Document:

New Director Deferral Plan

 Exhibit 10.41 
  
 INSTRUMENT ADOPTING 
 LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY 
 ELECTIVE DEFERRAL PLAN 
 FOR NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS 
  
 LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY hereby adopts the Lyondell Chemical Company Elective Deferral Plan for Non-Employee Directors, to read in its entirety as the
document entitled “Lyondell Chemical Company Elective Deferral Plan for Non-Employee Directors”, attached hereto. 
  
 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY, acting by and through its duly authorized officer, has caused this Instrument to be executed on this 2nd
day of December, 2005. 
  

							
	 ATTEST:
	 	 	 	 LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY

				
	 /s/ JoAnn L. Beck
	 	 	 	By:	 	 /s/ Dan F. Smith

	 Assistant Secretary
	 	 	 	 	 	 Dan F. Smith
 President and Chief Executive Officer

 Lyondell Chemical Company 
  

  
 ELECTIVE
DEFERRAL PLAN FOR NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS 
  
 Effective January 1, 2005

 ARTICLE I 
  

GENERAL PROVISIONS 
  
 Section 1.1 Purpose and Intent of Plan. 
  
 This Plan is intended to provide an opportunity for Directors who are not Company employees to accumulate supplemental funds for retirement or special
needs before retirement through the deferral of portions of their Retainer Fee. 
  
 This Plan replaces the deferral provisions of the Lyondell Chemical Company Elective Deferral Plan for Non-Employee Directors (“Prior Plan”) to conform to the requirements of Code Section 409A and any
related regulation or other guidance promulgated by applicable government agencies (“Code Section 409A”) and establishes the provisions of this Plan to apply to all deferrals of compensation earned or accrued in 2005 and thereafter.
Amounts deferred before 2005 and associated earnings shall continue to be governed by the Prior Plan terms. 
  
 Section 1.2 Effective Date of Plan. 
  
 This Plan document generally shall be effective January 1, 2005, unless certain provisions specify that they are effective on a different date. 
  
 Section 1.3 Definitions 
  
 (a) Account means a separate bookkeeping account maintained by the Company for each Participant which measures and determines the amounts to be
paid to the Participant under the Plan from January 1, 2005 forward. An Account may be divided into subaccounts as needed to reflect particular Deferral Elections. 
  
 (b) Administrative Committee means a committee of independent directors designated by the Board. 
  
 (c) Beneficiary means a person entitled to receive a
Participant’s Plan interest when the Participant’s dies before his Account is totally distributed. 
  
 (d) Board means the Board of Directors of Lyondell Chemical Company. 
  
 (e) Board Committee means any committee established by the Board which consists of Directors and which reports to the
Board. 
  
 (f) Chairman Fee means the annual cash amount
payable to a Director as additional compensation for serving as Chairman of the Board or as Chairman of a Board Committee. 
  
 (g) Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred on the date that one or more of the following occurs: 

 (i) Individuals who, within any twelve (12) month period, constitute a majority of
the Board (“Incumbent Directors”) are replaced as members of the Board by individuals who are not Incumbent Directors. Incumbent Directors shall include any individual becoming a director within the same twelve (12) month
period when the person’s election or appointment was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the then Incumbent Directors and shall exclude for this purpose any individual whose initial assumption of office was not endorsed by a majority
of the Board, 
  
 (ii) The date of any merger,
consolidation or recapitalization of the Company (or, if the capital stock of the Company is affected, any subsidiary of the Company), or any sale, lease, or other transfer (in one transaction or a series of transactions contemplated or arranged by
any party as a single plan) of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (each of the foregoing being an “Acquisition Transaction”) where the shareholders of the Company immediately before that Acquisition Transaction
would beneficially own, directly or indirectly, immediately after that Acquisition Transaction, shares or other ownership interests representing in the aggregate less than fifty percent (50%) of (a) the then outstanding common stock or
other equity interests of the corporation or other entity surviving or resulting from the merger, consolidation or recapitalization or acquiring assets of the Company, as the case may be, or of its ultimate parent corporation or other entity, if any
(in either case, the “Surviving Entity”), and (b) the Combined Voting Power of the then outstanding Voting Securities of the Surviving Entity; or 
  
 (iii) Any Person shall be or become the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing in the aggregate more than fifty percent (50%) of either (A) the then outstanding shares of common stock of the Company
(“Common Shares”) or (B) the Combined Voting Power of all then outstanding Voting Securities of the Company; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change in Control shall not be deemed to have
occurred for purposes of this Subsection (iii): 
  
 (1) Solely as a result of an acquisition of securities by the Company which, by reducing the number of Common Shares or other Voting Securities outstanding, increases (a) the proportionate number of Common Shares beneficially owned by
any Person to more than fifty percent (50%) of the Common Shares then outstanding, or (b) the proportionate voting power represented by the Voting Securities beneficially owned by any Person to more than fifty percent (50%) of the
Combined Voting Power of all then outstanding Voting Securities; 
  
 (2) Solely as a result of an acquisition of securities directly from the Company, except for any conversion of a security that was not acquired directly from the Company; 
  
 (iv) For purposes of this Change in Control definition, the
following capitalized terms have the following meanings: 
  

 2 

 (1) “Affiliate” shall mean, as to a specified person, another person that
directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the specified person, within the meaning of such terms as used in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or
any successor rule. 
  
 (2) “Combined Voting
Power” shall mean the aggregate votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of the Board of Directors, or similar managing group, of a corporation or other entity by holders of then outstanding Voting Securities of such corporation or
other entity. 
  
 (3) “Person” shall
mean any individual, entity (including, without limit, any corporation, partnership, trust, joint venture, association or governmental body) or group (as defined in Sections 14(d)(3) or 15(d)(2) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder); provided, however, that Person shall not include the Company, any of its subsidiaries or affiliates or LYONDELL-CITGO Refining LP (“LCR”), any employee benefit plan of the Company or LCR or any of their
subsidiaries or any entity organized, appointed or established by the Company, LCR, or their subsidiaries for or pursuant to the terms of any plan. 
  
 (4) “Voting Securities” shall mean all securities of a corporation or other entity having the right under ordinary circumstances
to vote in an election of the Board of Directors, or similar managing group, of such corporation or other entity. 
  
 (h) Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including any successor provisions and any regulations or other guidance promulgated
by applicable government agencies. 
  
 (i) Common Stock
means the Company’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share. 
  
 (j) Company means Lyondell Chemical Company, a Delaware corporation, or its successor. 
  
 (k) Deferral Election means a Director’s election to defer Retainer Fees during a Deferral Period according to Section 2.1. 

 
 (l) Deferral Period means the particular calendar year for which a
Deferral Election is made. A new Deferral Period begins each January 1 and ends each December 31, but for a new Director, his or her initial Deferral Period shall commence thirty (30) days after the Director’s election to the
Board. 
  
 (m) Deferred Compensation means the aggregate
amount of Retainer Fees a Director elects to defer and DSUs credited to the Participant’s Account. 
  

 3 

 (n) Deferred Stock Units or DSUs means a bookkeeping unit representing the value of one share of
Common Stock used to credit certain deferrals to a Participant’s account and track investment returns. 
  
 (o) Director means a Director of the Board who is not a current employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. 
  
 (p) Distribution means a distribution of a Participant’s Account
as a result of Termination of Service or other event specified under this Plan and permitted by Code Section 409A. 
  
 (q) Effective Date means January 1, 2005. 
  
 (r) Financial Hardship means a condition of severe financial difficulty, due to an unforeseeable emergency resulting from (i) an illness or
accident of the Participant, his spouse or dependent; (ii) a casualty causing a Participant’s property loss; or (iii) other similar or extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances created by events beyond the Participant’s
control, as determined by the Administrative Committee, upon advice of counsel, based on written information supplied by the Participant and which is sufficient, in counsel’s judgment, to justify a change in a Plan distribution election without
causing the Participant or any other Plan Participant to receive taxable income from the Plan before the Participant actually receives his or her benefit. 
  
 (s) In-Service Distribution means a distribution before Termination of Service as specified in Section 4.4 and permitted by Code
Section 409A. 
  
 (t) Interest Rate means
(i) prior to January 1, 2006, 125 percent of the rolling average Ten-Year Treasury Note Rate, on October 1 before the applicable Plan Year begins, and (ii) for each Plan Year commencing on or after January 1, 2006, the
previous monthly average of the closing yield to maturity, as reported by Bloomberg, of Lyondell Chemical Company’s most junior publicly traded debt on December 1 of the prior Plan Year. If this debt is retired during the Plan Year, the
monthly interest rate shall be based on the previous monthly average of the then longest maturity for the Company’s most junior publicly traded debt. 
  
 (u) Participant means any Director participating in this Plan under Article II, or any former Director who has not received the entire Plan benefit
to which he or she is entitled. 
  
 (v) Plan means this
Elective Deferral Plan for Non-Employee Directors. 
  
 (w) Plan
Year means each calendar year beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31. 
  
 (x) Retainer Fee means the annual amount paid in cash to a Director as compensation for serving in that capacity and any additional Chairman Fees. 
  
 (y) Survivor Benefit means the benefits described in Section 4.3 provided when a Participant dies before his or
her Account is distributed. 
  

 4 

 (z) Termination of Service means the Director ceasing to be a Board member, which complies with
the requirements of Code Section 409A. 
  
 (aa) Trust
Agreement means the Lyondell Chemical Company Non-Employee Directors Benefit Plans Trust Agreement and any amendments or successor agreements. 
  
 (bb) Valuation Date means the last day of each month, or other dates Administrative Committee determines in its discretion, which may be either
more or less frequent, used to value Participants’ Accounts. 
  

 5 

 ARTICLE II 
  
 PARTICIPATION AND DEFERRAL ELECTIONS 
  
 Section 2.1 Elective Deferrals. 
  
 A Director may elect to defer Retainer Fees and specify the desired form of crediting method under Section 3.5 before a Deferral Period begins by
submitting a Deferral Election for the Deferral Period. The time and form or distribution of the amount deferred shall be elected at the time the Deferral Election is made. Each Director’s Deferral Election shall be irrevocable after the
Deferral Period begins. A Participant may also elect to defer an In-Service Distribution as provided in Section 4.4. 
  
 Section 2.2 Deferral Limits. 
  
 Deferral Elections shall be subject to the following limits: 
  
 (a) A Participant must defer a minimum deferral amount reasonably anticipated to exceed Eight Thousand Dollars ($8,000) per Deferral Period. 

 
 (b) A Participant may not defer an amount exceeding one hundred
(100%) of the Participant’s Retainer Fee that would otherwise be payable in cash for that Deferral Period. 
  
 Section 2.3 Termination of Service. 
  
 Any outstanding Deferral Election shall terminate on the Participant’s Termination of Service. 
  
 Section 2.4 Modification of Deferral Elections. 
  
 The Administrative Committee may permit a Participant to cease the remaining
deferrals under a Deferral Election, if it finds that the Participant has suffered a Financial Hardship, to the extent that the Deferral Election may be revoked as a result of Financial Hardship under Code Section 409A. 
  

 6 

 ARTICLE III 
  
 DEFERRED COMPENSATION ACCOUNTS 
  
 Section 3.1 Accounts. 
  
 Accounts shall be maintained for each Participant for record-keeping purposes only. A Participant’s Account may be divided into subaccounts if
necessary to determine how a Participant’s Distribution Elections shall apply to portions of the Account. 
  
 Section 3.2 Deferred Compensation. 
  
 A Participant’s Deferred Compensation shall be credited to the Participant’s Account on the date when the corresponding non-deferred portion of compensation is paid or would have been paid but for the
Deferral Election. 
  
 (a) New Directors. A person who
becomes a Director after January 1 of a Plan Year shall be eligible to make a Deferral Election within thirty (30) days of the date he becomes a Director for the pro-rated Retainer Fee payable for service during that Plan Year. 

 
 (b) Tax Withholding. The Company shall have the right to withhold
from any Retainer Fees or Plan benefits (or otherwise cause the Director, his Beneficiary or the executor or administrator of his estate to pay) any federal, state, local or foreign taxes required to be withheld for any Deferred Compensation or
benefits paid by the Plan, including, but not limited to, Medicare taxes. 
  
 Section 3.3 Deferred Stock Units. 
  
 (a) DSU
Valuation. DSUs allocated to a Participant’s Account during a Plan Year for any reason other than a dividend payment, and DSUs transferred into the cash portion of a Participant’s Account according to a crediting method election change
under Section 3.5, shall be valued at the closing price per share of Common Stock on the last trading date of the prior Plan Year. 
  
 (b) Dividends. When dividends are paid on shares of Common Stock, a Participant’s Account which has been credited with DSUs also shall be
credited on the dividend record date with an additional number of DSUs equal to (A) the total amount of dividends payable for the number of shares of Common Stock represented by the DSUs credited to the Participant’s Account, divided by
(B) the closing price per share of Common Stock on the dividend record date. 
  
 Section 3.4 Interest Rate. 
  
 Except as provided
in Section 4.8, the cash portion of the Accounts shall be credited with interest at the applicable Interest Rate, compounded monthly during each Plan Year before the full distribution of the Participant’s Account. Interest shall be
credited monthly on the cash portion of the balance of the Account on each Valuation Date beginning on the date when Deferred Compensation is credited to the Account. 
  

 7 

 Section 3.5 Election of Crediting Method. 
  
 Once each Plan Year, a Participant may elect, prospectively, to have the balance credited to his Account allocated between
DSUs and cash, and the corresponding crediting methods in Sections 3.3 and 3.4 will apply to the election. Elections will be effective the first day of the following Plan Year. Deferral elections shall specify the initial form of crediting Deferred
Compensation. 
  
 Section 3.6 Account Value 
  
 A Participant’s Account on each Valuation Date shall consist of the
balance of the Participant’s Account on the immediately preceding Valuation Date, plus the amount of the Participant’s Deferred Compensation (in both cash and DSUs) since that Valuation Date, plus interest and dividend-derived DSUs
credited to the Account, minus any distributions from or reductions to the Account since the immediately preceding Valuation Date. 
  
 Section 3.7 Vesting 
  
 Each Participant shall be one hundred percent (100%) vested at all times in the amounts credited to his or her Account. 
  
 Section 3.8 Account Statement. 
  
 The Company shall provide each Participant with a statement of his or her
Account balance at least annually. 
  

 8 

 ARTICLE IV 
  
 PLAN BENEFITS 
  
 Section 4.1 Plan Benefit. 
  
 A Participant’s Plan benefit shall equal the amount of his or her Account, determined according to Sections 3.6 and 4.6. DSUs credited to a
Participant’s Account shall be paid in cash based on the closing price of a share of Common Stock on the most recent Valuation Date. Interest is payable on a Participant’s Account balance until the Account is fully distributed. 

 
 Section 4.2 Distribution Elections. 
  
 (a) Time and Form of Distribution. If the Participant becomes
entitled to a distribution due to Termination of Service, distribution shall be made at the time and form specified in the applicable Deferral Elections. A Participant may elect one or more of the following forms and commencement dates for all or a
portion of his Deferral Account. 
  
 (1) Lump Sum.
A single payment of all of the Participant’s amount deferred under a Deferral Election. 
  
 (2) Installment Payments. Monthly installment payments for five (5) years, ten (10) years or fifteen (15) years of the amount deferred under a Deferral Election, in substantially equal
payments of principal and interest. The amount of each monthly installment shall be recalculated effective January 1 of each year, based on the remaining balance subject to the installment payment election and the remaining number of
installment payments. 
  
 Notwithstanding the foregoing, a
Participant’s Account may be distributed earlier under Plan terms due to death or Financial Hardship, as provided in Sections 4.3 and 4.5, or for other reasons as may be provided under Code Section 409A. 
  
 (b) Failure to Make a Distribution Election. If the Participant fails
to make a distribution election for an amount deferred for a particular Deferral Period, that portion of the Participant’s Account balance will be distributed immediately in lump sum cash payment as soon as administratively possible, but no
later than thirty (30) days following Termination of Service. 
  
 (c) Change in Time or Form of Distribution. A Participant may elect to change the form of a Plan distribution, but (1) the election may not become effective until at least twelve (12) months after the date the new
distribution election is made, (2) the election must defer payment for a period of five (5) years after the original distribution date and (3) the new distribution election must be made at least twelve (12) months before the date
the original distribution was scheduled to occur. 
  
 (d)
Special Rule for 2005 Deferral Elections. A Participant who made a Deferral Election for the Deferral Period beginning on January 1, 2005 (“2005 Deferral Election”) may elect to change the distribution of the amount deferred
under the 2005 Deferral Election, if the distribution change is made before December 31, 2005. 
  

 9 

 Section 4.3 Survivor Benefits. 
  
 (a) Death Before Account Distribution. If the Participant dies before his or her Account distribution begins, the
Plan shall pay a Survivor Benefit equal to the value of the Participant’s Account, determined according to Sections 3.6 and 4.6, increased by the applicable Interest Rate on the unpaid Account balance during the period when Survivor Benefit
payments are being made to the Participant’s Beneficiary. 
  
 The Survivor Benefit shall be paid in a lump sum cash payment unless the Participant elected to have the Participant’s Account balance distributed according in installment payments. A Participant may elect to have the Survivor Benefit
paid to the Participant’s Beneficiary in substantially equal monthly cash payments over five (5) years, ten (10) years or fifteen (15) years. The amount of each of the monthly installments shall be recalculated effective
January 1 of each year, based on the remaining Account balance. 
  
 (b) Death After Account Distribution. If a Participant who is receiving installment payments dies after his or her Account distribution begins, any Survivor Benefit elected under this Plan shall not apply and the Participant’s
Account balance shall continue to be paid to the Beneficiary in the benefit form that was payable to the Participant, until all remaining payments that would have been made to the Participant if the Participant had lived, have been made. Payments
shall be increased by the applicable Interest Rate credited on the deceased Participant’s unpaid Account balance during each year payment is made to the Beneficiary. 
  
 (c) Election Change. A Participant may change his Survivor Benefit at any time, but the change shall not be effective
until twelve (12) months after the date the election was made. If the Participant fails to elect a form of Survivor Benefit payments, the Participant’s Account balance shall be distributed in a lump sum payment as soon as practical
following the Participant’s death. 
  
 (d) Death Following
Change in Control. If a Participant is entitled to a payment under Section 4.8 and dies before receiving his entire Account, the balance of the Participant’s Account shall be paid to Participant’s Beneficiary in a lump sum cash
payment. 
  
 Section 4.4 In-Service Distributions. 
  
 A Participant may elect to receive an In-Service Distribution from his or
her Account subject to the following restrictions: 
  
 (a)
Election. The election to take an In-Service Distribution for a particular Deferral Election must be made at the same time the Participant makes that Deferral Election. 
  
 (b) Amount. A Participant may elect to receive an In-Service Distribution equal to the amount the Participant
deferred under a particular Deferral Election. If a previously elected amount exceeds the related Account balance when an In-Service Distribution is to be made, only the Account balance will be paid. 
  
 (c) Timing of In-Service Distribution. The In-Service Distribution
shall be made in cash and shall begin at the time elected by the Participant when the Deferral Election was made. 

  

 10 

 
If the Participant has a Termination of Service before the In-Service Distribution date, the In-Service Distribution will be canceled and distribution will
be made under Section 4.2. The date elected for an In-Service Distribution shall be at least two (2) years after the Deferral Election becomes effective. 
  
 (d) Distributions from Account. Amounts paid to a Participant under this Section 4.4 shall be treated as
distributions from the Participant’s Account. 
  
 Section 4.5 Financial
Hardship Distributions. 
  
 When the Administrative Committee
finds that a Participant has suffered a Financial Hardship, following the Participant’s written application, the Administrative Committee shall distribute all or a portion of the Participant’s Account reasonably necessary to satisfy the
Financial Hardship. The amount necessary to satisfy the Financial Hardship shall be the amount determined according to the requirements of Code Section 409A. The distribution shall be paid in a lump sum as soon as administratively practical
following the Financial Hardship finding. 
  
 Section 4.6 Valuation and
Settlement. 
  
 The Settlement Date shall be the earlier of
the date when a lump sum is paid or when installment payments commence. The Settlement Date shall be no more than thirty (30) days after the last day of the month when the Participant or his Beneficiary becomes entitled to a Distribution. The
Settlement Date for an In-Service Distribution shall be the month when the Participant elects to commence payment. The amount of a lump sum and the initial amount of installment payments shall be based on the Participant’s Account value on the
Valuation Date immediately before the Settlement Date. 
  
 Section 4.7 Small
Benefit. 
  
 Notwithstanding any Distribution election, the
Company, in its sole discretion, may pay any benefit as a lump sum cash payment to the Participant or any Beneficiary, if the value of the Account balance that remains or the which is payable to the Participant or Beneficiary in installments when
payments would otherwise commence, is less than $10,000. 
  
 Section 4.8 Change
in Control. 
  
 Notwithstanding any contrary Plan provision,
the provisions of this Section shall control on a Change in Control of the Company. If a Change in Control occurs, the full amount of contributions and earnings accrued or credited to the Participant’s Account (either as cash amounts or as
DSUs) on the date immediately before the Change in Control, shall be distributed in cash to the Participant or the Participant’s Beneficiary, if a Survivor Benefit is being paid to a Beneficiary at Change in Control. Payment shall be made in a
lump sum form. 
  
 Section 4.9 Combined Gross-up Payment; Tax Defense.

  
 (a) Combined Gross-up Payment. If a Participant
becomes entitled to one or more payments (including, without limit, the vesting of an option or other non-cash benefit or property) under the terms of any Company plan, arrangement or agreement (the “Total 

  

 11 

 
Payments”), which are or become subject to the tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)
(or any similar tax that may be imposed) (the “Excise Tax”), the Company shall pay the Participant an additional cash amount (the “Combined Gross-up Payment”) so the net amount the Participant retains after reduction for
(i) any Excise Tax on the Total Payments and (ii) any federal, state and local income or employment tax and Excise Tax payable for the Combined Gross-up Payment, shall equal the Total Payments. To determine the Combined Gross-up Payment
amount, a Participant shall be deemed (i) to pay federal income taxes at the highest stated rate of federal income tax (including surtaxes, if any) for the calendar year when the Combined Gross up Payment is to be made; and (ii) to pay any
applicable state and local income taxes at the highest stated rate of taxation (including surtaxes, if any) for the calendar year when the Combined Gross-up Payment is to be made. Any Combined Gross-up Payment shall be made to the Participant at the
same time any Total Payment subject to the Excise Tax is paid or deemed received by the Participant. The Combined Gross-up Payment shall not be paid under this Plan if a Combined Gross-up Payment identical to or greater than the amount calculated
under this Section 4.9 is paid under any other Company plan, arrangement or agreement. 
  
 (b) Tax Defense. If, in connection with the examination of a Participant’s tax return, the Internal Revenue Service asserts that any amount payable or benefit provided under this Plan is a “parachute
payment” as defined in the Code, and the amount or benefit was not treated as a parachute payment to determine a Combined Gross-up Payment, the Company at its cost shall assume the defense of any controversy involving the issue and shall
indemnify and hold the Participant harmless for all liabilities, costs, taxes, interest and penalties attributable to the issue and, to the extent necessary (without duplication), shall increase the Combined Gross-up Payment to give effect to any
additional amount or benefit determined to be a parachute payment. The Participant shall cooperate with the Company so the Company will be able to challenge any adverse Internal Revenue Service determination through administrative proceedings and,
if determined by the Company, through litigation. 
  

 12 

 ARTICLE V 
  

BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION 
  
 Section 5.1 Beneficiary Designation. 
  
 Each Participant shall have the right to designate a Beneficiary or Beneficiaries to receive his or her Account on his or her death. The designation shall
be in a form provided by and delivered to the Company. The Participant shall have the right to change or revoke any designation from time to time by filing a new designation or notice of revocation with the Company. No notice to or consent by any
Beneficiary shall be required for any change or revocation. 
  
 Section 5.2
Failure to Designate Beneficiary. 
  
 If a Participant fails
to designate a Beneficiary before his or her death, or if no designated Beneficiary survives the Participant, the balance in the Participant’s Account shall be paid in a lump sum cash payment to the executor or administrator for his or her
estate. 
  

 13 

 ARTICLE VI 
  
 ADMINISTRATION 
  
 Section 6.1 Interpretation. 
  
 The Administrative Committee shall have the exclusive right and discretionary authority to interpret Plan provisions and to decide questions arising in
its administration. The Administrative Committee’s decisions and interpretations shall be final and binding on the Company, Participants, Directors, Beneficiaries and all other persons. 
  
 Section 6.2 Administrative Records. 
  
 Records reflecting Plan administration shall be kept. 
  
 Section 6.3 Claims. 
  
 The Administrative Committee shall provide adequate notice in writing to any Participant, Director or Beneficiary whose
claim for Plan benefits has been denied, setting forth the specific reasons for the denial. The Participant, Director or Beneficiary will be given an opportunity to request a review of the decision denying the claim. The Participant, Director or
Beneficiary shall be given sixty (60) days from the date of the notice denying any claim to request a review. If a written request for a review is not received within this sixty (60) day period, the denial will be final. The Board or the
person or entity delegated responsibility to review the claim on the Board’s behalf, shall conduct a full and fair review of the claim. A decision on review shall be in writing and shall include specific reasons for the decision. 
  
 Section 6.4 Liability. 
  
 No Administrative Committee member shall be liable for any action taken in good faith or exercise of any Administrative
Committee power or for the actions of other Administrative Committee members. 
  

 14 

 ARTICLE VII 
  
 AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION 
  
 Section 7.1 Plan Amendment. 
  
 This Plan may be amended from time to time by the Board of Directors of the Company. 
  
 Section 7.2 Termination. 
  
 The Company intends to continue this Plan indefinitely, but reserves the right to terminate it at any time. If a Change in Control occurs, this Plan shall
be terminated following distribution of assets to Participants or to the Independent Plan Administrator under the Trust Agreement. 
  
 Section 7.3 Effect of Amendment or Termination. 
  
 No Plan amendment or termination Plan may adversely affect the benefit payable to any Participant or Beneficiary receiving or entitled to receive Plan
benefits before the effective date of the amendment or termination. However, the Board may amend the Plan to eliminate any form of payment or to comply with any law or regulation, including, but not limited to, reformation of any Plan provision that
would result in the imposition of an excise tax under Code Section 409A, and if so, that amendment or reformation will not be deemed to adversely affect any Participant’s benefit entitlement. 
  
 No Plan amendment or termination due to a Change in Control shall adversely
affect the amount of contributions and earnings accrued or credited to any former or current Participant’s Account immediately before the Change in Control. 
  
 Section 7.4 Effect of Legislation. 
  
 If any Plan provision would result in the imposition of any excise tax under Code Section 409A, the terms of Code Section 409A shall apply and
that Plan provision will be reformed to avoid the excise tax. 
  

 15 

 ARTICLE VIII 
  
 MISCELLANEOUS 
  
 Section 8.1 Unsecured General Creditor. 
  
 Participants and their Beneficiaries shall have no legal or equitable rights, claims or interests in any specific Company assets or property, nor are they
beneficiaries of, or have any rights, claims or interests in any life insurance policies, annuity contracts, or the proceeds of those policies or contracts which the Company owns or acquires (“Policies”). Any Policies or other Company
assets shall be, and remain, general unpledged, unrestricted Company assets. The Company’s obligation under the Plan is merely an unfunded and unsecured Company promise to pay money in the future. 
  
 Section 8.2 Grantor Trust. 
  
 Although the Company is responsible for all Plan benefits, the Company, in
its sole discretion, may contribute funds to a grantor trust, as it deems appropriate, to pay Plan benefits. The trust may be irrevocable, but trust assets shall be subject to the claims of Company creditors. If any Plan benefits are actually paid
from the trust, the Company shall have no further obligation for those benefits but to the extent the benefit is not paid, benefits shall remain the obligation of, and shall be paid, by the Company. Participants or Beneficiaries shall be unsecured
creditors insofar as their legal claims for Plan benefits and shall have no security interest in the grantor trust. 
  
 Section 8.3 Non-assignment. 
  
 Payments to and benefits under this Plan are not assignable, transferable or subject to alienation since they are primarily for the support and
maintenance of the Participants and their Beneficiaries. Likewise, payments shall not be subject to attachments by creditors of, or through legal process against, the Company, the Administrative Committee or any Participants. Payment may be offset
by the Company as provided under Section 8.6. 
  
 Section 8.4 No Right To
Board Service. 
  
 The Plan provisions shall not give a
Director the right to be retained in Company service nor shall this Plan or any action taken under the Plan be construed as a contract for Board service. 
  
 Section 8.5 Adjustments. 
  
 At the Company’s request, the Administrative Committee may adjust a Participant’s Plan benefit or make other adjustments required to correct
administrative errors or provide uniform treatment of Participants, in a manner consistent with the Plan’s intent and purpose. 
  
 Section 8.6 Obligation to Company. 
  
 If a Participant becomes entitled to a distribution of Plan benefits, and if at that time the Participant has any outstanding debt, obligation, or other
liability representing an amount owed 

  

 16 

 
to the Company, or any Company benefit plan, then the Administrative Committee, in its sole discretion, may offset the amount owed to the Company or the
benefit plan against the amount of benefits otherwise distributable under this Plan. 
  
 Section 8.7 Protective Provisions. 
  
 Each
Participant shall cooperate with the Company by furnishing any and all information the Company requests to facilitate benefit payments, taking any physical examinations as the Company deems necessary and taking other relevant action as the Company
requests. If a Participant refuses to cooperate, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Participant under the Plan. If the Participant makes any material misstatement of information or nondisclosure of medical history, no benefits will
be payable to the Participant or his Beneficiary, unless, in the Company’s sole discretion, benefits may be payable in an amount reduced to compensate the Company for any loss, cost, damage or expense suffered or incurred by the Company as a
result in any way of any Participant action, misstatement or nondisclosure. 
  
 Section 8.8 Gender, Singular and Plural. 
  
 All
pronouns and any variations are deemed to refer to the masculine, feminine, or neuter, as the identity of the person or persons require. The singular may be read as the plural and the plural as the singular as the case requires. 
  
 Section 8.9 Governing Law. 
  
 This Plan shall be construed, regulated and administered under the laws of
the State of Texas, except to the extent that the laws are preempted by federal law. 
  
 Section 8.10 Notice. 
  
 Any notice or filing
required or permitted to be given to the Administrative Committee or the Company under the Plan shall be sufficient if in writing and hand delivered, or sent by registered or certified mail, to the Company’s principal office directed to the
attention of the Secretary of the Company. Notice shall be deemed given on the delivery date or, if delivery is made by mail, on the postmark date on the receipt for registration or certification. 
  
 Section 8.11 Successors and Assigns. 
  
 This Plan shall be binding upon the Company and its successors and assigns.

  
 Section 8.12 Incapacity. 
  
 If the Administrative Committee deems that any person entitled to receive
any Plan payment is incapable of receiving or disbursing the payment because of minority, illness or infirmity, mental incompetency, or incapacity of any kind, the Administrative Committee, in its sole discretion, may take any one or more of the
following actions: it may apply the payment directly for the person’s comfort, support and maintenance; it may reimburse any person for any support supplied to the person entitled to receive any payment; or it may pay any other person the
Administrative Committee selects to disburse the payment for the comfort, support and 

  

 17 

 
maintenance of the person entitled to it, including, without limit, to any relative who has wholly or partially undertaken the expense of the person’s
comfort, care and maintenance, or any institution which has care or custody of the person entitled to the payment. The Administrative Committee, in its sole discretion, may deposit any payment due to a minor to the minor’s credit in any savings
or commercial bank the Administrative Committee’s chooses. 
  

 18United States Steel Corporation Deferred Compensation Program

 Exhibit 10.1 
  
 UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION 
 DEFERRED COMPENSATION PROGRAM 
 FOR NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS 
 (Effective as of November 29, 2005) 
  
 1. Purpose 
  
 The United States Steel Corporation Deferred Compensation Program for Non-Employee Directors, a program under the United States Steel Corporation 2005
Stock Incentive Plan, is intended to enable the Corporation to attract and retain non-employee Directors and to enhance the long-term mutuality of interest between such Directors and shareholders of the Corporation. 
  
 2. Definitions 
  
 Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms shall have the meanings set forth in the Plan. The following definitions
apply to this Program and to the Deferral Election Forms: 
  

	 	(a)	Beneficiary or Beneficiaries means a person or persons or other entity designated on a Beneficiary Designation Form by a Participant as allowed in subsection 7(c) of
this Program to receive Deferred Benefit payments. If there is no valid designation by the Participant, or if the designated Beneficiary or Beneficiaries fail to survive the Participant or otherwise fail to take the Benefit, the Participant’s
Beneficiary is the Participant’s surviving spouse or, if there is no surviving spouse, the Participant’s estate. 

  

	 	(b)	Beneficiary Designation Form means that portion of the Deferral Election Form that is used by a Participant according to this Program to name his/her Beneficiary or
Beneficiaries. 

  

	 	(c)	Board means the board of directors of United States Steel Corporation. 

  

	 	(d)	Committee means the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee of the Board. 

  

	 	(e)	Common Stock means the common stock of the Corporation. 

  

	 	(f)	Common Stock Unit shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 6(a). 

  

	 	(g)	Corporation means United States Steel Corporation. 

	 	(h)	Deferral Election Form means a document governed by the provisions of section 4 of this Program by which a Participant elects the portion of his or her Retainer Fee to
be deferred and designates a Beneficiary. 

  

	 	(i)	Deferral Year means a calendar year for which a Participant has a Deferred Benefit. 

  

	 	(j)	Deferred Stock Account means that bookkeeping record established for each Participant to reflect the status of his/her Deferred Stock Benefits under this Program. A
Deferred Stock Account is established only for purposes of measuring a Deferred Stock Benefit and not to segregate assets or to identify assets that may or must be used to satisfy a Deferred Stock Benefit. A Deferred Stock Account will be credited
with that portion of the Participant’s Retainer Fee deferred as a Deferred Stock Benefit according to a Deferral Election Form and according to sections 3 and 6 of this Program. A Deferred Stock Account will be credited periodically with
amounts determined by the Committee under subsection 6(b) of this Program. 

  

	 	(k)	Deferred Stock Benefit means the benefit that results in distributions governed by sections 6 and 7. 

  

	 	(l)	Directors means those duly named members of the Board. 

  

	 	(m)	Election Date means the date established by this Program as the date before which a Participant must submit a valid Deferral Election Form to the Committee. For each
Deferral Year, the Election Date is December 31 of the preceding calendar year or, in the case of an individual who becomes a Participant during a Deferral Year, the date that he/she becomes a Participant. Despite the two preceding sentences,
the Committee may set an earlier date as the Election Date for any Deferral Year. 

  

	 	(n)	Participant means a Director who is not simultaneously an employee of the Corporation. 

  

	 	(o)	Plan means the United States Steel Corporation 2005 Stock Incentive Plan. 

  

	 	(p)	Program means the United States Steel Corporation Deferred Compensation Program for Non-Employee Directors under the Plan. 

  

	 	(q)	Retainer Fee means that portion of a Participant’s compensation that is fixed and paid without regard to his/her attendance at meetings. 

 

	 	(r)	Terminate, Terminating, or Termination, with respect to a Participant, means cessation of his/her relationship with the Corporation as a Director whether by
retirement, death, disability or severance for any other reason. 

  
 3. Minimum Stock-Based Compensation 
  
 Each
Person who becomes a Participant is required to receive at least 70 percent of his/her annual Retainer Fee in the form of Common Stock Units. 
  

 -2- 

 4. Deferral Election 
  
 A deferral election is valid when a Deferral Election Form is completed, signed by the Participant, and received by the Committee or its designee.
Deferral elections are governed by the provisions of this section. 
  

	 	(a)	A Participant may elect a Deferred Stock Benefit for any Deferral Year if he/she is a Participant at the beginning of that Deferral Year or becomes a Participant during the Deferral
Year. 

  

	 	(b)	Before each Deferral Year’s Election Date, each Participant will be provided with a Deferral Election Form. Subject to Section 3, a Participant may elect on or before the
Election Date to defer until after Termination the receipt of all or part of his/her Retainer Fee for the Deferral Year in the form of a Deferred Stock Benefit. 

  

	 	(c)	A Participant may not revoke a Deferral Election Form after the Deferral Year begins. Any revocation before the beginning of the Deferral Year is the same as a failure to submit a
Deferral Election Form. Any writing signed by a Participant expressing an intention to revoke his/her Deferral Election Form and delivered to the Committee or its designee before the close of business on the relevant Election Date is a revocation.

  
 5. Effect of No Election 
  
 In the case of a person who does not submit a valid Deferral Election Form on or before the
relevant Election Date, seventy percent of such Participant’s Retainer Fee will become a Deferred Stock Benefit. 
  
 6. Deferred Stock Benefits 
  

	 	(a)	Deferred Stock Benefits will consist of Common Stock Units and will be set up in a Deferred Stock Account for each Participant. “Common Stock Unit” shall mean a book-entry
unit equal in value to a share of Common Stock. Each Common Stock Unit will increase or decrease in value by the same amount and with the same frequency as the fair market value of a share of Common Stock. Each Deferred Stock Account will be
credited on January 15th of each year (or, if such day is not a business day, on the next succeeding business day) with a quantity of Common Stock Units determined in accordance with this section based on the closing price of a share of Common
Stock on the NYSE on the last trading day of the preceding calendar year. 

  

	 	(b)	Each Deferred Stock Account will be credited each calendar quarter, on 

  

 -3- 

	 	 	the date on which dividends are reinvested under the Corporation’s dividend reinvestment and stock purchase plans (the “Investment Date”), with additional Common
Stock Units, including fractional units, in a quantity equal to the quotient of the dividends payable on the quantity of shares in such account divided by the Stock Purchase Price. “Stock Purchase Price” means the closing price of a share
of Common Stock on the NYSE on the most recent trading day preceding the Investment Date. 

  

	 	(c)	If a trust is established under section 8(b), an electing Participant may advise the trustee under the governing trust agreement as to the voting of shares of the Common Stock
allocated to that Participant’s separate account under the trust according to this subsection and provisions of the governing trust agreement. Before each annual or special meeting of the Corporation’s shareholders, the trustee under the
governing trust agreement must furnish each Participant with a copy of the proxy solicitation and other relevant material for the meeting as furnished to the trustee by the Corporation, and a form addressed to the trustee requesting the
Participant’s confidential advice as to the voting of shares of the Common Stock allocated to his/her account as of the valuation date established under the governing trust agreement preceding the record date. 

  
 7. Distributions 
  

	 	(a)	Except as set forth in Section 7(d), a Deferred Stock Benefit will be distributed in shares of Common Stock equal to the number of, the Common Stock Units credited to the
Participant’s Deferred Stock Account. However, cash must be paid in lieu of fractional shares of the Common Stock otherwise distributable. 

  

	 	(b)	Delivery of Common Stock will be made no later than five business days after the Participant’s Termination. 

  

	 	(c)	Deferred Stock Benefits may not be assigned by a Participant or Beneficiary. A Participant may use a Beneficiary Designation Form to designate one or more Beneficiaries for all of
his/her Deferred Stock Benefits; such designations are revocable. Each Beneficiary will receive his/her portion of the Participant’s Deferred Stock Account on February 15 of the year following the Participant’s death. .

  

	 	(d)	Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control resulting in a Participant’s Termination, the Corporation shall pay such Participant, on the fifth day following such Termination,
cash in an aggregate amount equal to the value of such Participant’s Deferred Stock Account on the date of the Change in Control, as determined using the higher of the closing prices of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such
date or the highest per-share price actually paid in connection with such Change in Control. For purposes of this Program, “Change in Control” shall mean a change in control of a nature that would be required to be reported in

  

 -4- 

	 	 	response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), whether or not the
Corporation is then subject to such reporting requirement; provided, that, without limitation, such a change in control shall be deemed to have occurred if 

  

	 	(A)	any person (as defined in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) (a “Person”) is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the
Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Corporation representing twenty percent (20%) or more of the combined voting power of the Corporation’s then outstanding voting securities; provided, however, that for purposes of
this Program the term “Person” shall not include (i) the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, (ii) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries,
(iii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, or (iv) a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Corporation in substantially the same proportions as their
ownership of stock of the Corporation; or 

  

	 	(B)	the following individuals cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of directors then serving: individuals who, on the date hereof, constitute the Board and any
new director (other than a director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest including but not limited to a consent solicitation, relating to the election of directors of the Corporation)
whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Corporation’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors on the date hereof
or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved; or 

  

	 	(C)	there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Corporation or a subsidiary thereof with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the
holders of the voting securities of the Corporation outstanding immediately prior thereto holding securities which represent immediately after such merger or consolidation at least 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the
entity surviving the merger or consolidation (or the parent of such surviving entity) or the shareholders of the Corporation approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Corporation, or there is consummated the sale or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the Corporation’s assets. 

  

 -5- 

 8. Corporation’s Obligation 
  

	 	(a)	The Program is unfunded. A Deferred Benefit is at all times solely a contractual obligation of the Corporation. A Participant and his/her Beneficiaries have no right, title or
interest in the Deferred Stock Benefits or any claim against them. Except according to section 8(b), the Corporation will not segregate any funds or assets for Deferred Stock Benefits nor issue any notes or security for the payment of any Deferred
Stock Benefit. 

  

	 	(b)	The Corporation may establish a grantor trust and transfer to that trust shares of Common Stock or other assets. The governing trust agreement must require a separate account to be
established for each electing Participant. The governing trust agreement must also require that all Corporation assets held in trust remain at all times subject to the Corporation’s judgment creditors. 

  
 9. Control by Participant 
  
 A Participant has no control over Deferred Benefits except according to
his/her Deferral Election Forms and Beneficiary Designation Form. 
  
 10.
Claims Against Participant’s Deferred Stock Benefits 
  
 A Deferred Stock Account relating to a Participant under this Program is not subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or charge, and any attempt to do so is void. A Deferred Stock
Benefit is not subject to attachment or legal process for a Participant’s debts or other obligations. Nothing contained in this Program gives any Participant any interest, lien or claim against any specific asset of the Company. A Participant
or his/her beneficiary has no rights other than as a general creditor. 
  
 11.
Amendment or Termination 
  
 This Program may be altered,
amended, suspended, or terminated at any time by the Board. 
  
 12. Notices

  
 Notices and elections under this Program must be in
writing. A notice or election is deemed delivered if it is delivered personally or if it is mailed by registered or certified mail to the person at his/her last known business address. 
  
 13. Waiver 
  
 The waiver of a breach of any provision in this Program does not operate as and may not be construed as a waiver of any later breach. 
  

 -6- 

 14. Construction 
  
 This Program is created, adopted, maintained and governed according to the laws of the state of Delaware. Headings and captions are only for convenience;
they do not have substantive meaning. If a provision of this Program is not valid or not enforceable, the validity or enforceability of any other provision is not affected. Use of one gender includes all, and the singular and plural include each
other. 
  
 15. Effective Date 
  
 This Program shall be effective as a program under the 2005 Stock Incentive
Plan as of November 29, 2005. 
  

 -7-

Source: [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00094-of-00352.parquet"}, [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00094-of-00352.parquet"}]]