Impacts of state tax and resource ownership policies on extraction: Evidence from U.S. natural gas production

A-Tier
Journal: Energy Economics
Year: 2024
Volume: 138
Issue: C

Authors (4)

Thomas, Pinky (West Virginia University) Collins, Alan (not in RePEc) Etienne, Xiaoli (West Virginia University) Mugabe, Douglas (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We analyze the impact of different state tax structures and resource ownership policies on natural and shale gas production. Using state-level, quarterly data from seven of the largest shale gas-producing states from 2007 to 2020, we find evidence that both the type of taxation method and the presence of a forced pooling law impact natural gas production. Using random effects models, we find that impact fees do not significantly affect either natural gas or shale gas production relative to severance taxes. Conversely, we find that in states with volume-based tax rates, quarterly natural gas production increases by 2.5 % relative to those states with revenue-based tax rates. We also find that the existence of a forced pooling law decreases quarterly natural gas production with an estimated decline of between 2.6 % to 3.8 % relative to states where no forced pooling law exists. These findings show that the restrictions imposed by forced pooling laws have larger impacts on production compared with different severance tax structures.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:eneeco:v:138:y:2024:i:c:s0140988324005772
Journal Field
Energy
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25