[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.43-3]

[Page 188-190]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
     CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
 
PART 1--INCOME TAXES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.43-3  Certification

    (a) Petroleum engineer's certification of a project--(1) In general. 
A petroleum engineer must certify, under penalties of perjury, that an 
enhanced oil recovery project meets the requirements of section 
43(c)(2)(A). A petroleum engineer's certification must be submitted for 
each project. The petroleum engineer certifying a project must be duly 
registered or certified in any State.
    (2) Timing of certification. The operator of an enhanced oil 
recovery project or any other operating mineral interest owner 
designated by the operator (``designated owner'') must submit a 
petroleum engineer's certification to the Internal Revenue Service 
Center, Austin, Texas, or such other place as may be designated by 
revenue procedure or other published guidance, not later than the last 
date prescribed by law (including extensions) for filing the operator's 
or designated owner's federal income tax return for the first taxable 
year for which the enhanced oil recovery credit (the ``credit'') is 
allowable. The operator may designate any other operating mineral 
interest owner (the ``designated owner'') to file the petroleum 
engineer's certification.
    (3) Content of certification--(i) In general. A petroleum engineer's 
certification must contain the following information--
    (A) The name and taxpayer identification number of the operator or 
the

[[Page 189]]

designated owner submitting the certification;
    (B) A statement identifying the project, including its geographic 
location;
    (C) A statement that the project involves a tertiary recovery method 
(as defined in section 43(c)(2)(A)(i)) and a description of the process 
used, including--
    (1) A description of the implementation and operation of the project 
sufficient to establish that it is implemented and operated in 
accordance with sound engineering practices;
    (2) If the project involves the application of a tertiary recovery 
method approved in a private letter ruling described in paragraph (e)(1) 
of Sec. 1.43-2, a copy of the private letter ruling, and
    (3) The date on which the first injection of liquids, gases, or 
other matter occurred or is expected to occur.
    (D) A statement that the application of a qualified tertiary 
recovery method or methods is expected to result in more than an 
insignificant increase in the amount of crude oil that ultimately will 
be recovered, including--
    (1) Data on crude oil reserve estimates covering the project area 
with and without the enhanced oil recovery process,
    (2) Production history prior to implementation of the project and 
estimates of production after implementation of the project, and
    (3) An adequate delineation of the reservoir, or portion of the 
reservoir, from which the ultimate recovery of crude oil is expected to 
be increased as a result of the implementation and operation of the 
project; and
    (E) A statement that the petroleum engineer believes that the 
project is a qualified enhanced oil recovery project within the meaning 
of section 43(c)(2)(A).
    (ii) Additional information for significantly expanded projects. The 
petroleum engineer's certification for a project that is significantly 
expanded must in addition contain--
    (A) If the expansion affects reservoir volume that was substantially 
unaffected by a previously implemented project, an adequate delineation 
of the reservoir volume affected by the previously implemented project;
    (B) If the expansion involves the implementation of an enhanced oil 
recovery project more than 36 months after the termination of a 
qualified tertiary recovery method that was applied before January 1, 
1991, the date on which the previous tertiary recovery method terminated 
and an explanation of the data or assumptions relied upon to determine 
the termination date;
    (C) If the expansion involves the implementation of an enhanced oil 
recovery project less than 36 months after the termination of a 
qualified tertiary recovery method that was applied before January 1, 
1991, a copy of a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue 
Service that the project implemented after December 31, 1990 is treated 
as a significant expansion; or
    (D) If the expansion involves the application after December 31, 
1990, of a tertiary recovery method or methods that do not affect 
reservoir volume that was substantially unaffected by the application of 
a different tertiary recovery method or methods before January 1, 1991, 
a copy of a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that 
the change in tertiary recovery method is treated as a significant 
expansion.
    (b) Operator's continued certification of a project--(1) In general. 
For each taxable year following the taxable year for which the petroleum 
engineer's certification is submitted, the operator or designated owner 
must certify, under penalties of perjury, that an enhanced oil recovery 
project continues to be implemented substantially in accordance with the 
petroleum engineer's certification submitted for the project. An 
operator's certification must be submitted for each project.
    (2) Timing of certification. The operator or designated owner of an 
enhanced oil recovery project must submit an operator's certification to 
the Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, Texas, or such other place 
as may be designated by revenue procedure or other published guidance, 
not later than the last date prescribed by law (including extensions) 
for filing the operator's or designated owner's federal income tax 
return for any taxable year

[[Page 190]]

after the taxable year for which the petroleum engineer's certification 
is filed.
    (3) Content of certification. An operator's certification must 
contain the following information--
    (i) The name and taxpayer identification number of the operator or 
the designated owner submitting the certification;
    (ii) A statement identifying the project including its geographic 
location and the date on which the petroleum engineer's certification 
was filed;
    (iii) A statement that the project continues to be implemented 
substantially in accordance with the petroleum engineer's certification 
(as described in paragraph (a) of this section) submitted for the 
project; and
    (iv) A description of any significant change or anticipated change 
in the information submitted under paragraph (a)(3) of this section, 
including a change in the date on which the first injection of liquids, 
gases, or other matter occurred or is expected to occur.
    (c) Notice of project termination--(1) In general. If the 
application of a tertiary recovery method is terminated, the operator or 
designated owner must submit a notice of project termination to the 
Internal Revenue Service.
    (2) Timing of notice. The operator or designated owner of an 
enhanced oil recovery project must submit the notice of project 
termination to the Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, Texas, or 
such other place as may be designated by revenue procedure or other 
published guidance, not later than the last date prescribed by law 
(including extensions) for filing the operator's or designated owner's 
federal income tax return for the taxable year in which the project 
terminates.
    (3) Content of notice. A notice of project termination must contain 
the following information--
    (i) The name and taxpayer identification number of the operator or 
the designated owner submitting the notice;
    (ii) A statement identifying the project including its geographic 
location and the date on which the petroleum engineer's certification 
was filed; and
    (iii) The date on which the application of the tertiary recovery 
method was terminated.
    (d) Failure to submit certification. If a petroleum engineer's 
certification (as described in paragraph (a) of this section) or an 
operator's certification (as described in paragraph (b) of this section) 
is not submitted in the time or manner prescribed by this section, the 
credit will be allowed only after the appropriate certifications are 
submitted.

[T.D. 8384, 56 FR 67177, Dec. 30, 1991; 57 FR 6074, Feb. 20, 1992; 57 FR 
6353, Feb. 24, 1992. Redesignated and amended by T.D. 8448, 57 FR 54927, 
Nov. 23, 1992]