

WELLSVILLE — The Daily Reporter learned this morning that the Lufkin-RMT plant in Wellsville will close around the end of November. Jobs at Lufkin, a division of GE Oil and Gas, is reportedly closing due to lack of work and is going to consolidate the jobs at the Wellsville location, near Wellsville Municipal Airport and relocate them to larger facilities within the company.

State Sen. Catharine Young was surprised by the announcement.

“The closure of the Lufkin-RMT plant in Wellsville is unwelcome news and extremely disappointing. The company had not expressed to anyone that there was an issue, so this announcement is coming out of the blue,” she said. “After I learned of the news, I personally spoke with a representative from GE Oil & Gas’ headquarters in Houston to request that they work with state and local officials to reverse this decision.

“Regrettably, I was informed that the price of oil had dropped to a new low and it is expected to stay low for an extended period of time, severely impacting the company’s ability to operate,” Young said.



“I have urged the company to take care of the employees with severance packages and other considerations. I will be working with the Department of Labor to assist these workers with job placement and training. My heart goes out to the them because this affects their families and their lives,” she added.