Oil, Natural Gas and Investing in America
Mark Green
Posted September 29, 2015
U.S. oil and natural gas companies continue to lead in investing in the domestic economy, with five companies among the Progressive Policy Institute’s top 25 in 2014 U.S. capital expenditures. The list:
ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental Petroleum and Hess lead an energy production/mining sector that invested $43.6 billion in 2014, closely following the $48.7 invested by telecom/cable:
That’s great news for the U.S. economy which, as the PPI report details, needs investment to expand. PPI calls the top 25 its “investment heroes” because “their capital spending is helping to raise productivity and wages across the economy.” The report:
Together, the top 25 investment heroes invested nearly $172 billion in the United States in their most recent fiscal year. That’s up from $152 billion from last year’s top 25, a 12.7 percent increase compared to the 7 percent gain for nonresidential business investment as a whole.
Energy investment means jobs, new and expanded facilities, equipment purchases and support for a vast supply chain that provides materials and services for industry. These companies also are big investors in greenhouse gas-mitigating technologies – $90 billion from 2000 through 2014, according to a T2 and Associates report, nearly as much as similar investments made by all other U.S.-based industries over the same period.
Investments that generate business activity also means tax revenues. This is reflected in taxes paid by the oil and natural gas companies that made PPI’s investment top 25, paying an effective tax rate of 36.17 percent (compared to the 25.85 percent rate paid by non-oil and natural gas companies on PPI’s list):
The key for the U.S. economy and American energy security is an energy strategy that sustains and grows development, bringing additional investment. This includes increased access to energy reserves, onshore and offshore, a common-sense regulatory environment and a fair, predictable leasing and permitting rules – again, to foster investment.
A pro-development energy approach will bring the investments that will yield economic growth, job creation and household savings, according to a study by Wood Mackenzie. As the PPI report shows, U.S. oil and natural gas companies are investing in America – and they’ll continue doing so with the right policies in place to support an investment climate.
About The Author
Mark Green joined API after a career in newspaper journalism, including 16 years as national editorial writer for The Oklahoman in the paper’s Washington bureau. Previously, Mark was a reporter, copy editor and sports editor at an assortment of newspapers. He earned his journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University. He and his wife Pamela have two grown children and six grandchildren.