BP America Production Co. v. Colorado Department of Revenue

2016 CO 23, 369 P.3d 281, 182 Oil & Gas Rep. 146, 2016 WL 1639829, 2016 Colo. LEXIS 421
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedApril 25, 2016
DocketSupreme Court Case No. 13SC996
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 2016 CO 23 (BP America Production Co. v. Colorado Department of Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
BP America Production Co. v. Colorado Department of Revenue, 2016 CO 23, 369 P.3d 281, 182 Oil & Gas Rep. 146, 2016 WL 1639829, 2016 Colo. LEXIS 421 (Colo. 2016).

Opinion

JUSTICE BOATRIGHT

delivered the Opinion of the Court,

T1 Colorado's "severance tax" statute levies a tax on income derived from the sale of natural gas extracted from Colorado. § 89-29-105(1)(a), C.R.S8. (2015). .In so doing, the statute permits taxpayers to deduct "any transportation, manufacturing, and processing costs" from revenue in valuing oil and gas resources for tax purposes. § 39-29-102@B8)(a), C.R.S8. (2015). The question before us is whether this section permits a deduction for the "cost of capital" associated with natural gas transportation and processing facilities. In general terms, the cost of capital is defined as the amount of money that an investor could have earned on a different investment of similar risk. See Atl. Richfield Co. v. Farm Credit Bank of Wichita, 226 F.3d 1138, 1147 (10th Cir.2000). In this case, the cost of capital is the amount of [283]*283money that BP America Production Company's ("BP") predecessors could have earned had they invested in other ventures rather than in building transportation and processing facilities. Petitioner, BP, claims it can deduct the cost of capital because it is a cost associated with transportation and processing activity. Respondent, the Colorado Department of Revenue ("the Department"), argues that the cost of capital is not a de-duetible cost because it is not an actual cost. The court of appeals held that the cost of capital is not a deductible cost under the statute. BP Am. Prod. Co. v. Colo. Dep't of Revenue, 2018 COA 147, ¶ 29, - P.3d -.

T2 We reverse and hold that the plain language of section 89-290-102(B8)(a) authorizes a deduction for any transportation, manufacturing, and processing costs and that the cost of capital is a deductible cost that resulted from investment in transportation and processing facilities Accordingly, we 'reverse and remand to the court of appeals with instructions to return the ease to the district court for proceedings consistent with this opinion. tC

I. Facts and Procedural History

T8 In the 1980s BP's pre‘decessofs in interest1 developed a method for producing natural gas from coal seams in southwest Colorado. In addition to extracting gas, the companies constructed facilities to process the gas and transport it to market,. Since then, the predecessor companies and BP have been successfully producing, transporting, and selling natural gas from the coal seams.

4 Colorado levies a tax on income generated from the extraction of nonrenewable natural resources, such as natural gas, from within the state. § 89-29-101, C.R.S. (2015). This tax is called the "severance tax." Id. BP and its predecessor companies filed annual severance tax returns on which they reported income and expenses with respect to gas extracted from land in Colorado, In 2005 BP filed amended severance tax returns for tax years 2008 and 2004, seeking to deduct the cost of capital related to its transportation and processing facilities from revenue generated by natural gas sales.

15 The Mineral Audit Section of the Department denied 'the cost of capital deduction. BP requested that the Department's hearing officer review that decision. The hearing officer also prohibited the cost of capital deduction, concluding that the "clear and unambiguous language" used in the statute allows deductions for transportation and processing costs ohly. He distinguished the cost of capital from transportation and processing costs and depreciation, reasoning that the cost of capital is neither a transportation nor processing cost but is an "opportunity cost 'that reflects the cost alternatives that were forfeited to pursue a certain action." The hearing officer continued that the statute does not allow deductions for "tying up money that could have been used elsewhere," reasoning that BP would recover its investment through depreciation deductions. The hearing officer thus issued a final determination that the cost of capital does not qualify as a deduction under section 89-29-102(8)(a).

T6 BP contested the final determination in district court, The parties stipulated that if the cost of capital is allowed as a deduction, BP is entitled to refunds of $629,186 and $669,202 plus interest for tax years 2008 and 2004, respectively.2 Further, they agreed that there were no disputed issues of material fact and thus submitted eross-mo-tions for summary judgment. Subsequently, the district court ruled that BP is entitled to a refund for its cost of capital because seetion 89-29-102(8)(a) unambiguously provides a deduction for "ony transportation, manufacturing, and processing costs borne by the taxpayer." The court reasoned that absent language to the contrary, the cost of capital is a cost related to transportation and processing and is intended by the General Assembly to be included as an allowable deduction. , Thus, the district court entered [284]*284judgment in favor of BP and ordered that the Department refund BP the amounts to which the parties stipulated if the cost of capital were allowed as a deduction.

T7 The Department appealed. The court of appeals reversed the district court and held that the cost of capital is not a deductible transportation and processing cost. BP Am, 1180-81, The court of appeals first determined that the severance tax statute was ambiguous as to whether the term "costs" includes the cost of capital. Id. at €{16. The court then relied on other state statutes, a guide from an association of oil and gas accountants, and the possibility that BP would earn a double deduction to conclude that, in the absence of an explicit statement by the legislature, the cost of capital is not deductible under section 89-29-102(B8)(a). Id. at 41 17-80.

18 We granted BP's petition for certiora-ri.3

II. Standard of Review

T9 We review questions of statutory construction de novo. People v. Johnson, 2015 CO 70, ¶ 9, 363 P.3d 169, 174.

III. Analysis

{10 The issue here is whether the cost of capital is a deductible cost under Colorado's severance tax statute. To resolve this issue of first impression, we first provide background on the statute. We then look to its language in order to determine whether the statute is ambiguous. Next we examine whether the cost of capital is a cost under the statute, At the end of our analysis, we determine that the statute is unambiguous and that the cost of capital is a cost under the statute, We conclude by holding that the plain language of section 39-20-102(8)(a) authorizes a deduction for any transportation, manufacturing, and processing costs and that the cost of capital is a deductible cost that resulted from investment in transportation and processing facilities Accordingly, we reverse and remand to the court of appeals with instructions to return the case to the district court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

A. Colorado's Severance Tax and the Netback Approach

T11 In order to interpret the severance tax statute's meaning, we must first understand its operation. The severance tax statute levies a tax on income produced from the sale of nonrenewable natural resources extracted from land in Colorado. § 39-29-101(1).

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Bluebook (online)
2016 CO 23, 369 P.3d 281, 182 Oil & Gas Rep. 146, 2016 WL 1639829, 2016 Colo. LEXIS 421, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bp-america-production-co-v-colorado-department-of-revenue-colo-2016.