Subchapter A - Tax on Petroleum

26 USC 4611 - Imposition of tax

(a) General Rule 
There is hereby imposed a tax at the rate specified in subsection (c) on
(1) crude oil received at a United States refinery, and
(2) petroleum products entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing.
(b) Tax on certain uses and exportation 

(1) In general 
If
(A) any domestic crude oil is used in or exported from the United States, and
(B) before such use or exportation, no tax was imposed on such crude oil under subsection (a),

then a tax at the rate specified in subsection (c) is hereby imposed on such crude oil.

(2) Exception for use on premises where produced 
Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any use of crude oil for extracting oil or natural gas on the premises where such crude oil was produced.
(c) Rate of tax 

(1) In general 
The rate of the taxes imposed by this section is the sum of
(A) the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate, and
(B) the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate.
(2) Rates 
For purposes of paragraph (1)
(A) the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate is 9.7 cents a barrel, and
(B) the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate is 5 cents a barrel.
(d) Persons liable for tax 

(1) Crude oil received at refinery 
The tax imposed by subsection (a)(1) shall be paid by the operator of the United States refinery.
(2) Imported petroleum product 
The tax imposed by subsection (a)(2) shall be paid by the person entering the product for consumption, use, or warehousing.
(3) Tax on certain uses or exports 
The tax imposed by subsection (b) shall be paid by the person using or exporting the crude oil, as the case may be.
(e) Application of Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate 

(1) In general 
Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate under this section shall apply after December 31, 1986, and before January 1, 1996.
(2) No tax if unobligated balance in Fund exceeds $3,500,000,000 
If on December 31, 1993, or December 31, 1994
(A) the unobligated balance in the Hazardous Substance Superfund exceeds $3,500,000,000, and
(B) the Secretary, after consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, determines that the unobligated balance in the Hazardous Substance Superfund will exceed $3,500,000,000 on December 31 of 1994 or 1995, respectively, if no tax is imposed under section 59A, this section, and sections 4661 and 4671,

then no tax shall be imposed under this section (to the extent attributable to the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate) during 1994 or 1995, as the case may be.

(3) No tax if amounts collected exceed $11,970,000,000 

(A) Estimates by Secretary 
The Secretary as of the close of each calendar quarter (and at such other times as the Secretary determines appropriate) shall make an estimate of the amount of taxes which will be collected under section 59A, this section (to the extent attributable to the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate), and sections 4661 and 4671 and credited to the Hazardous Substance Superfund during the period beginning January 1, 1987, and ending December 31, 1995.
(B) Termination if $11,970,000,000 credited before January 1, 1996 
If the Secretary estimates under subparagraph (A) that more than $11,970,000,000 will be credited to the Fund before January 1, 1996, the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate under this section shall not apply after the date on which (as estimated by the Secretary) $11,970,000,000 will be so credited to the Fund.
(f) Application of Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate 

(1) In general 
Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate under subsection (c) shall apply on and after April 1, 2006, or if later, the date which is 30 days after the last day of any calendar quarter for which the Secretary estimates that, as of the close of that quarter, the unobligated balance in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is less than $2,000,000,000.
(2) Fund balance 
The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate shall not apply during a calendar quarter if the Secretary estimates that, as of the close of the preceding calendar quarter, the unobligated balance in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund exceeds $2,700,000,000.
(3) Termination 
The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate shall not apply after December 31, 2014.

26 USC 4612 - Definitions and special rules

(a) Definitions 
For purposes of this subchapter
(1) Crude oil 
The term crude oil includes crude oil condensates and natural gasoline.
(2) Domestic crude oil 
The term domestic crude oil means any crude oil produced from a well located in the United States.
(3) Petroleum product 
The term petroleum product includes crude oil.
(4) United States 

(A) In general 
The term United States means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any possession of the United States, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
(B) United States includes continental shelf areas 
The principles of section 638 shall apply for purposes of the term United States.
(C) United States includes foreign trade zones 
The term United States includes any foreign trade zone of the United States.
(5) United States refinery 
The term United States refinery means any facility in the United States at which crude oil is refined.
(6) Refineries which produce natural gasoline 
In the case of any United States refinery which produces natural gasoline from natural gas, the gasoline so produced shall be treated as received at such refinery at the time so produced.
(7) Premises 
The term premises has the same meaning as when used for purposes of determining gross income from the property under section 613.
(8) Barrel 
The term barrel means 42 United States gallons.
(9) Fractional part of barrel 
In the case of a fraction of a barrel, the tax imposed by section 4611 shall be the same fraction of the amount of such tax imposed on a whole barrel.
(b) Only 1 tax imposed with respect to any product 
No tax shall be imposed by section 4611 with respect to any petroleum product if the person who would be liable for such tax establishes that a prior tax imposed by such section has been imposed with respect to such product.
(c) Credit where crude oil returned to pipeline 
Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, if an operator of a United States refinery
(1) removes crude oil from a pipeline, and
(2) returns a portion of such crude oil into a stream of other crude oil in the same pipeline,

there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by section 4611 to such operator an amount equal to the product of the rate of tax imposed by section 4611 on the crude oil so removed by such operator and the number of barrels of crude oil returned by such operator to such pipeline. Any crude oil so returned shall be treated for purposes of this subchapter as crude oil on which no tax has been imposed by section 4611.

(d) Credit against portion of tax attributable to oil spill rate 
There shall be allowed as a credit against so much of the tax imposed by section 4611 as is attributable to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate for any period an amount equal to the excess of
(1) the sum of
(A) the aggregate amounts paid by the taxpayer before January 1, 1987, into the Deepwater Port Liability Trust Fund and the Offshore Oil Pollution Compensation Fund, and
(B) the interest accrued on such amounts before such date, over
(2) the amount of such payments taken into account under this subsection for all prior periods.

The preceding sentence shall also apply to amounts paid by the taxpayer into the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund to the extent of amounts transferred from such Fund into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. For purposes of this subsection, all taxpayers which would be members of the same affiliated group (as defined in section 1504 (a)) if section 1504 (a)(2) were applied by substituting 100 percent for 80 percent shall be treated as 1 taxpayer.

(e) Income tax credit for unused payments into Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund 

(1) In general 
For purposes of section 38, the current year business credit shall include the credit determined under this subsection.
(2) Determination of credit 

(A) In general 
The credit determined under this subsection for any taxable year is an amount equal to the aggregate credit which would be allowed to the taxpayer under subsection (d) for amounts paid into the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund had the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate not ceased to apply.
(B) Limitation 

(i) In general The amount of the credit determined under this subsection for any taxable year with respect to any taxpayer shall not exceed the excess of
(I) the amount determined under clause (ii), over
(II) the aggregate amount of the credit determined under this subsection for prior taxable years with respect to such taxpayer.
(ii) Overall limitation The amount determined under this clause with respect to any taxpayer is the excess of
(I) the aggregate amount of credit which would have been allowed under subsection (d) to the taxpayer for periods before the termination date specified in section 4611 (f)(1), if amounts in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund which are actually transferred into the Oil Spill Liability Fund were tranferred[1] on January 1, 1990, and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate did not terminate before such termination date, over
(II) the aggregate amount of the credit allowed under subsection (d) to the taxpayer.
(3) Cost of income tax credit borne by Trust Fund 

(A) In general 
The Secretary shall from time to time transfer from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to the general fund of the Treasury amounts equal to the credits allowed by reason of this subsection.
(B) Trust Fund balance may not be reduced below $1,000,000,000 
Transfers may be made under subparagraph (A) only to the extent that the unobligated balance of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund exceeds $1,000,000,000. If any transfer is not made by reason of the preceding sentence, such transfer shall be made as soon as permitted under such sentence.
(4) No carryback 
No portion of the unused business credit for any taxable year which is attributable to the credit determined under this subsection may be carried to a taxable year beginning on or before the date of the enactment of this paragraph.
(f) Disposition of revenues from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 
The provisions of subsections (a)(3) and (b)(3) of section 7652 shall not apply to any tax imposed by section 4611.
[1] So in original. Probably should be “transferred”.