Covenants. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement or the Plan to the contrary, in the event the Committee determines that Participant has failed to abide by the provisions of any confidentiality, non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disparagement or similar covenant in any agreement by and between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant, then all PSUs that have not been settled as of the date of such determination (and all rights arising from such PSUs and from being a holder thereof) will terminate automatically without any further action by the Company or the Participant and will be forfeited without further notice and at no cost to the Company.

6.Tax Withholding. To the extent that the receipt, vesting or settlement of this Award results in compensation income or wages to the Participant for federal, state, local and/or foreign tax purposes, the Participant shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Company regarding the payment of, any income tax, social insurance contribution or other applicable taxes that are required to be withheld in respect of this Award, which arrangements include the delivery of cash or cash equivalents, Shares (including previously owned Shares (which is not subject to any pledge or other security interest), net settlement, a broker-assisted sale, or other cashless withholding or reduction of the amount of Shares otherwise issuable or delivered pursuant to this Award), other property, or any other legal consideration the Committee deems appropriate. If such tax obligations are satisfied through net settlement or the surrender of previously owned Shares, the maximum number of Shares that may be so withheld (or surrendered) shall be the number of Shares that have an aggregate Fair Market Value on the date of withholding or surrender equal to the aggregate amount of such tax liabilities determined based on the greatest withholding rates for federal, state, local and/or foreign tax purposes, including payroll taxes, that may be utilized without creating adverse accounting treatment for the Company with respect to this Award, as determined by the Committee. Any fraction of a Share withheld but not required to satisfy such tax obligations shall be paid instead in cash to the Participant. The Participant acknowledges that there may be adverse tax consequences upon the receipt, vesting or settlement of this Award or disposition of the underlying Shares and that the Participant has been advised, and hereby is advised, to consult a tax advisor. The Participant represents that the Participant is in no manner relying on the Board, the Committee, the Company or an Affiliate or any of their respective managers, directors, officers, employees or authorized representatives (including attorneys, accountants, consultants, bankers, lenders, prospective lenders and financial representatives) for tax advice or an assessment of such tax consequences.

7.Employment/Service Relationship. For purposes of this Agreement, Participant shall be considered to be employed by, or providing services to, the Company or an Affiliate as long as Participant remains an employee or other service provider of any of the Company, an Affiliate or a corporation or other entity (or a parent or subsidiary of such corporation or other entity) assuming or substituting a new award for this Award.

8.Non-Transferability. During the lifetime of the Participant, the PSUs may not be sold, pledged, assigned or transferred in any manner other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, unless and until the Shares underlying the PSUs have been issued, and all restrictions applicable to such shares have lapsed. Neither the PSUs nor any interest or right therein shall be liable for the debts, contracts or engagements of the Participant or his or her successors in interest or shall be subject to disposition by transfer, alienation, anticipation, pledge, encumbrance, assignment or any other means, whether such disposition be voluntary or
Exhibit A-3









involuntary or by operation of law by judgment, levy, attachment, garnishment or any other legal or equitable proceedings (including bankruptcy), and any attempted disposition thereof shall be null and void and of no effect, except to the extent that such disposition is permitted by the preceding sentence.

9.Compliance with Applicable Law. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the issuance of Shares hereunder will be subject to compliance with all applicable requirements of applicable law with respect to such securities and with the requirements of any stock exchange or market system upon which the Shares may then be listed. No Shares will be issued hereunder if such issuance would constitute a violation of any applicable law or regulation or the requirements of any stock exchange or market system upon which the Shares may then be listed. In addition, Shares will not be issued hereunder unless (a) a registration statement under the Securities Act is in effect at the time of such issuance with respect to the Shares to be issued or (b) in the opinion of legal counsel to the Company, the Shares to be issued are permitted to be issued in accordance with the terms of an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The inability of the Company to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary for the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue such shares as to which such requisite authority has not been obtained. As a condition to any issuance of Shares hereunder, the Company may require the Participant to satisfy any requirements that may be necessary or appropriate to evidence compliance with any applicable law or regulation and to make any representation or warranty with respect to such compliance as may be requested by the Company.

10.Rights as a Stockholder. The Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder of the Company with respect to any Shares that may become deliverable hereunder unless and until the Participant has become the holder of record of such Shares, and no adjustments shall be made for dividends in cash or other property, distributions or other rights in respect of any such Shares, except as otherwise specifically provided for in the Plan or this Agreement.

11.Execution of Receipts and Releases. Any issuance or transfer of Shares or other property to the Participant or the Participant’s legal representative, heir, legatee or distributee, in accordance with this Agreement shall be in full satisfaction of all claims of such Person hereunder. As a condition precedent to such payment or issuance, the Company may require the Participant or the Participant’s legal representative, heir, legatee or distributee to execute (and not revoke within any time provided to do so) a release and receipt therefor in such form as it shall determine appropriate; provided, however, that any review period under such release will not modify the date of settlement with respect to vested PSUs.

12.No Right to Continued Employment, Service or Awards. Nothing in the adoption of the Plan, nor the award of the PSUs thereunder pursuant to the Grant Notice and this Agreement, shall confer upon the Participant the right to continued employment by, or a continued service relationship with, the Company or any Affiliate, or any other entity, or affect in any way the right of the Company or any such Affiliate, or any other entity to terminate such employment or other service relationship at any time. Unless otherwise provided in a written employment or service agreement or by applicable law, the Participant’s employment or service with the Company, or any such Affiliate, or any other entity shall be on an at-will basis, and the employment or service relationship may be terminated at any time by either the Participant or the Company, or any such Affiliate, or other entity for any reason whatsoever, with or without cause or notice. Any question as to whether and when there has been a termination of such employment or service, and the cause of such termination, shall be determined by the Committee or its delegate, and such determination shall be final, conclusive and binding for all purposes. This
Exhibit A-4









Award is a one-time benefit that was made at the sole discretion of the Company and does not create any contractual or other right to receive a grant of PSUs or other Awards or any payment or benefits in the future, including any adjustment to wages, overtime, benefits or other compensation. Any future Awards will be granted at the sole discretion of the Company.

13.Notices. All notices and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be specified by like notice):

If to the Company, unless otherwise designated by the Company in a written notice to the Participant (or other holder):

Archaea Energy Inc.
Attn: General Counsel
500 Technology Drive, Second Floor
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania 15317

If to the Participant, at the Participant’s last known address on file with the Company.

Any notice that is delivered personally or by overnight courier or telecopier in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to have been duly given to the Participant when it is mailed by the Company or, if such notice is not mailed to the Participant, upon receipt by the Participant. Any notice that is addressed and mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been given to the party to whom it is addressed at the close of business, local time of the recipient, on the fourth day after the day it is so placed in the mail.

14.Consent to Electronic Delivery; Electronic Signature. In lieu of receiving documents in paper format, the Participant agrees, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to accept electronic delivery of any documents that the Company may be required to deliver (including, but not limited to, prospectuses, prospectus supplements, grant or award notifications and agreements, account statements, annual and quarterly reports and all other forms of communications) in connection with this and any other Award made or offered by the Company. Electronic delivery may be via a Company electronic mail system or by reference to a location on a Company intranet to which the Participant has access. The Participant hereby consents to any and all procedures the Company has established or may establish for an electronic signature system for delivery and acceptance of any such documents that the Company may be required to deliver, and agrees that his or her electronic signature is the same as, and shall have the same force and effect as, his or her manual signature.

15.Agreement to Furnish Information. The Participant agrees to furnish to the Company all information requested by the Company to enable it to comply with any reporting or other requirement imposed upon the Company by or under any applicable statute or regulation.

16.Entire Agreement; Amendment. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties with regard to the subject matter hereof, and contains all the covenants, promises, representations, warranties and agreements between the parties with respect to the PSUs granted hereby; provided¸ however, that any conflict between this Agreement, on the one hand, and the terms of a written employment-related agreement with the Participant effective on or prior to the Date of Grant or, if the Participant is a participant in any executive severance plan, such executive severance plan, shall be decided in favor of the provisions of such employment-related agreement or such executive severance plan, as applicable. Without limiting the scope of the preceding sentence, except as provided therein, all prior understandings and agreements, if any, among the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof are hereby null and void and of no further force and effect. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, amend this Agreement
Exhibit A-5









from time to time in any manner that is not inconsistent with the Plan; provided, however, that except as otherwise provided in the Plan or this Agreement, any such amendment that materially and adversely reduces the rights of the Participant shall be effective only if it is in writing and signed by both the Participant and an authorized officer of the Company.

17.Severability and Waiver. If a court of competent jurisdiction determines that any provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable, then the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement, and all other provisions shall remain in full force and effect. Waiver by any party of any breach of this Agreement or failure to exercise any right hereunder shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any other breach or right. The failure of any party to take action by reason of such breach or to exercise any such right shall not deprive the party of the right to take action at any time while or after such breach or condition giving rise to such rights continues.

18.Company Recoupment of Awards. The Participant’s rights with respect to this Award shall in all events be subject to (a) all rights that the Company may have under any Company recoupment policy or any other agreement or arrangement with the Participant, and (b) all rights and obligations that the Company may have regarding the clawback of “incentive-based compensation” under Section 10D of the Exchange Act and any applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder form time to time by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

19.Governing Law. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE APPLICABLE TO CONTRACTS MADE AND TO BE PERFORMED THEREIN, EXCLUSIVE OF THE CONFLICT OF LAWS PROVISIONS OF DELAWARE LAW.

20.Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Agreement without the Participant’s consent. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth herein and in the Plan, this Agreement will be binding upon the Participant and the Participant’s beneficiaries, executors, administrators and the Person(s) to whom the PSUs may be transferred by will or the laws of descent or distribution.

21.Headings; References; Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only and are not deemed to be part of this Agreement. The words “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. All references herein to Sections shall, unless the context requires a different construction, be deemed to be references to the Sections of this Agreement. The word “or” as used herein is not exclusive and is deemed to have the meaning “and/or.” All references to “including” shall be construed as meaning “including without limitation.” Unless the context requires otherwise, all references herein to a law, agreement, instrument or other document shall be deemed to refer to such law, agreement, instrument or other document as amended, supplemented, modified and restated from time to time to the extent permitted by the provisions thereof. All references to “dollars” or “$” in this Agreement refer to United States dollars. Whenever the context may require, any pronouns used herein shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns and pronouns shall include the plural and vice versa. Neither this Agreement nor any uncertainty or ambiguity herein shall be construed or resolved against any party hereto, whether under any rule of construction or otherwise. On the contrary, this Agreement has been reviewed by each of the parties hereto and shall be construed and interpreted according to the ordinary meaning of the words used so as to fairly accomplish the purposes and intentions of the parties hereto.

Exhibit A-6









22.Counterparts. The Grant Notice may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which together shall constitute one instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart of the Grant Notice by facsimile or portable document format (.pdf) attachment to electronic mail shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of the Grant Notice.

23.Section 409A. Notwithstanding anything herein or in the Plan to the contrary, the PSUs granted pursuant to this Agreement are intended to be exempt from the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and shall be limited, construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent. Nevertheless, to the extent that the Committee determines that the PSUs may not be exempt from Section 409A of the Code, then, if the Participant is deemed to be a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, as determined by the Committee, at a time when the Participant becomes eligible for settlement of the PSUs upon his “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, then to the extent necessary to prevent any accelerated or additional tax under Section 409A of the Code, such settlement will be delayed until the earlier of: (a) the date that is six months following the Participant’s separation from service and (b) the Participant’s death. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company and its Affiliates make no representations that the PSUs provided under this Agreement are exempt from or compliant with Section 409A of the Code and in no event shall the Company or any Affiliate be liable for all or any portion of any taxes, penalties, interest or other expenses that may be incurred by the Participant on account of non-compliance with Section 409A of the Code.

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Exhibit A-7









EXHIBIT B

PERFORMANCE-VESTING CONDITIONS

This Exhibit B sets forth the performance vesting conditions and methodology applicable to the PSUs. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Grant Notice, the Agreement and the Plan, the portion of the PSUs subject to this Award that become performance vested during the Performance Period, if any, will be determined upon the Committee’s certification of the achievement of the performance criteria in accordance with this Exhibit B, which shall occur within sixty (60) days following the end of the Performance Period (the “Certification Date”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the same meaning as is ascribed thereto in the Grant Notice, the Agreement or the Plan, as applicable.

A.Performance Criteria

    [    ]

B.Certification of Performance Vesting

    [    ]

All PSUs subject to this Award that are outstanding as of the date immediately following the Certification Date shall be forfeited and cancelled for no consideration if they do not become performance vested as set forth above. PSUs subject to this Award that have performance vested pursuant to this Exhibit B shall vest on the Certification Date in accordance with the Grant Notice.

Consistent with the terms of the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations, and other decisions under or with respect to the terms of the Plan or the Agreement, including this Exhibit B shall be within the sole discretion of the Committee, and shall be final, conclusive, and binding upon all persons.
Exhibit B-1