The University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center has started to bring back employees who were furloughed last month with more reinstatements possible as recently announced federal contracts are finalized.
An agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy announced May 22 will provide $25 million to the EERC over five years. That’s on top of $36 million from the Department of Energy announced in early May.
Research projects will include the Crack the Code 2.0 initiative aimed at getting more oil from shale formations such as the Bakken in North Dakota.
EERC Executive Director Charlie Gorecki said the center is still negotiating the terms of these agreements with the Department of Energy.
“We are aiming to have the negotiations completed as early as the end of June, at which time we can start working on those projects,” Gorecki said in an email.
UND confirmed May 7 that EERC was cutting 27 positions. Another 13 employees were furloughed, meaning the positions could be reinstated.
Gorecki said two of the furloughed employees have been brought back. EERC “will continue to recall employees as project work allows,” Gorecki said.
UND said the cutbacks were because of funding delays. EERC gets much of its funding from federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy.
Kyle Haustveit, undersecretary at the Department of Energy, said in an interview that the department paused funding for some projects after the 2024 election while they reviewed them and ensured the funding was aligned with the goals of President Donald Trump’s administration.
He said that the department is “absolutely back on track” with funding research projects.
“We’re moving forward with the majority of projects that were paused for review,” Haustveit said while attending last month’s Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck.
Gorecki said other projects could also help bring back furloughed workers.
“We are continuously working with our partners on new projects and proposals,” Gorecki said.
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