Budget Language Tests RMOTC

The future of the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center is uncertain and R-MOTC director, Clark Turner, says its due to the political aspects of their budget process.

"We got some complications with the budget's uncertainties under continuing resolution and were kind of caught in the middle.  And then we're hearing we could be reduced to FY08 levels- that's fiscal year 2008 levels."

Returning to 2008 levels represents a 4 million dollar cut in federal funding.  Turner says, they're planning for the worst case scenario, because the longer congress takes to work out a budget the worse their situation becomes, though, Turner says, they are operating in the black.

Twenty seven workers with production contractor Navarro Engineering lost their jobs last week.

Oil production at the historically significant Teapot dome Oilfield is winding down. Remediation at the site continues. The Testing Center itself, the largest of its kind in the country,  continues with its current testing projects and has others waiting, but Turner says there are hold ups to those due to inconsistent language in the current budget.

"We have probably 3-5 million dollars worth of projects- partners funds- coming into the state of Wyoming that's on hold right now, because the language is written in a way that doesn't really allow us to do those tests."

The federal government has directed the testing center to require companies to pay 100 percent of all testing costs, but Turner says the way the language is written they are unable to work with the partners who do want to carry out testing.