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Show Oil field work slows, construction retakes up There is no doubt that oil field activity is slowing down in the Uintah Basin, but the question many companies are contemplating is how long will the slowdown last? Most oil service companies in the Basin are hoping the slowdown won't last more than 12 months, but no one offered any predictions. "Known drilling activity is down 30 percent," said Reed Rasmussen. field supervisor for Halliburton, local office. "For the past six to seven years the oil industry has been booming like a son-of-a-gun. In 1968-69 it slowed down, but now it is not as predictable," Ramussen said. "We hope to not have to lay off anyone for very long," Rasmussen said. "We've tried not to have any permanent layoffs." But some people in the oil field are being laid off as indicated by first quarter employment statistics from the Vernal Job Service office. "Starting last February unemployment began increasing," said Laris Hunting, Job Service director. "Last month we had a minor pickup. There have be no dramatic layoffs, but some people have been," Hunting said. An indication of the oil field slowdown is the number of persons in Uintah County filing unemployment insurance claims. The claims increased from 154 to 406 this year over 1981 during the same period. Hunting indicated that even though more people are being laid off, they had only one case since January of a person collecting the entire term of his unemployment insurance. "The slowdown in the oil field is more than offset by construction activity," Hunting said. Some of the construction in trie Uintah Basin which is offsetting the slowdown in the oil field, mentioned by a labor report, are the construction of two elementary schools. Bonanza to the White River Shale Project road, Red Fleet Aquaduct, work on the Sheraton Hotel, work underway on the Upper Stillwater aquaduct and ground clearing for the Upper Stillwater Dam, construction on a new Best Western Motel and convention center in Ballard and continued work on the addition to the Lamplighter Hotel in Vernal. "Nearly twice as many people filed for unemployment insurance during the first quarter of 1982 than filed during the first quarter of 1981. This resulted primarily from reduction of oil and gas exploration activity during the first three months of this year," says a Labor Market Information release. According to Bob Williams, Dalbo Inc., oil activity is down 25 to 30 percent. "They're letting a lot of people go," cutting overtime and not hiring," Williams said. Last month new wells location were up slightly over the past month with 24 filed for Uintah County and 14 for Duchesne County, but that is down substantially from last year, said Charles Henderson, Uintah County Energy office. "I don't think the slowdown will get real bad, but it may weed out some of the bad ones (oil companies)," Henderson said. So far this month only three drilling applications have been filed with the state, which is down substantially, Henderson said. |