Proposed O&G Taxes Limit Job Growth in Weak U.S. Economy
President Obama's elimination of oil and gas industry tax breaks in his administration's 2013 budget will push oil and gas investment overseas and diminish job-creation and economic activity in the U.S., American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Jack Gerard said Monday.
An API spokesperson said Monday that the organization has not conducted a study to determine how many oil and gas jobs would be impacted by Obama's proposed budget. However, the provisions that are addressed are essentially the same ones that the administration and others have focused on before.
"We didn't think past proposals to increase taxes on us made any sense for an economy in trouble and this one doesn't square with any serious plan to create new jobs," said API spokesperson Willis Bush.
The U.S. oil and gas industry already returns more than $86 million to the federal treasury every day, pays taxes at far higher effective rates than most other industries, and is one of few industries that have created jobs throughout the economic downturn, Gerard said during a conference call.
Pushing oil and gas investment overseas and reducing opportunities for job creation at home would result in less domestic energy production after a handful of years – particularly of gas – and result in more imports, fewer new jobs, and eventually, depressed tax, royalty and other revenues.
"If the industry's job-creating investments are a stimulus for the nation, then what the administration is proposing is an anti-stimulus," Gerard noted. "To spur new jobs, the president advocates tax breaks for everyone but the oil and gas industry – the one sector with the proven ability to create jobs and already supporting 9.2 million of them."
A full program of domestic oil and gas development – unfettered by the kind of tax increases the administration is proposing and by needless new regulations – could create one million more new jobs in just seven years and increase revenue to the government by $127 billion by 2020 and $800 billion by 2030, Gerard noted.
"Hundreds of thousands of new jobs are being created in North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states with new energy production – production made possible by innovations in technology and large private investment," Gerard commented.
Gerard referenced a recent analysis by former U.S. Census officials, which showed that, out of nine geographic regions across the U.S., only the oil patch experienced an increase in household income between 2007 and 2010. He added that, of the 10 states showing the greatest increases in household income, seven are oil and gas producing states.
"We can and will see many more of these success stories if we produce at home more of the oil and natural gas our nation requires, especially on federally controlled lands and offshore areas," Gerard noted. "We're going to need all sources of energy to feed a growing economy, but even with aggressive expansion of renewable and alternative energy, oil and natural gas will continue to provide the majority of our energy for decades to come."
Proposed Budget to Strip Out O&G Tax Breaks
President Obama on Monday unveiled his fiscal year 2013 budget, which would propose to repeal more than $4 billion per year of tax breaks to oil, gas and other fossil fuel producers. The proposed tax cuts echoes previous calls by Obama to stop subsidizing the oil and gas industry.
"Especially during a time of fiscal challenges, it makes little sense to provide incentives for fossil fuel producers when the Nation's priority is to increase the demand for and supply of clean energy," the budget said. "Repealing fossil fuel tax preferences helps eliminate market distortions, strengthening incentives for investments in clean, renewable and more energy efficient technologies."
Instead, the proposed budget emphasizes the president's commitment to creating clean energy jobs and technologies, pipeline safety as well as nuclear energy as part of the U.S. national security strategy.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu commented, "The United States is competing in a global race for the clean energy jobs of the future. The choice we face as a nation is simple: do we want the clean energy technologies of tomorrow to be invented in America by American innovators, made by American workers and sold around the world, or do we want to concede those jobs to our competitors? We can and must compete for those jobs."
Under the proposed budget, the expensing of intangible drilling costs would be repealed, as would the enhanced oil recovery and marginal well credits. While the President believes his proposal targets 'Big Oil', it instead burdens the heart of America's energy base – the thousands of small and independent American oil and natural gas producers, said Gigi Lazenby, president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
"These businesses – that on average employ only 11 workers – develop 95 percent of U.S. wells while producing 85 percent of U.S. natural gas and 54 percent of U.S. oil," Lazenby noted. "Additional taxation will harm this linchpin for American energy production as it would any business no matter what industry – all the while cutting jobs and reducing revenues on which so many states rely."
The proposed budget stands in contrast to plans by the House Republicans to create more jobs through increasing domestic oil and gas production.
Recent efforts by Republicans to boost domestic oil and gas production include the introduction late last month by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, which they say would create 1.2 million U.S. jobs by reversing the president's offshore moratorium and open up energy production along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The proposed bill calls for revenues from oil and gas production to be used to fund the construction of new roads and bridges.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Falcon Oil Declares Commercial Flow Test Results for Shenandoah Well
- Japan Failing to Meet Corporate Demand for Clean Power: Amazon
- Macquarie Strategists Expect Brent Oil Price to Grind Higher
- UK Oil Regulator Publishes New Emissions Reduction Plan
- PetroChina Posts Higher Annual Profit on Higher Production
- Pennsylvania County Joins List of Local Govts Suing Big Oil over Climate
- McDermott Settles Reficar Dispute
- US, SKorea Launch Task Force to Stop Illicit Refined Oil Flows into NKorea
- Russian Navy Enters Warship-Crowded Red Sea Amid Houthi Attacks
- USA Commercial Crude Oil Inventories Increase
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Standard Chartered Reiterates $94 Brent Call
- India Halts Russia Oil Supplies From Sanctioned Tanker Giant
- DOI Announces Proposal for Second GOM Offshore Wind Auction
- Centcom, Dryad Outline Recent Moves Around Red Sea Region
- PetroChina Set to Receive Venezuelan Oil
- Czech Conglomerate to Buy Major Stake in Gasnet for $917MM
- US DOE Offers $44MM in Funding to Boost Clean Power Distribution
- Oil Settles Lower as Stronger Dollar Offsets Tighter Market
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Another Major Oilfield Discovery
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea