Goodbye RMOTC

On January 20, 2011 I was laid off (along with 26 others) from my job with Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center at NPR-3 near Midwest, Wyoming. This was due to the economic situation we have been experiencing in the United States. I had worked there since December of 2008 and it was my first and only job I had had since my move to Wyoming. In fact, I was hired for the job before we officially made our move from Georgia.

As of today, the U.S. unemployment rate is 8.8% and the Wyoming is 6.6%. When I first moved here, the state unemployment rate was 3.7% and the national rate was 7.6%. So, you can see that things have steadily gotten worse in the job market.

Pros about losing the job: (1) No longer will I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. (2) No longer have to go to bed by 10:00 p.m. (3) Get to spend more time with Joe. (4) Less stress and; (5) No more extreme cold, blowing wind and dirt out at the oilfield. I truly believe the two posted picture below totally personify what "cold" looks like!

Cons about losing the job: (1) Loved my job. (2) Miss most of the people I worked with for the last almost 2 1/2 years. (3) No steady good paycheck. I'll be on unemployment until mid July. (4) No benefits - no dental, no medical. I'd better watch myself, huh? and; (5) No more Fridays off so I can head out of town for long weekends!

So, I had to turn in my steel-toed boots, my hardhat and my safety glasses. What a great experience and opportunity it was for me working in an actual oilfield!

The following is an article that appeared in the Casper Star Tribune - our local newspaper:

Twenty-seven contractor employees at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center and Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 3 near Edgerton lost their jobs Thursday, as activities in the oil field change.
"That field is coming to the end of its productive life," said John Grasser, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy. He said the emphasis is shifting from production to environmental remediation efforts.
He said the reduction was prompted by the change in activities at the reserve, also known as the Teapot Dome oil field, and not by a need to slash the budget, even though the move will save about $3.6 million. DOE, like other federal departments, is operating under a continuing resolution until Congress enacts a new federal budget.
All the people laid off worked for Navarro Research and Engineering Inc., which still has 54 workers associated with the oil field in various capacities. There also are 13 federal employees.
Grasser said the layoffs should not affect ongoing projects at RMOTC. Last month, RMOTC spokesman Jim Nations said there were two ongoing projects at the Teapot Dome oil field -- a wind turbine project with Casper College and a low temperature geothermal test that has been operating since 2008. Nations was among those laid off.
Grasser said as activities move into the environmental restoration phase, it's not out of the question that more people may be hired in the future.
RMOTC also is no longer sharing project costs with partners, Grasser confirmed. In the past, the center typically would share costs through in-kind contributions, such as providing some labor or equipment essentially free of charge.
RMOTC is an energy testing center that works with companies to test new concepts and products in such areas as drilling, oil production and enhanced oil recovery.
"RMOTC will continue to be a test facility," Grasser noted.
Navarro Research and Engineering describes itself as a leading contractor for the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, providing a variety of services. The company is based in Oak Ridge, Tenn., but also lists an office in Casper.