Once again we see a Vindy reporter imply and try to link Vallourec's layoffs to fracking. It's overseas oil and gas prices forcing layoffs...not anti-frackers.....I guess another Vindy
reporter must have been given marching orders from the editors to make sure to cast a negative eye (and vote) against the Community Bill of Rights. William Randolph Hearst
would be proud!!!
Dennis my sincere and astute friend, would you please be so kind as to show me anywhere in this article where it links the "Citizens Bill of Rights" or "anti-fracking" in the article.
http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/oct/21/vallourec-star-again-to-reduce-workforce/ (http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/oct/21/vallourec-star-again-to-reduce-workforce/)
It does say that the reductions are due to a general downturn in the oil and gas industry, and that downturn is being felt far and wide beyond the City of Youngstown.
The writer makes it a point to reference the fact Vallourec makes pipes for fracking....is this the only piping they make? Do they not make pipe for other types of drilling? Did they
not make any piping before they got contracts to make fracking piping?
If they do make piping drilling other than fracking.....why was this not mentioned? Why was it only mentioned they make piping for fracking? IMO it appears the writer made it a
point to tie fracking pipe/layoffs together.....that's the way I am interpreting it.....
There is no denial my astute and sincere friend, but I don't think that that was why Vallourec cut 80 jobs. Pipe is pipe, and I do not think that the company would be so short sighted as to manufacture single purpose goods. Now as to the reporter, since I can't reach into the reporters mind, I shant expound upon motives.
TT, AND IRISHBOBCAT, WAS NOT FRACKING THE REASON WHY VALLOUREC EXPANDED THE YTOWN PLANT TO ACCOMODATE THE NEED TO FILL IN THE ORDERS FOR THE GAS AND OIL COMPANIES DUE TO EXPLORATION FOR OIL AND GAS THROUGH FRACKING? IF I AM WRONG PLEASE CORRECT ME ON MY STATEMENT. ???
And what is the state of the gas and oil industry nationally. You are looking at a single locality -- Youngstown Ohio --- but that does not say that fracking is limited to Ohio. Get your head out of the high grass and look at the big picture. Millions of dollars were invested in Vallourec by the City, more by the company itself, more by the state, and more by Washington. Do you think that all this money would be poured into a company if it limited its sales to Ohio?
I WOULD LIKE TO SIT DOWN WITH THE REPS FROM VALLOUREC TO HAVE THE COMPLETE PICTURE ON THEIR COMMITTMENT TO THE VALLEY WITH ALL THIS MONIES BEING SPENT ON THEIR YTOWN PLANT. TT, WHAT WAS THE TOTAL AMT THAT WAS SPENT ON THE EXPANSION IN THE VALLOUREC STEELMILL?
Vallourec produces only Oil Country Tubular Goods, be it drill pipe, casing or line pipe. There really are no other large scale users of large diameter seamless tubing in industry. Vallourec considers themselves to be in the energy business, not the steel business according to the local plant manager.
iwasthere, Vallourec has no committment to the valley other than as a place to make their products. Why should they have more of a committment to the same place that next month wants to outlaw what they do?
It's a supply and demand economy. The price of a barrel of oil in the U.S. is way down, and a lot of
rigs have been shut down until demand is back up. I think the government should be doing all it can
to try and export more oil and natural gas.
Cheap gas is the upside, of course - but it doesn't help companies like Vallourec.
With all the sanctions against Russia selling their oil and gas to Europe, I think the U.S. should be looking
at the possibilities for selling in that market to see if it is feasible, and if it could be profitable. Business
will pick up eventually, when the oil industry does. I doubt they will shut the plant completely after
investing almost a billion dollars into a state of the art facility.
This may be a hair-brained idea, but are there ANY other applications for this type of tubing at all,
such as "pole buildings" or other instances where tubular steel could be used for structural elements
in the building industry?
The steel is very high strength, given what it is used for....
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dN87VPrvnpU/UsnF_7D6gcI/AAAAAAAAA4k/f7ggRKn2Wh0/s1600/shale-boom-burst-bubble.jpg)