Oil & Gas Resolution Could Bring More Revenue to Fentress County

A resolution passed by the Fentress County Commission could lead to additional oil and gas revenue.

Commissioners approved a motion asking state lawmakers to rescind the oil and gas severance tax imposed on materials removed from the ground.

County Executive Jimmy Johnson said rescinding the tax would bring more money back to Fentress County.

“Several [counties] have went on board of asking the state to let the counties have 100 percent of that oil and gas severance tax,” Johnson said. “We believe that something like that will happen because I believe everybody is on board with it and it would certainly be a shot in the arm for smaller counties like ourselves.”

Johnson said the county currently receives two-thirds of all oil and gas revenue while the rest goes towards the state. That additional funding, he said, could greatly benefit the county.

“It’d be used for several different things. It could go into our general budget, and of course our general budget has all of our ambulance services in there,” Johnson said. “You have your solid waste, sheriff’s department, payroll and line items, your officers and elected officials comes out of your general budget. It would be a large amount to us and certainly we’d put it to good use.”

Fentress County ranks among the state’s top oil and gas producers along with Overton, Pickett, and Clay Counties. Johnson said the motion will likely go before the State House of Representatives later this summer or fall.