In truth, there AREN'T Any!
The oil industry has accounting rules crafted for it, that make perfect sense, in that an oil well will only go DOWN in value, not UP, as reserves are depleted.
Buildings and other hard assets are not like that!
The oil industry is able to “expense” the drilling costs, known as IDC or “Intangible Drilling Costs” and allocate them per individual ownership percentages, up front.
In the end, this gives the government MORE tax money, as many or most of these wells would NEVER GET DRILLED, otherwise!
When constructing a building, there is little or no risk that the building will not be completed.
When drilling a well, there is GREAT risk, that the well will not be productive.
There is also GREAT risk that, even if productive, the well will not be profitable.
It is best, and less complicated, to allow the losses to be taken up front, and allocated accordingly per share holders or partnership interests in the well.
The, there is the “depletion allowance” which, rightfully, understands that some of the money coming from the well is a “return of capital” and also recognizes that the production from the well will decline over time, even if it is productive.
So, again, tell me why these accounting rules do not make sense?
Of course, you can't.
The Oil industry does NOT get cash subsidies.
The Ethanol industry DOES get cash subsidies.
Who gets the subsidy? Its not the farmer. I suspect it must be the distiller. The price the farmer gets depends upon the market on the day he sells the grain or possibly the futures. It has nothing at all to do with the cost of production. Today's price for corn is about a third of what it was at its high a little over a year ago.
The department of agriculture is predicting a record corn crop this year even with the adverse crop conditions in the eastern corn belt (one to two months late planting). If the record happens probably depends upon the date of the first frost.
The "agricultual problem" in the US has been that of over production ever since WW1. Ethanol production from corn may not be the best thing in the world to do, but it provides a market for a US produced product. Actually burning corn to heat your house is the lowest cost way to go even at last year's highs.