(World Oil) – Senate Republicans included a tax break estimated to be worth more than $1 billion for oil and gas producers in their version of President Donald Trump’s sprawling fiscal package.
The provision would allow energy companies subject to a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax to deduct certain drilling costs when calculating their taxable income. Companies including ConocoPhillips, Ovintiv Inc. and Civitas Resources, Inc. lobbied in favor of it.
The change was included in the legislation released Monday by Republicans on the Senate tax writing committee, which would slash tax credits for wind, solar, electric vehicles and hydrogen.
The tax break for drilling costs is nearly identical to a bill by Republican Senator James Lankford. His home state of Oklahoma is among the top oil and gas producing states.
Lankford’s bill, called the Promoting Domestic Energy Production Act, would cost the U.S. government $1.1 billion over 10 years, according to the non-profit Tax Foundation, which cited an estimate from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation.
A representative for Lankford declined to comment.
Earlier this year, Lankford told told CNBC that his bill was necessary to prevent independent oil and gas producers from being squeezed by the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax, enacted under former President Joe Biden to prevent corporations from using deductions and credits to pay little or no taxes.
“If we can’t get rid of that entirely we at least need to give some relief to those folks who are independent producers,” Lankford said. “We need to be able to get some relief to them so they’re not constantly worried about it.”
Some Democratic lawmakers, along with environmental and watch dog groups including Friends of the Earth and Public Citizen, criticized the Senate bill as a giveaway to fossil fuel companies.
“There is a giant give away to the oil industry tucked right into this bill,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat. “They are going to get a special get out of paying your taxes free.”
Other supporters of the measure, which wasn’t included in the House version of the bill, include the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, founded by oil billionaire and Trump donor Harold Hamm.
It was also backed by the American Exploration & Production Council, which represents independent oil and gas producers including Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp.
“America and the world need affordable, reliable energy – and this common-sense legislation will enable domestic producers to more quickly invest in production and meet this critical need,” said Anne Bradbury, the group’s chief executive officer.
