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Effect of subsidies to fossil fuel companies on United States crude oil production

Author

Listed:
  • Peter Erickson

    (Stockholm Environment Institute-U.S.)

  • Adrian Down

    (Stockholm Environment Institute-U.S.)

  • Michael Lazarus

    (Stockholm Environment Institute-U.S.)

  • Doug Koplow

    (Earth Track, Inc.)

Abstract

Countries in the G20 have committed to phase out ‘inefficient’ fossil fuel subsidies. However, there remains a limited understanding of how subsidy removal would affect fossil fuel investment returns and production, particularly for subsidies to producers. Here, we assess the impact of major federal and state subsidies on US crude oil producers. We find that, at recent oil prices of US$50 per barrel, tax preferences and other subsidies push nearly half of new, yet-to-be-developed oil investments into profitability, potentially increasing US oil production by 17 billion barrels over the next few decades. This oil, equivalent to 6 billion tonnes of CO2, could make up as much as 20% of US oil production through 2050 under a carbon budget aimed at limiting warming to 2 °C. Our findings show that removal of tax incentives and other fossil fuel support policies could both fulfil G20 commitments and yield climate benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Erickson & Adrian Down & Michael Lazarus & Doug Koplow, 2017. "Effect of subsidies to fossil fuel companies on United States crude oil production," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 2(11), pages 891-898, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:2:y:2017:i:11:d:10.1038_s41560-017-0009-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-017-0009-8
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Michael Lazarus & Harro van Asselt, 2018. "Fossil fuel supply and climate policy: exploring the road less taken," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Zhao, Xu & Luo, Dongkun & Lu, Kun & Wang, Xiaoyu & Dahl, Carol, 2019. "How the removal of producer subsidies influences oil and gas extraction: A case study in the Gulf of Mexico," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 1000-1012.
    3. Pu, Lei & Wang, Xiuhui & Tan, Zhongfu & Wang, Huaqing & Yang, JiaCheng & Wu, Jing, 2020. "Is China's electricity price cross-subsidy policy reasonable? Comparative analysis of eastern, central, and western regions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Jock Gilchrist, 2020. "There is no rationality that is not first ecological," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 10(3), pages 355-359, September.
    5. Kühne, Kjell & Bartsch, Nils & Tate, Ryan Driskell & Higson, Julia & Habet, André, 2022. "“Carbon Bombs” - Mapping key fossil fuel projects," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    6. Rajesh Sahu & Pramod Kumar, 2023. "The Missing Nexus: A Historical and Contemporary Position of the United States on Climate Change Action," International Studies, , vol. 60(4), pages 444-479, October.
    7. Casey Olechnowicz & Jessica Leahy & Tian Guo & Emily Silver Huff & Cecilia Danks & Maura Adams, 2021. "Industry Leaders’ Perceptions of Residential Wood Pellet Technology Diffusion in the Northeastern U.S," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    8. Cooke, Fang Lee & Wang, Jingtian & Wood, Geoffrey, 2022. "A vulnerable victim or a tacit participant? Extending the field of multinationals and corruption research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).
    9. Yu, Ping, 2020. "Carbon tax/subsidy policy choice and its effects in the presence of interest groups," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    10. Zaid Zuhaira & Jizu Li & Hayder Dhahir Mohammed, 2024. "The future of the shale industry in light of the fluctuations in global oil prices," Energy & Environment, , vol. 35(3), pages 1573-1596, May.
    11. Nils Droste & Benjamin Chatterton & Jakob Skovgaard, 2024. "A political economy theory of fossil fuel subsidy reforms in OECD countries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Jonathan Doh & Pawan Budhwar & Geoffrey Wood, 2021. "Long-term energy transitions and international business: Concepts, theory, methods, and a research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(5), pages 951-970, July.
    13. Garth Day & Creina Day, 2022. "The supply-side climate policy of decreasing fossil fuel tax profiles: can subsidized reserves induce a green paradox?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 173(3), pages 1-19, August.
    14. Lukas Folkens & Petra Schneider, 2022. "Responsible Carbon Resource Management through Input-Oriented Cap and Trade (IOCT)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, May.
    15. Xu, Shengqing, 2021. "The paradox of the energy revolution in China: A socio-technical transition perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).

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