Document:

Purchase Agreement, dated May 15, 2012

 Exhibit 10.1 
 EXECUTION VERSION 
 Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. 

(Minnesota corporation) 
 $300,000,000 8.000% Senior Notes due 2020 
 PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 Dated: May 15, 2012 

 May 15, 2012 
 RBC Capital Markets, LLC 
 As Representative of the 

several Initial Purchasers listed 
 in Schedule 1 hereto 
 c/o RBC Capital Markets, LLC 

Three World Financial Center 
 200 Vesey Street

 New York, NY 10281 
 Ladies and
Gentlemen: 
 Northern Oil and Gas, Inc., a Minnesota corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to
the several initial purchasers listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the “Initial Purchasers”), for whom you are acting as Representative (the “Representative”), $300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 8.000%
Senior Notes due 2020 (the “Securities”). The Securities will be issued pursuant to an Indenture to be dated as of May 18, 2012 (the “Indenture”) between the Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association,
as trustee (the “Trustee”). 
 The Securities will be sold to the Initial Purchasers without being registered
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in reliance upon an exemption therefrom. In connection with the sale of the Securities, the Company has prepared a preliminary offering memorandum dated
May 7, 2012 (the “Preliminary Offering Memorandum”) and has prepared a pricing supplement substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Pricing Supplement”) dated May 15, 2012, setting forth
or including a description of the terms of the Securities, each for use by the Initial Purchasers in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Preliminary Offering Memorandum and the information included in Exhibit A hereto, if any, are
herein referred to as the “Time of Sale Memorandum.” Promptly after the Time of Sale (as defined below), the Company will prepare and deliver to each Initial Purchaser an offering memorandum (the “Offering
Memorandum”), which will consist of the Preliminary Offering Memorandum with such changes therein as are required to reflect the information contained in the Pricing Supplement, and from and after the time such Offering Memorandum is
delivered to each Initial Purchaser, all references herein to the Offering Memorandum shall be deemed to be a reference to both the Preliminary Offering Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. The time when sales of the Securities were first made
means 11:52 a.m., New York City Time, on the date of this Agreement (the “Time of Sale”). 
 Holders of the
Securities will be entitled to the benefits of a registration rights agreement, to be dated as of May 18, 2012 (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), among the Company and the Initial Purchasers, pursuant to which the Company
may be required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), under the circumstances set forth therein, (i) a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to another issuance of debt
securities of the Company with terms substantially identical to the Securities and of the same 

  
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series under the Indenture as the Securities (the “Exchange Securities”) to be offered in exchange for the Securities (the “Exchange Offer”) and (ii) to the
extent required by the Registration Rights Agreement, a shelf registration statement pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act relating to the resale by certain holders of the Securities, and in each case, to use its commercially reasonable
efforts to cause such registration statements to be declared effective. 
 The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the
several Initial Purchasers concerning the purchase and resale of the Securities, as follows: 
 1. Representations and
Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Initial Purchaser that: 
 (a) No Registration
Required. Subject to compliance by the Initial Purchasers with the representations and warranties set forth in Section 2(b) hereof, it is not necessary in connection with the offer, sale and delivery of the Securities to the Initial
Purchasers and to each subsequent purchaser in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum to register the Securities under the Securities Act or, until such time as the Exchange Securities
are issued pursuant to an effective registration statement, to qualify the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”). 

(b) Integration. Neither the Company nor any affiliate (as defined in Rule 501(b) of Regulation D under the Securities Act, an
“Affiliate”) of the Company has directly, or through any agent, (i) sold, offered for sale, solicited offers to buy or otherwise negotiated in respect of, any security (as defined in the Securities Act) which is or will be integrated
with the sale of the Securities in a manner that would require the registration under the Securities Act of the Securities or (ii) offered, solicited offers to buy or sold the Securities by any form of general solicitation or general
advertising (as those terms are used in Regulation D under the Securities Act) or in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. 

(c) No General Solicitation or Directed Selling Efforts. Neither the Company, its Affiliates nor any person acting on its or their
behalf has engaged or will engage in any directed selling efforts (within the meaning of Regulation S) with respect to the Securities; and the Company and its Affiliates and any person acting on its or their behalf have complied and will comply with
the offering restrictions requirement of Regulation S, except no representation, warranty or agreement is made by the Company in this paragraph with respect to the Initial Purchasers. 

(d) Preliminary Offering Memorandum, Time of Sale Memorandum and Offering Memorandum. The Preliminary Offering Memorandum, as of
its date, did not, the Time of Sale Memorandum, at the Time of Sale, did not, and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 3) will not, and the Offering Memorandum, as of its date and as of the Closing Date, will not, contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation
or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the Representative expressly for
use in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, the Time of Sale Memorandum or the Offering Memorandum. 

  
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 (e) Additional Written Communications. Other than the Preliminary Offering
Memorandum, the Pricing Supplement and the Offering Memorandum, the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Initial Purchasers in their capacity as such) has not made, used, prepared, authorized, approved or referred to and
will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities other than the documents listed on Exhibit A hereto, including the Pricing
Supplement, and other written communications used in accordance with Section 4(b). 
 (f) Organization and Good Standing
of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its
properties and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Securities, the Exchange
Securities and the Indenture. The Company is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other legal entity in each other jurisdiction in which its ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of its
business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the general affairs, management,
business, properties, condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations or prospects of the Company taken as a whole or on the performance by the Company of its obligations under the Securities (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

 (g) Eligibility for Resale under Rule 144A. The Securities are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A and
will not be, at the Closing Date, of the same class as securities listed on a national securities exchange registered under Section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or quoted in a U.S.
automated interdealer quotation system. 
 (h) Subsidiaries. The Company does not have any subsidiaries and does not own
any beneficial interest, directly or indirectly, in any corporation, partnership, joint venture or other business entity. 
 (i)
Purchase Agreement. This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. 
 (j)
Registration Rights Agreement. The Registration Rights Agreement has been duly authorized by the Company and on the Closing Date will be duly executed and delivered by the Company and, when duly executed and delivered in accordance with its
terms by each of the parties thereto, will constitute a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles. 

  
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 (k) Indenture. The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and on the
Closing Date will be duly executed and delivered by the Company and, when duly executed and delivered in accordance with its terms by each of the parties thereto, will constitute a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by
general equitable principles. The Indenture meets the requirements for qualification under the Trust Indenture Act. 
 (l)
The Securities and the Exchange Securities. The Securities have been duly authorized by the Company and, when duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered as provided in the Indenture and paid for as provided herein, will be duly and
validly issued and outstanding and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture. The Exchange Securities have been duly and
validly authorized for issuance by the Company, and when issued and authenticated in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and the Exchange Offer, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in
accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable
principles and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture. 
 (m) Description of this Agreement, the Registration
Rights Agreement, the Securities, the Exchange Securities and the Indenture. This Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Securities, the Exchange Securities and the Indenture will conform in all material respects to the respective
statements relating thereto contained in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. 
 (n) No Violation or
Default. The Company is not (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws; (ii) in breach of or default under (nor has any event occurred that, with notice or passage of time or both, would constitute a default under) or in violation of
any of the terms or provisions of any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or to which it or its properties or assets is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law, statute,
rule, regulation, judgment order or decree of any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or assets, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for
any such default or violation that has been waived or would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. 

  
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 (o) Capitalization. The information set forth under the caption
“Capitalization” in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum is fairly presented on a basis consistent with the Company’s financial statements (other than for subsequent issuances of capital stock, if any, pursuant to
employee benefit plans described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, including information incorporated by reference therein (the “2011 Annual Report”), or upon exercise
of outstanding options described in the 2011 Annual Report). There are no authorized or outstanding shares of capital stock, options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities
convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company other than those described in the 2011 Annual Report. The description of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and
the options or other rights granted thereunder, as described in the 2011 Annual Report, accurately and fairly present the information that would be required to be included in a registration statement on Form S-1 with respect to such plans,
arrangements, options and rights. 
 (p) No Conflict. The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement, the
Registration Rights Agreement, the Indenture, the Securities and the Exchange Securities by the Company and the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of, or
constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which with or without notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under), give rise to any right of termination or other right or the
cancellation or acceleration of any right or obligation or loss of a benefit under, or give rise to the creation or imposition of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, claim or charge upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to any
indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other contract, agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject, (ii) result in any violation of
the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company, or (iii) result in any violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction
over the Company or any of its properties or assets, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 (q) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any
court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Indenture, the Securities and the Exchange Securities and the performance
by the Company of its obligations hereunder and thereunder, except for such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required under applicable state securities laws or the securities laws of any
foreign jurisdictions in connection with the purchase and resale of the Securities by the Initial Purchasers and except such as may be required under applicable state securities laws or the securities laws of any foreign jurisdictions with respect
to the Company’s obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement. 
 (r) Registration Rights. There are no
contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right (other than rights which have been waived in writing in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or otherwise satisfied)
to require the Company to register any securities with the Commission. 

  
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 (s) Accuracy of Disclosure. The statements in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the
Offering Memorandum under the captions “Risk Factors—Risks Related To Our Business— Environmental risks may adversely affect our business,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related To Our Business— Federal and state legislative
and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays,” “Management,” “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions,”
“Business—Governmental Regulation and Environmental Matters” and “Description of Other Indebtedness,” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate
and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents and proceedings. 
 (t) Independent Accountants. Each of
Mantyla McReynolds LLC and Deloitte & Touche LLP (collectively, the “Independent Accountants”), who have audited certain financial statements of the Company included in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering
Memorandum, is (i) an independent public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act, (ii) a registered public accounting firm (as defined in Section 2(a)(12) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley
Act”)), and (iii) not in violation of the auditor independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum and as pre-approved in accordance with the
requirements set forth in Section 10A of the Exchange Act, neither Mantyla McReynolds LLC nor Deloitte & Touche LLP has been engaged by the Company to perform any “prohibited activities” (as defined in Section 10A of the
Exchange Act). 
 (u) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements of the Company, together with the
related schedules and notes thereto, set forth in each of the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects
(i) the financial condition of the Company as of the dates indicated and (ii) the consolidated results of operations, stockholders’ equity and changes in cash flows of the Company for the periods therein specified; and such financial
statements and related schedules and notes thereto have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise stated therein and subject, in
the case of unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and normal year-end adjustments). There are no other financial statements (historical or pro forma) that would be required to be included in a registration statement on Form S-1
that are not included in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum; and the Company does not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not disclosed in the Time of
Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum; and all disclosures contained in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the
Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10(e) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable, and present fairly the information shown therein and the Company’s basis for using such measures.

  
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 (v) Absence of Material Changes. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which
information is contained in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum and except as may be otherwise stated in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum, there has not been (i) any Material Adverse Effect,
(ii) any transaction which is material to the Company and out of the ordinary course of business, (iii) any obligation, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the Company, which is material to the
Company, (iv) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company, (v) any change in the capital stock (other than a change in the number of outstanding shares of common stock of the Company
due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants or the conversion of convertible indebtedness and the issuance of shares of restricted stock), (vi) any material change in the short-term debt or long-term debt
of the Company (other than upon conversion of convertible indebtedness) or (vii) any issuance of options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to purchase the capital stock (other than grants of stock options under the
Company’s stock option plans existing on the date hereof) of the Company. 
 (w) Legal Proceedings. There are no
legal or governmental actions, suits, claims or proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated to which the Company is or would be a party or of which any of its properties is or would be subject at law or in
equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or before or by any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority that would be required
to be included in a registration statement on Form S-1 that are not so described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum, or which, singularly or in the aggregate, if resolved adversely to the Company, would reasonably be expected
to result in a Material Adverse Effect or prevent or materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. To the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated
by governmental authorities or threatened by other third parties. 
 (x) Permits. The Company has made all filings,
applications and submissions required by, and owns or possesses all approvals, licenses, certificates, certifications, clearances, consents, exemptions, marks, notifications, orders, permits and other authorizations issued by, the appropriate
federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities, necessary to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum (collectively, “Permits”), and is in compliance in all material respects
with the terms and conditions of all such Permits. All such Permits are valid and in full force and effect. The Company has not received any notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such Permit, which, individually or
in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect. 
 (y)
Not an Investment Company. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds therefrom as described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum, will not
be (i) required to register as an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder or
(ii) a “business development company” (as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act). 

  
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 (z) No Price Stabilization. Neither the Company nor any of the Company’s
officers or directors, has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in, or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization
or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities. 
 (aa) Good
Title to Property. The Company has good and valid title to all property (whether real or personal) described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum as being owned by it, in each case free and clear of all liens, claims,
security interests, other encumbrances or defects (collectively, “Liens”), except such as are described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum and those that would not, individually or in the aggregate materially
affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company. All of the property described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum as being held under
lease by the Company is held thereby under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, without any liens, restrictions, encumbrances or claims, except such as are described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum and those that,
individually or in the aggregate, are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company. 
 (bb) Intellectual Property Rights. The Company owns or possesses the right to use all patents, trademarks, trademark registrations, service marks, service mark registrations, trade names,
copyrights, licenses, inventions, software, databases, know-how, Internet domain names, trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures, and other intellectual property
(collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on its businesses as currently conducted, and as proposed to be conducted as described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum, and the Company is not
aware of any claim to the contrary or any challenge by any other person to the rights of the Company with respect to the foregoing except for those that could not have a Material Adverse Effect. The Intellectual Property licenses described in the
Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum are, to the knowledge of the Company, valid, binding upon, and enforceable by or against the parties thereto in accordance with their terms. The Company has complied in all material respects with,
and is not in breach nor has received any asserted or threatened claim of breach of, any Intellectual Property license, and the Company has no knowledge of any breach or anticipated breach by any other person of any Intellectual Property license.
The Company’s business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted, to the knowledge of the Company, does not and will not infringe or conflict with any patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, trade secrets, licenses
or other Intellectual Property or franchise right of any person. The Company has not received notice of any claim against the Company alleging the infringement by the Company of any patent, trademark, service mark, trade name, copyright, trade
secret, license in or other intellectual property right or franchise right of any person. The Company has taken all reasonable steps to protect, maintain and safeguard its rights in all Intellectual Property, including the execution of appropriate
nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements. The consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not result in the loss or impairment of or payment of any additional amounts with respect to, nor require the consent of any other
person in respect of, the Company’s right to own, use, or hold for use any of the Intellectual Property as owned, used or 

  
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held for use in the conduct of the businesses as currently conducted. To the Company’s knowledge, no employee of the Company is the subject of any claim or proceeding involving a violation
of any term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer where the
basis of such violation relates to such employee’s employment with the Company or actions undertaken by the employee while employed with the Company. 
 (cc) No Labor Disputes. No labor problem or dispute with the employees of the Company exists, or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened or imminent, which would reasonably be expected to
result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is not aware that any key employee or significant group of employees of the Company plans to terminate employment with the Company. The Company has not engaged in any unfair labor practice and except
for matters which would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (i) there is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company before the
National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements is pending or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, (B) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage
pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company and (C) no union representation dispute currently existing concerning the employees of the Company and (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, (A) no union
organizing activities are currently taking place concerning the employees of the Company and (B) there has been no violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees,
any applicable wage or hour laws or any provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder concerning the employees of the Company. 

(dd) Taxes. The Company (i) has timely filed all necessary federal, state, local and foreign income, franchise and other
material tax returns (or timely filed applicable extensions therefor) that have been required to be filed and (ii) has paid all taxes, any assessments, fines, interest or penalties with respect thereto, other than any of which the Company is
contesting in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate reserves have been provided and reflected in the Company’s financial statements included in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum.
The Company does not have any tax deficiency that has been or is reasonably likely to be asserted or threatened against it that would, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not engaged in any
transaction which is a reportable transaction, corporate tax shelter or which could be characterized as such by the Internal Revenue Service or any other taxing authority. 
 (ee) ERISA. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of ERISA; no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect
to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal
from, any “pension plan” or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”); and each “pension
plan” for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would
cause the loss of such qualification. 

  
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 (ff) Compliance with Environmental Laws. The Company (i) is in compliance with
any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws, orders, rules, regulations, directives, decrees and judgments relating to the use, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous or toxic substances or waste and protection of human
health and safety or the environment which are applicable to its business (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) has received and is in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of it under applicable
Environmental Laws to conduct its business; and (iii) is in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses
or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. There are no costs or liabilities associated with
Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating
activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. 
 (gg) Insurance. The Company maintains or is covered by insurance provided by recognized, financially sound and reputable institutions with insurance policies in such amounts and covering such risks
as is adequate for the conduct of its business and the value of its properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries. All such insurance is fully in force on the date hereof and will be fully in force
as of the Closing Date. The Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its
business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not been denied any material insurance policy or coverage for which it has applied. The Company does not insure risk of loss through any captive insurance, risk
retention group, reciprocal group or by means of any fund or pool of assets specifically set aside for contingent liabilities other than as described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. 

(hh) Accounting Controls. The Company maintains a system of accounting controls that is in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
and is sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. 

  
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 (ii) Disclosure Controls. The Company has established, maintains and evaluates
“disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the
Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within the Company, particularly during the periods in which the periodic reports required under the Exchange Act are being prepared, (ii) have been
evaluated for effectiveness as of the end of the last fiscal period covered by the Offering Memorandum; and (iii) such disclosure controls and procedures are effective to perform the functions for which they were established. There are no
significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize, or report financial data to management and the Board of Directors
of the Company. The Company is not aware of any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls; and since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure
controls and procedures, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material
weaknesses. Except as set forth in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Audit Committee”) is not reviewing or investigating, and neither the
Company’s independent auditors nor its internal auditors have recommended that the Audit Committee review or investigate, (i) adding to, deleting, changing the application of or changing the Company’s disclosure with respect to, any
of the Company’s material accounting policies, (ii) any manner which could result in a restatement of the Company’s financial statements for any annual or interim period during the current or prior three fiscal years, or (iii) a
significant deficiency, material weakness, change in internal control over financial reporting or fraud involving management or other employees who have a significant role in the internal control over financial reporting. 

(jj) Contracts; Off-Balance Sheet Interests. There is no document, contract, permit or instrument, or off-balance sheet
transaction (including without limitation, any “variable interests” in “variable interest entities,” as such terms are defined in Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 46) of a character required by the
Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder to be described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum which is not described or filed as required. Each description of a document, contract, permit or
instrument in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum accurately reflects in all material respects the terms of the underlying document, contract, permit or instrument. The documents, contracts, permits and instruments described in
the immediately preceding sentence to which the Company is a party have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, constitute valid and binding agreements of the Company, are enforceable against and by the Company in accordance
with the terms thereof and are in full force and effect on the date hereof. Neither the Company, or to the Company’s knowledge, any other party is in default in the observance or performance of any term or obligation to be performed by it under
any such agreement, and no event has occurred which with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute such a default, in any case which default or event, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Material Adverse Effect. 

(kk) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand and
the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of their affiliates on the other hand, which would be required to be disclosed in a registration statement on Form S-1 pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K
under the Securities Act that are not so described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. 

  
 12 

 (ll) Brokers Fees. There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the
Company and any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a claim against the Company or the Initial Purchasers for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the
Securities. 
 (mm) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Time of Sale Memorandum or the Offering Memorandum have been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis therefor or have been disclosed other than in good faith.

 (nn) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company, and to its knowledge, each of the Company’s directors or officers, in their
capacities as such, is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable effective provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and any related rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission. Each of the principal executive officer and the
principal financial officer of the Company (and each former principal executive officer of the Company and each former principal financial officer of the Company as applicable) has made all certifications required by Sections 302 and 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act with respect to all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by him or her with the Commission. For purposes of the preceding sentence, “principal executive officer” and
“principal financial officer” shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. 
 (oo)
Affiliate Transactions. There are no transactions, arrangements or other relationships between and/or among the Company, any of its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 405) and any unconsolidated entity, including, but not limited to,
any structured finance, special purpose or limited purpose entity that could reasonably be expected to materially affect the Company’s liquidity or the availability of or requirements for its capital resources that would be required to be
included in a registration statement on Form S-1 which have not been described in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. The Company does not, directly or indirectly, have any outstanding personal loans or other credit extended to
or for any of its directors or executive officers. 
 (pp) Statistical or Market-Related Data. Any statistical,
industry-related or market-related data included in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agree
with the sources from which they are derived. 
 (qq) No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Neither the Company
nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates, any director, officer, or employee nor any agent or representative of the Company or of any of its affiliates, has (i) taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer,
payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment or giving of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign or domestic “government official” (including any officer or employee
of a 

  
 13 

 
government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any
political party or party official or candidate for political office) to influence official action or secure an improper advantage, (ii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (together with the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the “FCPA”), or (iii) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment; and the Company and its affiliates have conducted their businesses in
compliance with the FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representation and
warranty contained herein. 
 (rr) No Conflict with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company are and
have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the USA PATRIOT Act, the money
laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money
Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of
the Company, threatened. 
 (ss) Compliance with OFAC. Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any
director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not
directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any affiliate, joint venture partner or other person or entity, which, to the Company’s
knowledge, will use such proceeds for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC. 
 (tt) Margin Securities. None of the proceeds of the sale of the Securities will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any margin security, for the purpose of
reducing or retiring any indebtedness which was originally incurred to purchase or carry any margin security or for any other purpose which might cause any of the Securities to be considered a “purpose credit” within the meanings of
Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. 
 (uu) Solvency. The Company is, and
immediately after the Closing Date will be, Solvent. As used herein, the term “Solvent” means, with respect to any person on a particular date, that on such date (i) the fair market value of the assets of such person is greater than
the total amount of liabilities (including contingent liabilities) of such person, (ii) the present fair salable value of the assets of such person is greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liabilities of such person
on its debts as they become absolute and mature, (iii) such person is able to realize upon its assets and pay its debts and other liabilities, including contingent obligations, as they mature and (iv) such person does not have unreasonably
small capital. 

  
 14 

 (vv) Rated Securities. At the Time of Sale there were no securities of or guaranteed
by the Company that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as that term is defined in Rule 436(g)(2) promulgated under the Securities Act as in effect on July 20, 2010. 

(ww) Exchange Act Requirements. The Company has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(e), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (except to the extent that Section 15(d) requires reports to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act, which shall be governed by the next
clause of this sentence); and the Company has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act since January 1, 2007, except where the failure to timely file could not reasonably
be expected individually or in the aggregate to have a Material Adverse Effect. 
 (xx) Reserve Reports. The information
underlying the estimates of the reserves of the Company included in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum, and which was supplied by the Company to Ryder Scott Company LP, (“Ryder Scott”), independent petroleum
engineers, for purposes of preparing the Company’s reserve reports (the “Reserve Reports”), including, without limitation, production, volumes, sales prices for production, contractual pricing provisions under oil or gas sales
or marketing contracts under hedging arrangements, costs of operations and development, and working interest and net revenue interest information relating to the Company’s ownership interests in properties, was true and correct in all material
respects on the dates of such Reserve Reports; the estimates of future capital expenditures and other future exploration and development costs supplied to Ryder Scott were prepared in good faith and with a reasonable basis; the information provided
to Ryder Scott by the Company for purposes of preparing the Reserve Reports was prepared in accordance with customary industry practices; Ryder Scott was, as of the dates of the Reserve Reports, and is, as of the date hereof, independent petroleum
engineers with respect to the Company; other than any decrease in reserves resulting from normal production of the reserves and intervening spot market product price fluctuations disclosed in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum,
to the knowledge of the Company, there are not any facts or circumstances that would adversely affect the reserves in the aggregate, or the aggregate present value of future net cash flows therefrom, as disclosed in the Time of Sale Memorandum and
the Offering Memorandum and reflected in the Reserve Reports such as to cause a material adverse change; estimates of such reserves and the present value of the future net cash flows therefrom as disclosed in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the
Offering Memorandum and reflected in the Reserve Reports comply in all material respects to the applicable requirements of Regulation S-X and Subpart 1200 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. 

(yy) Criminal Proceedings. To the best of the Company’s knowledge, information and belief, none of the current directors or
officers of the Company is or has ever been subject to prior regulatory, criminal or bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. or elsewhere. 
 Any
certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Initial Purchasers or to counsel for the Initial Purchasers shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to each Initial Purchaser as to the matters set forth
therein. 

  
 15 

 2. Purchase and Resale of the Securities. (a) The Company hereby agrees to issue
and sell the Securities to the several Initial Purchasers as provided in this Agreement, and each Initial Purchaser, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein,
agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective principal amount of Securities set forth opposite such Initial Purchaser’s name in Schedule 1 hereto at a price equal to 97.5% of the principal amount thereof
(the “Purchase Price”). 
 (b) The Company understands that the Initial Purchasers intend to offer the
Securities for resale on the terms set forth in the Time of Sale Memorandum. Each Initial Purchaser, severally and not jointly, represents, warrants and agrees that: 

(i) it is a qualified institutional buyer (a “QIB”) within the meaning of Rule 144A under the
Securities Act (“Rule 144A”) and an accredited investor within the meaning of Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act; 
 (ii) it has not solicited offers for, or offered or sold, such Securities by any form of general solicitation or general advertising (as those terms are used in Regulation D under the Securities Act) or
in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act; and 

(iii) it has not solicited offers for, or offered or sold, and will not solicit offers for, or offer or sell, the
Securities as part of their initial offering except: 
 (A) within the United States, to persons whom it
reasonably believes to be QIBs in transactions pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and in connection with each such sale, it has taken or will take reasonable steps to ensure that the purchaser of the Securities is aware that such
sale is being made in reliance on Rule 144A; and 
 (B) in the case of offers outside the United States, to
persons other than U.S. persons (“foreign purchasers,” which term shall include dealers or other professional fiduciaries in the United States acting on a discretionary basis for foreign beneficial owners (other than an estate or trust))
in reliance upon Regulation S under the Securities Act; 
 and, in each case, such persons purchasing such Securities are deemed
to have represented and agreed as provided in the Offering Memorandum under the caption “Notice to Investors”. 

(c) Each Initial Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the Company and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered to the Initial
Purchasers pursuant to Sections 5(f) and 5(g), counsel for the Company and counsel for the Initial Purchasers, respectively, may rely upon the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Initial Purchasers, and compliance by the
Initial Purchasers with their agreements, contained in paragraph (b) above, and each Initial Purchaser hereby consents to such reliance. 

  
 16 

 (d) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Initial Purchasers may offer and sell
Securities to or through any affiliate of an Initial Purchaser and that any such affiliate may offer and sell Securities purchased by it to or through any Initial Purchaser. 
 3. Payment and Delivery. (a) Payment for and delivery of the Securities will be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of the
Securities for the respective accounts of the several Initial Purchasers at the offices of Latham & Watkins LLP at 811 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002, at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on May 18, 2012, or at such other time or
place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Representative and the Company may agree upon in writing. The time and date of such payment and delivery is referred to herein as the “Closing
Date.” The Company hereby acknowledges that circumstances under which the Representative may provide notice to postpone the Closing Date as originally scheduled include, but are in no way limited to, any determination by the Company or the
Initial Purchasers to recirculate to investors copies of an amended or supplemented Offering Memorandum or a delay as contemplated by the provisions of Section 8 hereof. 
 (b) The Securities shall be in global form, registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of the DTC, broken out as to principal amount between Securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A and
Securities sold pursuant to Regulation S, as advised by the Representative, and delivered to the Trustee, as custodian for DTC, at Closing. 
 4. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Initial Purchaser that: 
 (a) Offering Memorandum, Amendments or Supplements. Before finalizing the Offering Memorandum or making or distributing any amendment or supplement to any of the Time of Sale Memorandum or the
Offering Memorandum, the Company will furnish to the Representative and counsel for the Initial Purchasers a copy of the proposed Offering Memorandum or such amendment or supplement for review, and will not distribute any such proposed Offering
Memorandum, amendment or supplement to which the Representative reasonably objects. 
 (b) Additional Written
Communications. Before using, authorizing, approving or referring to any written communication (as defined in the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities (a “Company Written
Communication”) (other than written communications that are listed on Exhibit A hereto and the Offering Memorandum), the Company will furnish to the Representative and counsel for the Initial Purchasers a copy of such written communication
for review and will not use, authorize, approve or refer to any such written communication to which the Representative reasonably objects. 
 (c) Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver to the Initial Purchasers as many copies of the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum (including
all amendments and supplements thereto) as the Initial Purchasers may reasonably request. 

  
 17 

 (d) Notice to the Representative. The Company will advise the Representative
promptly, and confirm such advice in writing, (i) of the issuance by any governmental or regulatory authority of any order preventing or suspending the use of any of the Time of Sale Memorandum or the Offering Memorandum or the initiation or
threatening of any proceeding for that purpose; (ii) of the occurrence of any event at any time prior to the completion of the initial offering of the Securities as a result of which any of the Time of Sale Memorandum or the Offering Memorandum
as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when such Time of Sale Memorandum or
the Offering Memorandum is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; and (iii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the
initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order preventing or suspending the use of any of the Time of Sale Memorandum or the Offering
Memorandum or suspending any such qualification of the Securities and, if any such order is issued, will obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof. 
 (e) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will cooperate with the Initial Purchasers in arranging for the qualification of the Securities for offering and sale under the securities or “Blue
Sky” laws of such jurisdictions as the Initial Purchasers may designate and will continue such qualifications in effect for as long as may be necessary to complete the resale of the Securities; provided, however, that in
connection therewith, the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to execute a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or subject itself to taxation in excess of a nominal dollar amount in any such
jurisdiction where it is not then so subject. 
 (f) Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Securities. During the period from
the date hereof through and including the date that is 90 days after the date hereof, neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates, nor any person acting on our or their behalf, will, without the prior written consent of the Representative,
directly or indirectly, sell, offer to sell, contract to sell, grant any option to purchase, issue any instrument convertible into or exchangeable for, or otherwise transfer or dispose of (or enter into any transaction or devise that is designed to,
or could be expected to, result in the disposition in the future of) any debt securities of the Company similar to the Securities (other than the Exchange Securities). 
 (g) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities as set forth under “Use of Proceeds” in the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering
Memorandum. 
 (h) Supplying Information. While the Securities remain outstanding and are “restricted
securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, the Company will, during any period in which the Company is not subject to and in compliance with Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, furnish to holders
of the Securities, prospective purchasers of the Securities designated by such holders and securities analysts, in each case upon request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.

  
 18 

 (i) Updating Information. If, prior to the completion of the placement of the
Securities by the Initial Purchasers, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Offering Memorandum, as then amended or supplemented, in order to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances when the Offering Memorandum is delivered to a subsequent purchaser, not misleading, or if in the reasonable judgment of the Representative and counsel for the Initial Purchasers it is otherwise necessary to amend or
supplement the Offering Memorandum to comply with law, the Company agrees to promptly prepare (subject to this Section 4), and furnish at its own expense to the Initial Purchasers, amendments or supplements to the Offering Memorandum so that
the statements in the Offering Memorandum as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances at the Closing Date and at the time of sale of Securities, be misleading or so that the Offering Memorandum, as amended or
supplemented, will comply with all applicable law. 
 (j) The Depositary. The Company will cooperate with the Initial
Purchasers and use its best efforts to permit the Securities to be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”). 

(k) Indenture Qualification. Prior to any registration of the Securities pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, or at such
earlier time as may be so required, the Company shall qualify the Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act and to enter into any necessary supplemental indentures in connection therewith. 

(l) No Resales by the Company. During the period of one year after the Closing Date, neither the Company nor any of its affiliates
(as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act), will resell any of the Securities that have been reacquired by any of them. 

(m) No Integration. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates (as defined in Rule 501(b) of Regulation D) will sell,
offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in the Securities Act) which could be integrated with the sale of the Securities in a manner which would require registration under the Securities
Act. 
 (n) No General Solicitation or Directed Selling Efforts. The Company will not engage in any form of general
solicitation or general advertising (as those terms are used in Regulation D under the Securities Act) in connection with the offering of the Securities or in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the
Securities Act. 
 (o) No Stabilization. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or
that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities and will not take any action prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act in connection with the distribution of the
Securities contemplated hereby. 
 5. Conditions of Initial Purchasers’ Obligations. The obligation of each Initial
Purchaser to purchase Securities on the Closing Date as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions: 

  
 19 

 (a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company
contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date, and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of
the Closing Date. 
 (b) No Downgrade. Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, there shall not have
occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded the Company or any of
its securities or indebtedness by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436 under the Securities Act. 

(c) No Material Adverse Effect. There shall not have occurred a Material Adverse Effect, which in the judgment of the
Representative makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. 

(d) Officers’ Certificate. On the Closing Date the Initial Purchasers shall have received a written certificate executed by
the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer or President of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Accounting Officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Section 5(b) hereof, and further
to the effect that: 
 (i) for the period from and after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date
there has not occurred any Material Adverse Effect; 
 (ii) the representations, warranties and covenants of the
Company set forth in Section 1 hereof were true and correct as of the date hereof and are true and correct as of the Closing Date with the same force and effect as though expressly made on and as of the Closing Date; and 

(iii) the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or
satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date. 
 (e) Comfort Letters. On the date hereof, the Initial Purchasers shall have
received from the Independent Accountants a comfort letter dated the date hereof, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Initial Purchasers with respect to the audited and any unaudited financial information in the Preliminary
Offering Memorandum. On the Closing Date, the Initial Purchasers shall have received from the Independent Accountants a comfort letter dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Initial Purchasers, which shall
extend to the financial information, if any, contained in the Offering Memorandum and not contained in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum. 
 (f) Opinion of Counsel for the Company. Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Initial Purchasers, at the request of the Company, their written opinion,
dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Initial Purchasers, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchasers, to the effect set forth in Exhibit C hereto. 

  
 20 

 (g) Opinion of Counsel for the Initial Purchasers. The Initial Purchasers shall have
received on and as of the Closing Date an opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel for the Initial Purchasers, with respect to such matters as the Initial Purchasers may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such
documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters. 
 (h) No Legal Impediment
to Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date, prevent
the issuance or sale of the Securities; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities. 

(i) Good Standing. The Initial Purchasers shall have received on and as of the Closing Date satisfactory evidence of the good
standing of the Company in its jurisdiction of incorporation and its good standing in such other jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication, from the appropriate
governmental authorities of such jurisdictions. 
 (j) Indenture and Registration Rights Agreement. The Initial
Purchasers shall have received a counterpart of the Indenture and the Registration Rights Agreement that shall have been executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer of the Company. 

(k) Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date, the Initial Purchasers and counsel for the Initial Purchasers shall
have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the
representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained. 
 All opinions,
letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to comply with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Initial Purchasers. 

6. Indemnification and Contribution. 
 (a) Indemnification of the Initial Purchasers. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Initial Purchaser, its agents, affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who
controls any Initial Purchaser within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses
incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement made by the
Company in Section 1 hereof, (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, the 

  
 21 

 
Time of Sale Memorandum, any Company Written Communication or the Offering Memorandum (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or (iii) any omission or alleged omission to state, in the
Preliminary Offering Memorandum, the Time of Sale Memorandum, any Company Written Communication prepared by or on behalf of, used by or referred to by the Company or the Offering Memorandum (or any amendment or supplement thereto), a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading in each case, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise
out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial
Purchaser through the Representative expressly for use therein. 
 (b) Indemnification of the Company. Each Initial
Purchaser agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of
the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with reference to information relating to such Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company in writing by such Initial Purchaser through the
Representative expressly for use in the Preliminary Offering Memorandum, the Time of Sale Memorandum, any Company Written Communication prepared by or on behalf of, used by or referred to by the Company, or the Offering Memorandum (or any amendment
or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the statements set forth in the third, tenth, eleventh and twelfth paragraphs under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in the Preliminary
Offering Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. 
 (c) Notifications and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding
(including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 6,
such person (the “Indemnified Party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Party”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the
Indemnifying Party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under this Section 6 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure; and provided, further, that the
failure to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Party otherwise than under paragraph (a) or (b) under this Section 6, as applicable. If any such proceeding shall be
brought or asserted against an Indemnified Party and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Party thereof, the Indemnifying Party shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party to represent the Indemnified Party and any
others the Indemnifying Party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the
fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Party unless (i) the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Party has failed within a
reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party; (iii) the defendants in any such proceeding include both the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party shall have been advised by
counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it and/or other Indemnified Parties that are different from or 

  
 22 

 
additional to those available to the Indemnifying Party, or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Party and the
Indemnified Party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Party shall not, in connection with any
proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Parties and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as
they are incurred. Such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representative, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a), and by the Company, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b). 

(d) Settlements. The Indemnifying Party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written
consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Party agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment.
Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Party shall have requested that an Indemnifying Party reimburse the Indemnified Party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 6(c), the Indemnifying Party
shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Party of such request and (ii) the Indemnifying Party
shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, effect any settlement, compromise or
consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Party, unless
such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and (ii) does not include any statements as
to or any findings of fault, culpability or failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Party. 
 (e) Contribution.
If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Party or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an Indemnified Party in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to
therein, then each Indemnifying Party under such paragraph shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Initial Purchasers on the other from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by
applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Initial Purchasers on the other in connection with the
statements or omissions or inaccuracies in the representations and warranties herein that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company
on the one hand and the Initial Purchasers on the other shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Company from the sale of the Securities and the total discounts and
commissions received by the Initial Purchasers in connection therewith, as provided in this Agreement, bear to the aggregate offering price of 

  
 23 

 
the Securities. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Initial Purchasers on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact or any such inaccurate or alleged inaccurate representation or warranty relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the
Initial Purchasers, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission or inaccuracy. 

(f) Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Initial Purchasers agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution
pursuant to this Section 6 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Initial Purchasers were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations
referred to in paragraph (e) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (e) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set
forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6, in no event shall an Initial Purchaser be required to contribute any
amount in excess of the total discounts and commissions received by such Initial Purchaser in connection with the Securities distributed by it. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the
Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Initial Purchasers’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 6 are several in proportion to their
respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint. 
 (g) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this
Section 6 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies that may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Party at law or in equity. 
 7. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representative, by notice to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and
on or prior to the Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE Amex Equities, the NASDAQ Global Market, the Chicago Board of
Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on
commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; (iv) material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred, or (v) there shall
have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Representative, is material and adverse and makes it
impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Memorandum and the Offering Memorandum. Termination of this Agreement
pursuant to this Section 7 shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 6 hereof and the Company shall be obligated to reimburse the expenses of the Initial Purchasers pursuant to
Section 9(b). 

  
 24 

 8. Defaulting Initial Purchaser. (a) If, on the Closing Date, any one or more of
the Initial Purchasers defaults on its obligation to purchase Securities that it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder, and the aggregate principal amount of Securities which such defaulting Initial Purchaser or Initial Purchasers agreed but
failed or refused to purchase does not exceed one-tenth of the aggregate principal amount of Securities to be purchased on the Closing Date, the other Initial Purchasers shall be obligated, severally, in the proportions that the principal amount of
Securities set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule 1 bears to the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Initial Purchasers, or in such other proportions as may be
specified by the Initial Purchasers with the consent of the non-defaulting Initial Purchasers, to purchase the Securities which such defaulting Initial Purchaser or Initial Purchasers agreed but failed or refused to purchase on the Closing Date;
provided that in no event shall the principal amount of Securities that any Initial Purchaser has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 8 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such principal
amount of Securities without the written consent of such Initial Purchaser. 
 (b) If any one or more of the Initial Purchasers
shall fail or refuse to purchase Securities and the aggregate number of Securities which it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on the Closing Date and the aggregate principal amount of Securities with respect to which such default occurs is
more than one-tenth of the aggregate principal amount of Securities to be purchased on Closing Date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Initial Purchasers and the Company for the purchase of such Securities are not made within 48 hours after such
default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Initial Purchaser or of the Company. In any such case either the Initial Purchasers or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in
no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Time of Sale Memorandum, the Offering Memorandum or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. 

(c) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Initial Purchaser of any liability it may have to the Company or any
non-defaulting Initial Purchaser for damages caused by its default. 
 9. Payment of Expenses. (a) The
Company agrees to pay all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the transactions contemplated herein are consummated or this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 7 or
Section 8(b) hereof, including all costs and expenses incident to (i) the cost of production and printing of documents with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, including any costs of printing the Preliminary Offering
Memorandum, the Time of Sale Memorandum and any Offering Memorandum and any amendment or supplement thereto, and any “Blue Sky” memoranda, (ii) all arrangements relating to the delivery to the Initial Purchasers of copies of the
foregoing documents, (iii) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Independent Accountants in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities, (iv) all costs and expenses related to the transfer
and delivery of the Securities to the Initial Purchasers, including any stamp, transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (v) the qualification of the Securities under state securities and “Blue Sky” laws, including filing fees and
reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Initial Purchasers relating thereto, (vi) any fees charged by rating agencies for the rating of the Securities, (vii) all fees and 

  
 25 

 
expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) of the Company in connection with approval of the Securities by the DTC for “book-entry” transfer, and the performance by
the Company of its other obligations under this Agreement, (viii) the costs and charges of the Trustee including fees and expenses of counsel, (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road
show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with production of
road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any
such consultants, and 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show, (x) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement, (xi) any filing fees incident to, and any
reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Initial Purchasers in connection with the review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, if any, of the terms of the sale of the Securities or the Exchange Securities, and (xii) all
other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. 
 (b) It is understood, however, that if (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 7 or Section 8(b), (ii) the Company for any reason fails to tender the Securities for
delivery to the Initial Purchasers or (iii) the Initial Purchasers decline to purchase the Securities for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company agrees to reimburse the Initial Purchasers for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses
(including the reasonable fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred by the Initial Purchasers in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby. 

10. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto
and their respective successors and any controlling persons referred to herein, and the affiliates, officers and directors of each Initial Purchaser referred to in Section 6 hereof. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to
give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Securities from any Initial Purchaser shall be deemed a successor merely by reason of such
purchase. 
 11. Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements
of the Company and the Initial Purchasers contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Initial Purchasers pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment
for the Securities and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or the Initial Purchasers. 

12. No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the
Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction
each Initial Purchaser is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of 

  
 26 

 
the Company, (iii) no Initial Purchaser has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading
thereto (irrespective of whether such Initial Purchaser has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company
has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that any Initial Purchaser has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty
to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto. 
 This Agreement supersedes all prior
agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the several Initial Purchasers, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, any claims that the Company may have against the several Initial Purchasers with respect to any breach or alleged breach of fiduciary duty. 
 13. Authority of the Representative. Any action by the Initial Purchasers hereunder may be taken by the Representative on behalf of the Initial Purchasers, and any such action taken by the
Representative shall be binding upon the Initial Purchasers. 
 14. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason
determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable. 
 15. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of
telecommunication. 
 If to the Initial Purchasers: 
 RBC Capital Markets, LLC 
 Three World Financial Center 

200 Vesey Street, 10th Floor 
 New York, New York 10281-8098 
 Facsimile: 212-618-2210 

Attention: High Yield Capital Markets 
 with a copy to: 
 Latham & Watkins LLP 

811 Main Street 

Houston, Texas 77002 
 Counsel for the Initial Purchasers 
 Facsimile: (713) 546-5401 

Attention: J. Michael Chambers 

  
 27 

 If to the Company: 

Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. 
 315 Manitoba Avenue, Suite 200 
 Wayzata, Minnesota 55391 

Facsimile: (952) 476-9801 
 Attention: Thomas Stoelk, Chief Financial Officer 
 with a copy to: 

Faegre Baker Daniels LLP 
 2200 Wells Fargo Center 
 90 South Seventh Street 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 
 Facsimile: (612) 766-1600 
 Attention: W. Morgan Burns 

16. Governing Law. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
APPLICABLE TO CONTRACTS MADE AND TO BE PERFORMED WHOLLY THEREIN WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF. 
 17.
Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. 

18. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended
to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement. 
 19. Submission to Jurisdiction; Waiver of
Jury Trial. No proceeding related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in
the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts shall have jurisdiction over the adjudication of such matters, and the Company hereby consents to the jurisdiction of such courts and personal service with respect
thereto. The Company hereby waives all right to trial by jury in any proceeding (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company agrees that a final judgment in any such proceeding
brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and may be enforced in any other courts in the jurisdiction of which the Company is or may be subject, by suit upon such judgment. 

  
 28 

 20. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. The parties hereto acknowledge that in
accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Initial Purchasers are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients,
including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Initial Purchasers to properly identify their respective clients. 

[Signature pages follow.] 

  
 29 

 If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance
of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below. 
  

			
	 Very truly yours,
  

NORTHERN OIL AND GAS, INC.

		
	By:	 	/s/ Michael Reger
		 	 Name: Michael Reger
 Title:
CEO

  
 Signature
Page to Purchase Agreement 

 Accepted: 
 RBC Capital Markets, LLC 
 For themselves and on behalf of the 

several Initial Purchasers listed 
 in
Schedule 1 hereto. 
 RBC Capital Markets, LLC 

			
		
	By:	 	/s/ J. Scott Schlossel
		 	 Name: J. Scott Schlossel

Title: Managing Director
 Head of Global Energy
Leveraged Finance

  
 Signature
Page to Purchase AgreementEmplymnt Agrmnt by and between GreenHunter Energy, Inc. and Jonathan D. Hoopes

 Exhibit 10.17 
 EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT 
 This Employment Agreement (the
“Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the
1st day of October, 2009 (the “Effective Date”),
by and between GreenHunter Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Employer” or “Company”) and Jonathan D. Hoopes (“Employee”). 
 WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Employer (the “Board”) recognizes that it is important to attract, hire and retain key officers and management personnel; 

WHEREAS, the Board has determined that it is essential and in the best interest of the Employer and its stockholders to retain officers
and key employees and to ensure their continued dedication and efforts in such event without undue concern for their personal, financial and employment security; and 
 WHEREAS, in order to induce qualified candidates to accept employment with the Employer and to remain in the employ of the Employer, the Employer desires to enter into this Agreement with the Employee.

 NOW THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows: 
 1.
Employment. Employer hereby employs Employee and Employee hereby accepts employment with Employer upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth. 
 2. Duties, Services and Other Interests. Employee shall serve the Employer as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Employer with such responsibilities as shall be determined from time to
time by the Chairman, CEO and Board of Directors; provided, however, that all duties assigned to Employee hereunder shall be commensurate with the skill and experience of Employee. Employee agrees to devote all of his professional time, attention,
skills, benefits and best efforts to the performance of his duties hereunder and to the promotion of the business and interests of Employer. The foregoing notwithstanding, the parties recognize and agree that Employee may engage in passive personal
investment and charitable activities and serve on corporate boards of directors that, in any case, do not conflict with the business and affairs of Employer or interfere with Employee’s performance of his duties hereunder, which service on
boards of directors, other than on Company’s, shall be at the sole determination of the Board. The Board’s approval of said service shall not be unreasonably withheld, provided however that Employee shall serve on no more than two
(2) additional corporate boards of directors during the Term. 
 3. Board Representation. During the term of this
Agreement and provided that Employee remains an employee of the Company, Employee shall be permitted to serve on the Board. 

  
 1 

 4. Term. This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date, and shall
continue, unless earlier terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, for a period of two (2) years commencing on the Effective Date. This Agreement shall thereafter be automatically renewed for a period of six (6) months,
unless earlier terminated as provided herein, and unless one party has given written notice to the other party of its or his intention not to renew this Agreement at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of its then current term (the
“Term”). 
 5. Compensation. As compensation for his services rendered under this Agreement, Employee shall be
entitled to receive the following: 
 (a) Annual Base Salary. During the Term, Employee shall initially be paid an annual
salary of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand dollars ($250,000) per annum (the “Annual Base Salary”) payable in equal bi-weekly payments for a total of twenty-six (26) payments per year. The Annual Base Salary may be increased as the Board
may determine from time to time but shall not be decreased; 
 (b) Expenses. Employer shall reimburse Employee for, or
pay on behalf of Employee, all reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket travel and other expenses including dues and fees to industry, licensing, and professional organizations and costs of entertainment and business development incurred by Employee
in rendering services required under the terms of this Agreement, promptly after submission, of a detailed statement of such expenses and reasonable documentation provided that all such expenses are associated with the business affairs of the
Employer. 
 (c) Bonus. Expressly conditioned on the Employee being employed on the date the Board grants such bonus, the
Employee may receive a bonus in an amount determined solely by the approval of the compensation committee of the Employer and the Board, in their sole discretion. It being understood by the Company that the Employee is targeting a cash bonus of at
least 100% the Annual Base Salary. 
 (d) Benefits. During the Term, Employee, his spouse and dependents shall be
entitled to receive such group benefits, plans, and programs, including improvements or modifications of the same, which are now, or may hereafter be, provided by Employer to its other executive employees. Such benefits, plans, and programs shall
include, without limitation, any profit sharing plan, thrift plan, health insurance or health care plan, dental plant, vision plan, life insurance, disability insurance, pension plan, supplemental retirement plan, vacation and sick leave plan, and
the like which may be maintained by Company. 
 (e) Automobile. During the Term, Employee shall be entitled to use the
Company’s Ford F-150 pick up truck as Employee’s Company vehicle. 

  
 2 

 (f) Moving Allowance. Cash consideration of $50,000 will be paid
to Employee as a moving allowance for him and his family to move their home from Connecticut to Texas. Allowance to be paid to Employee on the Effective Date, or as soon as administratively practicable, but in no case later than the 15th day of October, 2009. Allowance to be reported as non-qualified
moving expenses and subject to all applicable tax withholding. In the event Employee voluntarily terminates his employment with Employer pursuant to Section 8(b)(ii) within one year of the Effective Date, Employee shall repay the entire $50,000
moving allowance to Employer prior to his last date of employment with the Company. 
 (g) Restricted Stock Grant.
Employer shall grant employee 100,000 shares of restricted common stock of the Company with vesting to occur as outlined on Exhibit I attached hereto. Additional discretionary restricted stock grants to be determined by the Chairman and approved by
the compensation committee of the Board of Directors of the Employer from time to time but at least on an annual basis on or before April 30 each calendar year. 
 (h) Stock Options. Employee shall be eligible to receive stock options to acquire Five Hundred Thousand (500,000) shares of the Company’s common stock upon approval by the Board of
Directors. Exercise price and a vesting schedule shall be determined on the date of grant. The form of stock option agreement shall be the same form as provided to all other employees of the Employer during 2009. Additional discretionary stock
options to acquire shares of the Company’s common stock to be determined by the Chairman and approved by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors of the Employer from time to time but at least on an annual basis on or before
April 30 each calendar year. 
 (i) Vacation. Employee shall be entitled to all holidays provided to executives of
Company generally in addition to 120 hours of paid vacation from Employer on an annual basis which shall be prorated for calendar year 2009 from the effective date of this Agreement. 

(j) Other Benefits. This Agreement governs the rights and obligations of Employee and Company with respect to Employee’s base
salary and certain perquisites of employment. Except as expressly provided herein, Employee’s rights and obligations both during the term of his employment and thereafter with respect to stock options, restricted stock, incentive and deferred
compensation, life insurance policies insuring the life of Employee, and other benefits under the plans and programs maintained by Company shall be governed by the separate agreements, plans and other documents and instruments governing such matters

 Except as provided in Section 8, the compensation set forth in this Section 5 will be the sole compensation payable
to Employee and no additional compensation or fee will be payable by Employer to Employee by reason of any benefit gained by the Employer directly or indirectly through Employee’s efforts on Employer’s behalf, nor shall Employer be liable
in any way for any additional compensation or fee unless Employer shall have expressly agreed thereto in writing. 

  
 3 

 6. Confidentiality; Covenants Not-To-Compete. 

(a) Acknowledgment of Proprietary Interest. Employee acknowledges and agrees that he has had access to proprietary information and
also recognizes the sole proprietary interest of Employer in any Trade Secrets (as hereinafter defined) of Employer. Employee further acknowledges and agrees that any and all Trade Secrets of Employer, learned by Employee during the course of his
employment by Employer or otherwise, whether developed by Employee alone or in conjunction with others or otherwise, is and shall be the property of Employer. Employee further acknowledges and understands that his disclosure of any Trade Secrets of
Employer will result in irreparable injury and damage to Employer. As used herein, “Trade Secrets” means all non-public confidential and proprietary information of Employer whether embodied in writing, a computer disk, video or magnetic
tape, CD-Rom or in other form, relating to the business, operations or affairs of Employer and, any other confidential information that Employee may then possess or have under Employee’s control, including, without limitation, information
derived from reports, investigations, experiments, research, work in progress, drawings, designs, plans, proposals, codes, marketing and sales programs, client lists, mailing lists, financial projections, any information regarding Employer’s
properties, maps, plats, surveys, cost summaries, pricing formula, reports, studies, land and title records, leases and all other materials, or information prepared, compiled, evaluated, interpreted or performed, for or by Employer. “Trade
Secrets” also includes confidential information related to the business, products or sales of Employer or Employer’s customers or other business relationships. 
 (b) Covenants Not-To-Divulge Trade Secrets. Employee acknowledges and agrees that Employer is entitled to prevent the disclosure of Trade Secrets of Employer. As a portion of the consideration for
the employment of Employee and for the compensation being paid to Employee by Employer, Employee agrees at all times during the term of this Agreement and for two (2) years thereafter to hold in strictest confidence and not to disclose or allow
to be disclosed to any person, firm, or corporation, other than to persons engaged by Employer to further the business of Employer, Trade Secrets of Employer, without the prior written consent of Employer, including Trade Secrets developed by
Employee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Employee shall not be obligated to keep secret and not to disclose or allow to be disclosed knowledge or information (a) which has become generally known to the public through no wrongful act of
Employee; (b) which has been rightfully received by Employee from a third party which to Employee’s knowledge was received without restriction on disclosure and not in violation of any confidentiality obligation of said third party;
(c) which has been approved for release without restriction as to 

  
 4 

 
use or disclosure by written authorization of Employer; or (d) which has been disclosed pursuant to a requirement of a governmental agency or of law without similar restrictions or other
protections against public disclosure, or which disclosure is required by operation of law. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Employee agrees to affirmatively take such precautions as Employer may reasonably request or Employee
reasonably believes are appropriate to prevent the disclosure, copying or use of any of the computer software programs, data bases or other such information now existing or hereafter developed to any person or for any purpose not specifically
authorized by Employer. 
 (c) Abide by Third Party Confidentiality Agreements. Employee acknowledges that Employer
enters into confidentiality agreements with third parties. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Employee agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of such confidentiality agreements during the term of this Agreement for a period
beginning on the Effective Date and ending two (2) years following the Employee’s termination of employment with the Employer for any reason. 
 (d) Return of Materials at Termination. In the event of any termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever, Employee will promptly deliver to Employer all documents, data and other
information pertaining to Trade Secrets. Employee shall not take any documents or other information, or any reproduction or excerpt thereof, containing or pertaining to any Trade Secrets. 

(e) Competition During and After the Term of this Agreement. From the period beginning on the Effective Date and ending two
(2) years following the Employee’s termination of employment with the Employer, Employee shall not, without the prior written consent of Company: 
 (i) directly or indirectly participate in the ownership, management, operation, or control of, or be connected as an officer, employee, partner, director, consultant, contractor, or otherwise with, or
have any financial interest in or aid or assist anyone else in the conduct of, any renewable energy business in any of the Business Territories of the Company where “Business Territories” as hereby defined means locations in which the
Company has existing renewable energy generating assets or bio fuel refineries, including but not limited to, any location to which the Company has devoted any significant efforts for renewable energy production, analysis of, joint venture
consideration or interest even if efforts for the actual generation of electricity or refinement of fuel from renewable resources has not yet commenced at the time of Employee’s termination; provided, however that this Section 6(e) shall
not prohibit Employee from (A) purchasing or holding an equity interest of any class of securities of any enterprise (but without otherwise participating in the activities of such enterprise) whether or not such securities are listed on any
national or regional securities exchanges or have been registered under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange 

  
 5 

 
Act”), (B) being engaged as a research analyst, an investment banker and/or financial advisor to renewable energy business entities, or (C) being employed by a commercial bank or
investment management company; or 
 (ii) directly or indirectly, either for himself or any other person
(A) solicit, induce, recruit, or attempt to solicit, induce or recruit any employee of the Employer to leave the employ of the Employer, (B) in any way interfere with the relationship between the Employer and any employee thereof,
(C) employ, or otherwise engage as an employee, independent contractor or otherwise, any employee of the Employer or (D) induce or attempt to induce any customer, representative, supplier, licensee or business relation of the Employer to
cease doing business with the Employer, or in any way interfere with the relationship between any customer, representative, supplier, licensee or business relation of the Employer. 

This section 6(e) applies only if Employer is a viable, operating company at the time of Employee’s termination, and/or it has not
had a Change of Control (as defined hereafter) which precipitated Employee’s termination. 
 (f) Tolling of Statute of
Limitations. In the event of a breach by Employee of any covenant set forth in Section 6 above, the term of such covenants shall be extended by the period of the duration of such breach. 

7. Prohibition of Disparaging Remarks. During Executive’s employment with Company and following any termination of employment
with Company, Executive and Company mutually agree not to disparage, either orally or in writing, Executive, Company, or any of affiliates’ business, products, services, or practices, or any of Company’s or its affiliates’ directors,
officers, agents, representatives, stockholders, partners, members, employees, or affiliates. 
 8. Termination Events.

 (a) Company’s Right to Terminate. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4, Company shall have the right
to terminate Employee’s employment under this Agreement at any time for any of the following reasons: 

(i) The expiration of the Term or any renewal period as set forth in Section 4 above, provided that either Employee
or Employer has given at least thirty (30) days prior written notice to the other party of such party’s intention not to renew; 
 (ii) The death of Employee; 
 (iii) The “Disability” (as
hereinafter defined) of Employee; or 

  
 6 

 (iv) Written notice from Employer to Employee of termination for “Just
Cause” (as hereinafter defined). 
 (b) Employee’s Right to Terminate. Notwithstanding the provisions of
Section 4, Employee shall have the right to terminate his employment under this Agreement for any of the following reasons: 
 (i) For “Good Reason” (as hereinafter defined); or 

(ii) at any time for any other reason whatsoever, in the sole discretion of Employee. 

(c) Definitions. 
 (i) For purposes of Section 8(a)(iii) above, the “Disability” of Employee shall mean a physical or mental infirmity which impairs the Employee’s ability to substantially perform his
duties under this Agreement for a period of 120 consecutive days or for 120 days out of any 150 consecutive day period. 
 (ii) For purposes of Section 8(a)(iv) above, “Just Cause” shall mean the Employee: 
 (1) has engaged in gross negligence, gross incompetence, or willful misconduct in the performance of his duties at the Company; 

(2) has refused, without proper reason, to perform his duties, 

(3) has materially breached any provision of this Agreement, 

(4) has willfully and materially breached a significant corporate policy or code of conduct established by Company,

 (5) has committed an act of fraud, embezzlement, or breach of a fiduciary duty to Company or an affiliate of
Company (including the unauthorized disclosure of material confidential or proprietary information of the Company or an affiliate), 
 (7) has been convicted of (or pleaded no contest to) a criminal act involving fraud, dishonesty, or moral turpitude or any felony, or 

(8) has been convicted for any violation of U.S. or foreign securities laws or has entered into a cease and desist order
with the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging violation of U.S. or foreign securities laws. 

  
 7 

 (9) has been accused of sexually-harassing another individual and such
accusation is confirmed by Employer upon its own investigation and/or confirmed by a finding of a court of competent jurisdiction or the EEOC; 
 provided, however, that no termination of Employee’s employment shall be for Just Cause under Section 8(a)(iv) until there shall have been delivered to the Employee a copy of a written notice
setting forth that the Employee was guilty of the particular conduct and specifying the particulars thereof in detail, and the Employee shall have been provided an opportunity to be heard by the entire Board. 

(iii) For purposes of Section 8(b)(i) above, “Good Reason” shall mean any one or more of the following:

 (1) a diminution in Employee’s Annual Base Salary not in accordance with Section 5(a); 

(2) a material diminution in Employee’s authority, duties, or responsibilities from those applicable to him as of
the Effective Date, including a material change in the reporting structure so that Employee reports to someone other than the Chairman, CEO and the Board; 
 (3) a material change in the geographic location at which Employee must perform services which for purposes of this Agreement includes only Company requiring Employee to involuntarily relocate to a
geographic location other than the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas metroplex area; or 
 (4) a material breach by
Company of any provision of this Agreement (including, without limitation, the requirements of Sections 2, 3, 5, or 24 of this Agreement). 
 Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 8(c)(iii)(4) or any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, any assertion by Employee of a termination of employment for “Good
Reason” shall not be effective unless all of the following conditions are satisfied: (A) any condition described in clauses (1) through (4) of this Section 8(c)(iii)(4) giving rise to Employee’s termination of
employment must have arisen without Executive’s consent; (B) Employee must provide written notice to Company of such condition in accordance with Section 12 within 30 days of the initial existence of the condition; (C) the
condition specified in such notice must remain uncorrected for a period of 30 days following receipt of such notice by Company; and (D) the date of Employee’s termination of employment must occur within one year following the initial
existence of the condition specified in such notice. 

  
 8 

 (iv) For purposes of Sections 9, 10 and 11 below, “Involuntary
Termination” shall mean any termination of Employee’s employment with Company which: 
 (1) does not
result from a resignation by Employee (other than a resignation pursuant to clause (2) of this Section 8(c)(iv)); or 
 (2) results from a resignation by Executive for Good Reason; 
 provided, however,
the term “Involuntary Termination” shall not include a termination for Just Cause, any termination as a result of death or disability, or the natural expiration of the Term of this Agreement. 

(v) For purposes of Sections 10 and 11 below, “Change of Control” shall mean: 

(1) the stockholders approval of a merger or consolidation of Company with another corporation in greater than 50%
change in the total voting power of Company or the surviving company immediately following such transaction; 

(2) the stockholders approval of a plan of liquidation of Company; 

(3) the stockholders approval of an agreement for the sale by Company of all or substantially all of Company’s
assets; 
 (4) the acquisition by any person of securities representing 50% or more of the total voting power
of Company which person does not already own 50% or more of the total voting power of Company as of the effective date; or 
 (5) certain changes in the majority composition of the Board not initiated by the Board. 
 (vi) For purposes of Sections 10 and 11 below, “Change of Control Period” shall mean with respect to a Change of Control, the one-year period beginning on the date upon which such Change of
Control occurs. 
 (d) Notice of Termination: If Company desires to terminate Employee’s employment hereunder at any
time prior to expiration of the term of employment as provided in Section 4, it shall do so by giving a 30-day written notice to Employee that it has elected to terminate Employee’s employment hereunder and stating the effective date and
reason for such termination, provided that no such action shall alter or amend any other provisions hereof or rights arising hereunder. If Employee desires to terminate his employment hereunder at any time prior to expiration of the

  
 9 

 
term of employment as provided in Section 4, he shall do so by giving a 30-day written notice to Company that he has elected to terminate his employment hereunder and stating the effective
date and reason for such termination, provided that no such action shall alter or amend any other provisions hereof or rights arising hereunder. 
 (e) Deemed Resignations. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by Company and Employee prior to the termination of Employee’s employment, any termination of Employee’s employment shall
constitute an automatic resignation of Employee as an officer of Company and each affiliate of Company and an automatic resignation of Employee from the Board (if applicable) and from the board of directors or similar governing body of any affiliate
of Company and from the board of directors or similar governing body of any corporation, limited liability entity, or other entity in which Company or any affiliate holds an equity interest and with respect to which board or similar governing body
Employee serves as Company’s or such affiliate’s designee or other representative. 
 (f) Meaning of Termination of
Employment. For all purposes of this Agreement, Employee shall be considered to have terminated employment with Company when Employee incurs a “separation from service” with Company within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as amended and applicable administrative guidance issued thereunder. 
 9. Termination Other Than an Involuntary Termination. If Employee’s employment hereunder shall terminate upon expiration of the term provided in Section 4 hereof or if Employee’s
employment hereunder shall terminate for any other reason except those described in Sections 10 and 11, then Company shall continue to provide all compensation and benefits to Employee hereunder until the date of such termination of employment, and
such compensation and benefits shall terminate contemporaneously with such termination of employment. 
 10. Involuntary
Termination Other Than During a Change of Control Period. If Employee’s employment by Company or any successor thereto shall be subject to an Involuntary Termination which occurs prior to the date that Change of Control Period begins or
after the expiration of a Change of Control Period, then Company shall, as additional compensation for services rendered to Company (including its subsidiaries), pay to Employee the following amounts and take the following actions: 

(a) Pay Employee a lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to one times the Employee’s Annual Base Salary within 30 days
after Employee’s termination of employment with Company. 
 (b) In the event of the termination of Employee’s
employment for any reason specified in Section 8 (other than the reasons set forth in Sections 8(a)(iii)), Employee shall be entitled only to the compensation earned by him as of the effective date of termination, including any declared but
unpaid, bonus or pro-rata portion thereof. 

  
 10 

 (c) In the event of the termination of Employee’s employment as the result of
Section 8(a)(iii), Employee shall be entitled to compensation for the remaining term of the Agreement until the disability insurance company begins making payments to the Employee. 

(d) During the portion, if any, of the 12-month period commencing on the date of such Involuntary Termination that Employee is eligible
to elect and elects to continue coverage for himself and his eligible dependents under Company’s or a subsidiary’s group medical, dental and group life insurance plans as applicable, under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1985, as amended, and/or Sections 601 through 608 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. Company shall promptly reimburse Employee on a monthly basis for the difference between the amount Employee pays to effect and
continue such coverage and the employee contribution amount that active senior executive employees of Company pay for the same or similar coverage under such group health plans; provided, however, that such reimbursement shall cease to be effective
if and to the extent Employee becomes eligible to receive medical and/or dental coverage from a subsequent employer (and any such eligibility shall be promptly reported to Company by Employee). 

(e) If the Employee pays or becomes obligated to pay any excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code on any payment or benefit he
receives (whether pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise) in connection with the event giving rise to his right to receive payments and benefits under Section 9(c) of this Agreement, the Employer shall pay to the Employee an amount equal to
the total excise tax paid or payable. 
 11. Involuntary Termination During a Change of Control Period. If
Employee’s employment by Company or any successor thereto shall be subject to an Involuntary Termination during a Change of Control Period, then Company shall, as additional compensation for services rendered to Company (including its
subsidiaries), pay to Employee the following amounts and take the following actions: 
 (a) Pay Employee a lump sum cash payment
in an amount equal to two times the Employee’s Annual Base Salary within 30 days after Employee’s termination of employment with Company. 
 (b) During the portion, if any, of the 12-month period commencing on the date of such Involuntary Termination that Executive is eligible to elect and elects to continue coverage for himself and his
eligible dependents under Company’s or a subsidiary’s group health plans, as applicable, under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended, and/or Sections 601 through 608 of the

  
 11 

 
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, Company shall promptly reimburse Executive on a monthly basis for the difference between the amount Executive pays to effect and
continue such coverage and the employee contribution amount that active senior executive employees of Company pay for the same or similar coverage under such group health plans; provided, however, that such reimbursement shall cease to be effective
if and to the extent Executive becomes eligible to receive medical and/or dental coverage from a subsequent employer (and any such eligibility shall be promptly reported to Company by Executive). 

12. Release and Full Settlement. As a condition of the receipt of any severance compensation and benefits under this Agreement,
Employee must first execute a release and agreement, in a form reasonably satisfactory to Company, which (a) shall release and discharge Company and its affiliates, and their officers, directors, employees, and agents, from any and all claims
or causes of action of any kind or character, including all claims or causes of action arising out of Employee’s employment with Company or its affiliates or the termination of such employment, and (b) must be effective and irrevocable
within 55 days after the termination of Employee’s employment. If Employee is entitled to and receives the benefits provided hereunder, performance of the obligations of Company hereunder will constitute full settlement of all claims that
Employee might otherwise assert against Company on account of Employee’s termination of employment 
 13. Remedies.
Each party recognizes and acknowledges that in the event of any default in, or breach of any of, the terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement (either actual or threatened) by the other party, then the non-defaulting party’s remedies
at law shall be inadequate. Accordingly, each party agrees that in such event, the non-defaulting party shall have the right of specific performance and/or injunctive relief in addition to any and all other remedies and rights at law or in equity,
and such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. 
 14. Acknowledgments. Employee acknowledges and recognizes that the
enforcement of any of the non-competition provisions set forth in Section 6 above by Employer will not interfere with Employee’s ability to pursue a proper livelihood. 

15. Notices. Any notices, consents, demands, requests, approvals and other communications to be given under this Agreement by
either party to the other shall be deemed to have been duly given in writing personally delivered, by facsimile or sent by mail, registered or certified, postage prepaid with return receipt requested, as follows: 

 

			
	          If to Employer:
	  	 1048 Texan Trail

		  	 Grapevine, Texas 76051

		  	 Attention: Morgan F. Johnston

		  	 Telephone: (972) 410-1044

		  	 Facsimile: (972) 410-1066

  
 12 

  

			
	           If to Employee:	  	 54 Camp Avenue

		  	 Darien, CT 06820

		  	 (Address to be changed once Employee relocates to Texas)

 Notices delivered personally shall be deemed communicated as of actual receipt or receipt of facsimile;
mailed notices shall be deemed communicated as of three (3) days after mailing. 
 16. Survival. The following
sections of this Agreement shall survive termination of this Agreement for any reason: Sections 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22 and 23. 
 17. Dispute Resolution. 
 (a) General. Employee and the Company
explicitly recognize that no provision of this Section 17 shall prevent either party from seeking to resolve any dispute relating to this Agreement in a court of law. 
 (b) Negotiation. The parties shall attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement promptly by negotiations between Employee and an executive officer of
Company who has authority to settle the controversy. Any party may give the other party written notice of any dispute not resolved in the normal course of business. Within ten days after the effective date of such notice, Employee and an executive
officer of Company shall meet at a mutually acceptable time and place within the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas metroplex area, and thereafter as often as they reasonably deem necessary, to exchange relevant information and to attempt to resolve the
dispute. If the matter has not been resolved within 30 days of the disputing party’s notice, or if the parties fail to meet within ten days, either party may initiate arbitration of the controversy or claim as provided in Section 17(c)
below. If a negotiator intends to be accompanied at a meeting by an attorney, the other negotiator shall be given at least three business days’ notice of such intention and may also be accompanied by an attorney. All negotiations pursuant to
this Section 17(b) shall be treated as compromise and settlement negotiations for the purposes of the federal and state rules of evidence and procedure. 
 (c) Arbitration. Company and Employee agree that after efforts to negotiate any dispute in accordance with Section 17(b) have failed, then either party may by written notice (the
“Notice”) demand arbitration of the dispute as set out below, and each party hereto expressly agrees to submit to, and be bound by, such arbitration. 
 (i) Each party will, within ten business days of the Notice, nominate an arbitrator, who shall be a non-neutral arbitrator. Each nominated arbitrator must be someone experienced in dispute resolution and
of good character without moral turpitude and not within the employ or direct or indirect influence of the nominating party. The two nominated arbitrators will, within ten business days of nomination, agree upon a third arbitrator, who shall be
neutral. If the two appointed arbitrators 

  
 13 

 
cannot agree on a third arbitrator within such period, the parties may seek such an appointment through any permitted court proceeding or by the American Arbitration Association
(“AAA”). The three arbitrators will set the rules and timing of the arbitration, but will generally follow the rules of the AAA and this Agreement where same are applicable and shall provide for a reasoned opinion. 

(ii) The arbitration hearing will in no event take place more than 180 days after the appointment of the third
arbitrator. 
 (iii) The arbitration will take place in Dallas, Texas unless otherwise unanimously agreed to by
the parties. 
 (iv) The results of the arbitration and the decision of the arbitrators will be final and
binding on the parties, and each party agrees and acknowledges that these results shall be enforceable in a court of law. 
 (v) All administrative costs and expenses of the mediation and arbitration shall be borne equally by the Company and Employee during the pendency of the proceedings. Such costs and expenses do not include
attorney’s fees, expert witness fees or other party generated expenses. Upon the conclusion of the proceedings, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable and necessary attorneys’ fees, expert witness fees, and costs and
expenses of arbitration. 
 18. Indemnification. Company shall continue to indemnify Employee following any termination
of this Agreement to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law consistent with the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of Company in effect as of the date of the termination with respect to Employee’s sole, joint, or concurrent
negligence and any acts of or omissions he may have committed during the period during which he was an officer, director, and/or employee of (a) Company, (b) any subsidiary thereof for which he served as an officer, director, or employee
at the request of Company, or (c) any successor thereto; provided. Any reimbursement of reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements required under this Section 18 shall be made within thirty days of the date that Employee submits an
invoice for payment or reimbursement. In the event Company and Employee shall have entered into a separate indemnity agreement the terms of such agreement, and not this Section 18, shall govern Company’s obligations to indemnify Employee
following the termination of this Agreement. 
 19. Payment Obligations Absolute. Except as specifically provided in this
Agreement, Company’s obligation to pay (or cause one of its subsidiaries to pay) Employee the amounts and to make the arrangements provided herein shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstances, including,
without limitation, any set-off”, counterclaim, recoupment, defense, or other right which Company (including its subsidiaries) may have against Employee or anyone else. All amounts payable by Company (including its subsidiaries hereunder) shall
be paid without notice or demand. Employee shall not be 

  
 14 

 
obligated to seek other employment in mitigation of the amounts payable or arrangements made under any provision of this Agreement, and, except as provided in Sections 10(d) and 11(b) hereof, the
obtaining of any such other employment shall in no event effect any reduction of Company’s obligations to make (or cause to be made) the payments and arrangements required to be made under this Agreement. 

20. Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties hereto and supersedes all prior agreements and
understandings, oral or written between the parties hereto, with the exception of the Existing Consulting Contract which is described hereafter. No modification or amendment of any of the terms, conditions or provisions herein may be made otherwise
than by written agreement signed by the parties hereto. 
 21. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND
OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HERETO SHALL BE GOVERNED, CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. 

22. Parties Bound. This Agreement and the rights and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of
Employer and Employee, and their respective heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns. Employer shall have the right to assign this Agreement to any affiliate or to its successors or assigns provided that such affiliate, successor or
assign agrees to be bound by the terms hereof. The terms “successors” and “assigns” shall include any person, corporation, partnership or other entity that buys all or substantially all of Employer’s assets or all of its
stock, or with which Employer merges or consolidates. The rights, duties or benefits to Employee hereunder are personal to him, and no such right or benefit may be assigned by him. 

23. Estate. If Employee dies prior to the payment of all sums owed, or to be owed, to Employee pursuant to Section 5 above,
then such sums, as they become due, shall be paid to Employee’s estate. 
 24. Enforceability. If, for any reason,
any provision contained in this Agreement should be held invalid in part by a court of competent jurisdiction, then it is the intent of each of the parties hereto that the balance of this Agreement be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law. 
 25. Waiver of Breach. The waiver by any party hereto of a breach of any provision of this Agreement
shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach by any party. 
 26. Captions. The captions in
this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect any of the terms or provisions hereof. 

  
 15 

 27. Costs. If any action at law or in equity is necessary to enforce or interpret the
terms of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and necessary disbursements in addition to any other relief to which he or it may be entitled. 

28. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of
which shall constitute one and the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced. 
 29. Existing Consulting
Contract. Employer and Employee recognize the existing consulting contract agreement between the parties attached hereto as Exhibit II will remain in full force and affect. 
 EMPLOYER: 
  

			
	GREENHUNTER ENERGY, INC.
		
	By:	 	/s/    Gary C. Evans         
		 	Gary C. Evans
		 	Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 EMPLOYEE: 
  

			
		 	/s/    Jonathan D. Hoopes        
		 	Jonathan D. Hoopes

  
 16 

 Exhibit I 
 Restricted Stock Grant Vesting Schedule 
  

			
	25,000	  	One year anniversary
	25,000	  	Completion of permanent financing on Mesquite Lake Biomass Project
	25,000	  	Two year anniversary
	25,000	  	Company reports positive EBITDA for two (2) consecutive quarters

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