The U.S. Department of Energy plans a big cut in its energy research and development operations.
DOE will shut down energy R&D operations in Bartlesville, Okla., Metairie, La., and Morgantown, W.Va., and consolidate them in Golden, Colo., where the energy efficiency and renewable energy office is located. It will sell the National Institute for Petroleum Energy Research (Niper) in Bartlesville by June 1996.
The actions are part of DOE's program to reduce offices and staff. It plans to cut its workforce by 3,788 by the end of fiscal 2000 and close or consolidate 12 field offices and 12 headquarters offices within the next 5 fiscal years.
The oil R&D staff at Metairie will be merged with other operations, while 23 Bartlesville employees and 14 Morgantown employees will move to Golden by next June to operate $107 million of industry cost-shared oil and gas research programs. The remaining staff at Morgantown will continue to operate coal R&D programs.
DOE said the National Petroleum Council and a recent R&D commission urged consolidation of oil and gas R&D operations.
The department plans to announce Niper privatization plans in October. BDM-Oklahoma, which operates the facility for DOE, employs 243 persons. Most of the R&D there centers on heavy oil production.
The Morgantown and Pittsburgh technology centers will operate as one center with two sites.
A new, department-wide Research and Development Council will integrate basic and applied sciences programs, improve interagency coordination, and identify gaps and duplication of effort.
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