My 19 plus year career starting dying long before the 2019 March Layoffs, and it was due to favoritism. In 2014 The Envy. Department had 6 staff people to manage environmental reserves projects, spill response, regulatory driven plans, 1,500 air permits, and buying and selling of properties. The new south Texas midstream infrastructure required major air permits. Countless times I requested a head count increase to allow increased production and processing from the South Texas shale play. My requests fell on deaf ears all the way to the top.. I fell behind in permitting which caused a slowdown in new wells and production. Alaska was sold and several employees and spouses there were wanting to come to LCO with the Northern Invasion, they needed a place to work. I took a lateral in the Fac. department that managed all the buildings, worse career decision I could have made in my forty four years of working. Good news the Envy. Department grew to 25 people overnight, well until last week. The then Fac. VP left "PERSUE OTHER INTERESTs (POI)." Pioneer had unpermitted water wells and distribution systems that were supplying water to employees that exceeded the EPA standards. In three years I was able to receive permits but constantly talking with the State of Texas and the US EPA, problems with excess nitrates, chlorides, arsenic, and bacteria. One day I was requested to meet with Pioneer Fuzz as they heard I was calling the agencies making regulatory notifications, and test results. Some one had turned me into the FUZZ thinking it was a GOTCHA, not knowing that was part of my job, I THOUGHT. In hindsight is was the POI VP and his head guy T. D. hoping they could get me run-off. I was behind closed door for hours with the x Secret Service Fuzz and Buzz lightyear Head FUSS all recorded conversations. I survived the interrogation, and for the next four years had an office but not much to do. After that every time I heard, "THE RULES TO LIVE BY", or my annual reviews "was I being a moral person doing good for mother Earth" I would cringe. Those were actually Rules to Die by if you were a common worker. My work in LCO was given to a Dir. that thought the EPA and TCEQ was an alphabet soup, and safe drinking water was something you put a splash of in your Scotch glass. Probably meant good but had zero science, zero engineering, and worse zero knowledge on the regulations. I did survive the leaving the the POI VP and his trusted sidekick T. D., but for me it was time to go in that March 2019. So Who am I, An X Employee who loved the company early on, but grew to distrust line managers and the DARK future the company was headed.
9 replies (most recent on top)
Jesus, jimbo is such a whiny B. Always crying that he was done wrong on every post. I’m sorry, what year is it? Are you still unemployed, loitering on pioneers site like a scorned school girl. It’s over buddy. Move on. So sad.
The end must be getting close on the unequal marriage of Exxon and Mama Pioneer, hardly a legal union more like a second cousin in Arkansas. I am hearing that it will close in the 2nd or 3rd quarter 2024. The FTC will probably approve the merger unlike recent requested mergers by two airlines and the two grocery stores. The Democrat FTC is getting shy on approving these deals. Pretty sure the golden parachutes have been folded and pack for those deemed to be too big to fail. After signing it will he one year in LCO and folks decide their future and leave the company. The best
@1hvr. The said thing about you trolling with hate one of your former co-workers, who just lost their job is that you don’t even know who the poster is, nor you care. You just want to hate for the sake of hating. Sad to be you, I guess.
I wrote the original thread post; I am amused at the comment from @1tit, "made it miserable to work at Pioneer". I have to agree with the poster, the anti environmental and regulatory controls were endemic in Pioneer, implementation and following the regulations did slow projects, added 50K in costs to each tank battery for emission controls, remediated annually millions of dollars in soil and groundwater spills of petroleum and produced water, monthly inspections of hundreds of tank batteries to prevent and respond to toxic spills. In many ways doing environmental management for an oil company is an oxymoron; how can you possible do that and keep your sanity and your job. Well, I did it for many years; but I did lose my job and I think I am still playing with a full deck maybe shuffled around a bit. But, times are a-changing on Environmental Management, it the 21st century it will be the individual investors and Wall street that will demand smaller env footprints, cleaner water, cleaner air and less spills of toxic chemicals. The days of a reactive company's attorneys going to Austin "HARD HAT IN HAND" requested forgiveness are nearing an end; the future is proactive in preventing and tracking. If I ever hear again about "RULES TO LIVE BY", it rings hollow and I think I will throwup, Oh that is not a SPILL
@1hvr, who am I?
@1tit We are happy you are gone. You made it miserable to work at pioneer. Contrary to your post you never did anything. Pioneer s—s but so does every other independent at the moment.
Thank you! Your post just made me feel better. I was going in my head in circles trying to understand what I did wrong. I thought if I were to survive the layoffs I would get a very good review this year for all the effort, constant travels between Dallas and midland when everyone stayed home during the lockdown, 12 hour shifts, work on the weekends and through the holidays.
But then I got the call saying my position was eliminated, but hey “we all believe you’re extremely smart and hardworking and we are sad to lose you”. I broke wheels in my head trying to understand where it went all wrong, what I could’ve done differently. Finally, I realized that none of it mattered. It did not matter if I worked hard or slacked out, my fate was decided long time ago.
People making important decisions at Pioneer do not see the bigger picture, they live in the moment without understanding the circumstances. Statistically, companies run by those people tend to go bankrupt. I guess time will show if Pioneer follows the trend.
PA: Rumor has it, the Pioneer take over is in final stages.
JU for sure. Golden posts.
I survived the layoffs and have been at pioneer for a long time. The new middle management has ruined the company, and somehow the MC is blind to it or just doesn’t care. If we could only get back to the earlier days with grey haired middle management who cared about their groups.