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The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

August 22, 2010

Lynn Clark, member of the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists wrote to me a response to the previous Wise Report. He states:

I attended the Legislative Committee also, and I offer my personal observations to augment Mr. Mikel’s comments.

Statement 1: I believe the Legislative Committee members were receptive, not luke-warm, to the idea of increasing the ceiling on administrative penalties to $3,000 or some comparable amount.

Statement 4: I don’t believe there is any desire among the majority of Board members to remove all future Board flexibility to accept experience in lieu of specific educational training in exceptional instances. I believe this was a suggestion sent to the Legislative Committee for consideration from a person or persons in an outside entity.

Statement 5: The bill to amend the Professional Services Procurement Act passed during the last session, but was vetoed by the Governor. (Do not forget that the bill was unexpectedly amended in legislative committee to include landscape architects along with geoscientists.) We may never know if that unwelcome amendment was the death blow that resulted in a veto from the Governor. I believe the majority of the Board still feels that adding PGs and geoscience to the list of “professional” professions for qualification based selection (QBS) is in the best interest of the state, public and the geoscience profession. It will be important to determine in the next few months if the Governor remains philosophically opposed to QBS for all professions, as some legislative aides have indicated. If that is indeed the case, then freezing the current “list” of professions would certainly be a useful step towards eventually repealing the Professional Services Procurement Act. The introduction of another bill to add PGs and professional geoscience to “the list” would not be unwelcome.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

8/22/2010

22-Aug-10 7:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

August 14, 2010

John K. Mikels, with GEOS Consulting, attended the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) Legislative Affairs Committee meeting on August 13, 2010. The following is the Committee's agenda for policy issues and Mr. Mikels' comments:

General Geoscience Policy: Probably Senate Natural Resources Committee and House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee

Professional Services Procurement Act: Probably Senate Administration or Natural Resources Committee and House State Affairs Committee

1. Increase the administrative penalty authority from $ 100 to $ 1,500 per instance. 1002.452(b). Matthew Cowan, with the Texas Association of Professional Geoscientists (TAPG), suggests raising it to $3,000. The general opinion was that penalties should be substantive, not simply a "slap on the wrist." Mr. Mikels believes that amount is more appropriate. The Texas Board of Professional Engineer's (TBPE's) authority is up to $3,000 per instance. Mr. Mikels' impression was that the Legislation Committee was only luke-warm to increasing penalty fees.

2. Clarify language at 1002.351 (b) to reflect that only engineering firms that perform geoscience work or service that is incidental and specific to an engineering project is exempt from rules adopted by the TBPG relating to the public practice of geoscience by a firm or corporation.

3. Possible bill, if driven by the oil and gas community—amend the exemption of geoscientific work performed exclusively in exploring for and developing oil, gas, or other.... to include work that is presented publically in support of an investment in a project. Mr. Mikels is not certain of what clarifications would need to be made to achieve what various parties would want.

4. Mr. Mikels believes that some TBPG Board members may want to consider whether to try to remove the
provision at 1002.255 (b) that allows the Board to accept qualifying experience in lieu of the educational requirement in 1002.255 (a).

5. Amend the Professional Services Procurement Act to include professional geoscience/professional geoscientists. Mr. Mikels had the impression that the Committee, and perhaps the TBPG Board, may be reluctant to to pursue this at this time. Govenor Perry vetoed the bill that added geologists, among others, to the list during the last session. Mr. Mikels had the impression that the Legislative Committee was reluctant to pursue anything new or hot-button, they prefer to focus on clarification and clean-up-loose-ends type issues.

6. Seek clarification of Occupations Code, Chapter 1002.202(e) regarding the confidentiality of complaints. The issue here is that the language in the Act seems to prohibit the TBPG from sharing complaint information with another agency. This could be a problem if we get a complaint that reveals evidence of criminal violations or violations of another jurisdiction's laws or rules (for example TCEQ or TBPE rules). Kevin Colman, former TBPG Board member and chairman, agrees this is an issue.

Matthew Cowan believes the next legislative session, scheduled to begin in January 2011, will probably be dominated by budget issues, redistricting, gambling, and immigration.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

8/14/2010

14-Aug-10 4:00 PM

Abstracts for AAPG Annual Convention, hosted by HGS, due September 23

Julie Simmons — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Industry professionals and students are invited to submit abstracts for the AAPG 2011 Annual Convention & Exhibition. HGS is the host society and many of its members are on the operating/technical committee. The technical program committee encourages abstracts that relate to any of the topics listed. Planned sessions and formats (oral or poster) may be modified depending on actual submittals. Deadine is 23 September 2010.

Themes for ACE 2011 are:

Theme 1: Molecules to Marketplace: The Business of Energy
Theme 2: Global Deepwater Reservoirs: Giant Leaps in E&P
Theme 3: Worldwide E&P: Opportunities in the New Decade
Theme 4: Challenged Resource Frontiers
Theme 5: Mudstones and Shales: Unlocking the Promise
Theme 6: Siliciclastics: Advancing Research to Resource
Theme 7: Insight into Carbonates and Evaporites
Theme 8: Breakthroughs: Tectonics, Salt and Basin Analysis
Theme 9: Integrating New Technology, Geophysics and Subsurface Data
Theme 10: Energy and Environmental Horizons
Theme 11: The Next Geo-Generation: Who, What and Where

For complete details, and to submit your abstract, visit the conference website.

For booth sales or sponsorship information please contact Mike Taylor.

3-Aug-10 8:00 AM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

July 24, 2010

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Hess returned to Austin in July from a four-year tour of duty to resume his position as Executive Director of the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists. Colonel Hess had been recalled to the United States Army in July of 2006, where he had initially been stationed in Iraq.

Mr. Charles Horton, who has been serving as Interim Executive Director since January 1, 2009, will continue to assist in agency operations as he takes over as Deputy Executive Director. About the upcoming changes, Mr. Horton states, “I look forward to working with Colonel Hess as we go forward. We will do whatever it takes to make the transition seamless, to tackle the important issues facing the agency, and to be fully prepared for the upcoming legislative session.”

Thanks for your service, Colonel Hess, and welcome back!

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

7/24/2010

24-Jul-10 1:00 PM

AAPG Convention Returns to Houston April 10-13, 2011

Linda Sternbach — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:00:00 GMT

HGS is the host Society

for the next AAPG Convention and Exhibition,

April 10-13 2011 at the

George R. Brown Convention Center

Attendance at the last AAPG in Houston in 2006 was a record 8300 people.

HGS is working hard to launch the next big convention ; the sky is the limit!

This upcoming 2011 convention celebrates “Making the Next Giant Leap in Geosciences” as the slogan, marking the 50 th anniversary of the launch of the Moon shot program, initiated by JFK here in Houston in 1962. Steve Levine (ConocoPhillips) is the 2011 General Convention Chairman; he served as HGS President 2004-2005.

The call for submission of oral papers and posters is live now at www.aapg.org/houston2011.

The deadline to submit a paper is September 23, 2010. Use the online website at http://aapg2011ace.abstractcentral.com

The abstract site is set up so that presenters will choose a theme after entering user name and password and entering text. Abstracts are limited to 2500 characters.

Here are the eleven themes for the Houston 2011 convention:

Theme 1: Molecules to Marketplace: the Business of Energy

Chair: Jeff Lund (Corridor Resources)

Theme 2: Global Deepwater Reservoirs: Giant Leaps in E&P

Chair: Art Donovan (BP)

Theme3: Worldwide E&P: Opportunities of the New Decade

Chair: Robin Hamilton (Shell)

Theme 4: Challenged Resource Frontiers

CoChairs: Keith Shanley and Kevin Bohacs (ExxonMobil)

Theme 5: Mudstones and Shales: Unlocking the Promise

Chair: Dan Jarvie

Theme 6: Siliciclastics: Advancing Research to Resource

Chair: Janok Bhattacharya (U of H)

Theme 7: Insight into Carbonates and Evaporites

Chair: Steve Bachtel (Chevron)

Theme 8: Breakthroughs: Tectonics, Salt and Basin Analysis

Chair: Martin Perlmutter (Chevron)

Theme 9: Integrating New Technology, Geophysics

and Subsurface Data -- Chair: R. Randy Ray

Theme 10: Energy and Environmental Horizons

Chair: Anthony Gorody

Theme 11: The Next Geo-Generation: Who, What , Where?

Chair: Denise Butler (Shell)

For Technical Program questions, contact:

Linda Sternbach, linda.sternbach@gmail.com, 281-679-7333

Carl Steffensen, Carl.Steffensen@bp.com, 281 366 0809

17-Jul-10 4:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

July 17, 2010

Matt Cowan, with Lone Star Environmental informs me that recent instructions from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulations, and Enforcement (BOEMRE), following the loss of subsurface control of the Deepwater Horizon incident, will require that a Professional Engineer certify all well casing designs and cementing program/procedures for the purpose of which it is intended under expected wellbore conditions. (NTL No. 2010 - N05 Increased Safety Measures for Energy Development on the OCS Effective Date: June 8, 2010). Additional information can be found at: http://www.aade.org/PECensus/PE%20Census%20Determination%20Letter.pdf

The Tesas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) proposes the amendments, repeals and new rules to reorganize, specify and clarify the requirements for examination and licensure, firm registration and certification as a Geoscientist-in-Training, clarify the application procedures, clarify the distinction between the license and the license certificate, clarify license, registration, and certification renewal requirements and procedures, define the role of the authorized official of a firm, strengthen the professional code of conduct and apply relevant portions of it to registered firms, the authorized official of a firm, and Geoscientists-in-Training, clarify complaint procedures and the actions the TBPG may impose on a Professional Geoscientist, a registered firm, an authorized official of a firm, a Geoscientist-in-Training, an unlicensed individual and an unregistered firm, correct minor errors, improve the definitions and rules, and ensure that the rules reflect current legal, policy, and operational considerations. This set of proposed revisions is a result of the review of the entire chapter in accordance with the Texas Government Code §2001.039. This is an extensive revision and the details can be found at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/22.EXAMINING%20BOARDS.html#161

Comments on this proposal may be submitted in writing either in person or by courier to Molly Roman, Operations Manager, Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists, 333 Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas 78701 or by mail to P.O. Box 13225, Austin, Texas 78711 or by e-mail to mroman@tbpg.state.tx.us. When e-mailing comments, please indicate "Comments on Proposed Rules" in the e-mail subject line. Comments will be accepted for 30 days.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

7/17/2010

17-Jul-10 2:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

July 10, 2010

Matt Cowan, with Lone Star Environmental, informed me that the state of Louisiana has passed legislation to register geologists practicing in Louisiana. Their PG board has yet to be set up, so there are currently no forms or rules set up, but the act is to take effect January 1, 2011. The grandfather period will end January 1, 2012. The legislation can be found at
http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=720117 and appears to be similar to the Texas PG act.

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) proposes amendments to §§850.10, 850.60 - 850.63, 850.81, and 850.82, concerning the licensure and regulation of Professional Geoscientists to correct minor errors, improve the rules, and ensure that the rules reflect current legal, policy, and operational considerations. This set of proposed revisions is a result of the review of the entire chapter.

An amendment to the title of Subchapter A is proposed to rename the subchapter to Authority and Definitions. Amendments to §850.10 are proposed to improve the definitions of Act and rule; add definitions for advisory opinion, Board, licensee, and sanction; to delete the definitions of address of record, applicant, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, complainant, hearings examiner, examiner, administrative law judge, pleading, respondent, T.R.C.P., and U.S.P.S.; and to renumber the definitions accordingly.

An amendment to the title of Subchapter B is proposed to rename the subchapter to Organization and Responsibilities.

Amendments to §850.60 are proposed to rename the title of the section to Organization and Responsibilities of the Board - General Provisions; add a statement that the purpose of this chapter is to implement the provisions in the Texas Geoscience Practice Act (the Act), Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1002, concerning the licensure of Professional Geoscientists and regulation of the public practice of geoscience; and to reletter the section accordingly.

Amendments to §850.61 are proposed to rename the title of the section to Organization and Responsibilities of the Board - Meetings and to delete the specific revised date of Robert's Rules of Order.

Amendments to §850.62 are proposed to clarify the Board's duties of ensuring that unless exempted by the Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1002, a person may not use the Professional Geoscientist title or initials or represent that a person is qualified to engage in the public practice of geoscience and that a person does not take responsible charge of certain geoscientific reports or portions of reports unless the person is licensed under the authority provided to the Board under the Act; to clarify that the Act and rules adopted by the Board under the authority of the Act apply to every licensee, registered firm, Geoscientist-in-Training, and unlicensed individual or unregistered firm providing or offering to provide public geoscience services; to clarify that unless an exemption applies, the Board ensures that all firms offering to engage or engaging in the public practice of professional geoscience in Texas are registered as a Geoscience Firm; to provide that an individual meeting certain criteria who expresses an intent to become a licensed Professional Geoscientist may register with the Board as a Geoscientist-in-Training (GIT); to remove the subsections stating that complaints can be filed with the Board and that a complaint must be filed within two years of the event giving rise to the complaint. These items are addressed in Chapter 851 (relating to Texas Board of Geoscientists Licensing Rules). This section will be relettered accordingly.

Amendments to §850.63 are proposed to provide that a notice of its order imposing a sanction or penalty must include the specific disciplinary action to be taken, in addition to previously existing requirements and to remove the provision that upon request, exams may be offered in a foreign language at the expense of the requestor.

An amendment to §850.81 is proposed to update that the cost for providing public information is that as promulgated by the Office of the Attorney General.

An amendment to §850.82 is proposed to provide that the Executive Director shall determine the agency's position on disputes regarding issues with the processing of a drawn payment.

The text of these amendments can be found at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/22.EXAMINING%20BOARDS.html#86. Comments on the proposal may be submitted in writing either in person or by courier to Molly Roman, Operations Manager, Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists, 333 Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas 78711, by mail at P.O. Box 13225, Austin, Texas 78701, or by e-mail to mroman@tbpg.state.tx.us. When e-mailing comments, please indicate "Comments on Proposed Rules" in the e-mail subject line. Comments will be accepted for 30 days.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

7/10/2010

10-Jul-10 2:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

June 25, 2010

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) has filed this notice of intent to review and consider for readoption, amendment, or repeal 22 TAC Chapters 850 and 851, as follows:

Chapter 850
Subchapter A (Authority and Responsibilities)

Subchapter B (Organization)

Subchapter C (Fees)

Subchapter D (Advisory Opinions)

Chapter 851

Subchapter A (Licensing)

Subchapter B (Code of Professional Conduct)

Subchapter C (Compliance and Enforcement)

Subchapter D (Hearings--Contested Cases)

The TBPG will determine whether the reasons for adopting the sections under review continue to exist. Any changes to the sections proposed as a result of this rule review will be published in the Proposed Rules section of the Texas Register.

Written comments relating to this rule review will be accepted for a 30-day period following publication of this notice in the Texas Register. Comments should be directed to Molly Roman, Operations Manager, Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists, P.O. Box 13225, Austin, Texas 78711, or by e-mail to mroman@tbpg.state.tx.us.

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.

6/25/2010

25-Jun-10 9:00 PM

Triumphant Return of Guest Night to HMNS in 2010

LInda Sternbach — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:45:00 GMT

Guest Night returned to the Houston Museum of Natural Science this year and was a fantastic event for HGS members and their families and friends. After dining with the dinosaurs and minerals inside the Museum, the capacity crowd learned about the geology of Big Bend National Park from Dr. Patricia Wood Dickerson, of the Jackson School of Geosciences, UT Austin. Her talk was entitled, “Big Bend -- Where the Rockies Meet the Appalachians -- Discoveries and Enigmas.” She described the geology of Big Bend, which includes Paleozoic to Tertiary rocks, as basically unexplored in many areas, with few landing sites, much like the Apollo exploration of the moon. She talked about the oldest rocks, the Ordovician, and described how reconstruction of plate tectonics reunited Big Bend with South America during the Ordovician. She showed satellite and outcrop photos of puzzling volcanic features known to have deformed the landscape of Big Bend during the Tertiary, 30 million years ago.

Don Cormick, Big Bend geologist, usually stationed in Big Bend National park, was on hand in person at Guest Night, handing out park information. Big Bend Park, run by the Department of the Interior, has a website for interested people at www.nps.gov/bibe. The park phone number is 432-477-2251 for people planning to visiting.

The audience packed the HMNS IMAX theatre for Dr. Dickerson’s talk, and stayed for a special IMAX movie called “3D Arabia” which showed a young film maker from Saudi Arabia’s documentation of present day Bedouins and the trade of frankincense spice in the Middle Ages. The movie showed present-day Muslim worship in Mecca, Riyadh and sites and towns inside Saudi Arabia.

IMAX Theater audience

Bill Osten (event organiser) and Charles Sternbach (pictures captioned left to right)

Bonnie Milne-Andrews and Robert Killian

Dan Tearpock and Diana Poon

Dave and Janet Meaux

Dave Reynolds

Don Cormick, Geologist at Big Bend

Donna and Tom Riley

Erna and Charles Revilla

Jim Ragsdale and Sandi Barber

Joseph (c) and Sandra Babcock

Kelley and Mike Deming

Selim Shaker and George Klein

Steve Earle and Pat Dickerson (Guest Night Speaker)

Beth Beall and company

Mastodon skeletons in the HMNS hall

28-May-10 3:45 AM

2010/2011 HGS Officers

Wed, 26 May 2010 13:00:00 GMT

2010/2011 HGS Officer Election

President John Tubb

President-Elect Steve Earle

Vice-President Amy Sullivan

Secretary Cecelia Baum

Treasurer David Meaux

Treasurer-Elect Christina Higginbotham

Editor-Elect Ron Waszczak

Director John Adamick

Director Jennifer Burton

Continuing Director Robert Pledger

Continuing Director Tarek Ghazi

26-May-10 8:00 AM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 22 May 2010 01:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

May 21, 2010

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The TRRP 13 TRRP guidance for Review and Reporting of COC Concentration Data has been updated. Some of the major changes are:

The term sample quantitation limit (SQL) has been changed to sample detection limit (SDL).
Review qualifiers have been added to annotate data when the laboratory is not NELAC-accredited for the analyte, method, and/or matrix.
A few bullets in the data usability summary (DUS) section have been added to require the DUS provide information on the NELAC-accreditation status of the laboratory at the time the data were generated.
Detectability check sample results were added to the list of reported data on the laboratory review checklist (see R9).

The regulatory guidance document can be found at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/forms_pubs/pubs/rg/rg-366_trrp_13.htm.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

May 21, 2010

21-May-10 8:00 PM

Blow out Preventer (BOP) is the Last Line of Defense

Selim Shaker — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Exploring for hydrocarbon in deep water since the early 1970s has considerably changed the seismic acquisition, drilling and production practices. It requires floating drilling rigs, rather than the fixed jack ups which were used on the shelf since the late 1940s and are still in use today.

The most common drilling challenges in the deep water were limited to Loss of Circulation (LOC) and Shallow Water Flow (SWF). The LOC and SWF caused drilling hurdles resulting in high costs to test a prospect and sometimes led to the abandonment of the well. High pressure in the deeper subsurface formations that are being drilled today has emerged as a new challenge.

The decade from 1969 to 1979 witnessed three massive spills from offshore oil wells around the world: the IXTOC 1 spill off Mexico in 1979, the Ekofisk spill in the North Sea in 1977, and the 1969 spill off the coast of Santa Barbara. On April 20, 2010, a loss of well control occurred and resulted in an explosion and fire on the Offshore Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon. Eleven lives were lost in this incident, the rig subsequently sank, and the resulting release of oil has been declared a spill of national significance with oil threatening sensitive coastlines and resources in the Gulf of Mexico. Current information indicates that a high pressure hydrocarbon reservoir is the main cause of this tragedy. The BOP, as a last resort in a sequence of preventative measures, did not function in response to an unexpected pressure surge.

The behavior of the subsurface geopressure profile is driven by subsea water depth, sedimentation rate, lithology, stratigraphy, structural setting, and stresses. In deep water, stress reduction due to subsea water depth is the main cause of the narrow Drilling Tolerance Window (DTW). This leads to a limited maneuverability to control the formation pressure using mud weight pressure. Mud pressure is the first line of defense to combat bore- hole’s flow, well kicks, gas infusion, and blowout. The Blowout Preventer (BOP) is built and designed, as the last line of defense, to control the hard kick of an unexpected pressure.

There are many schools of thoughts explaining the causes of abnormal pressures and the techniques to detect pressures changes in subsurface. We know pore pressure progresses with depth. In the deep water there are four zones. They are from the top to the bottom: (1) the shallow free flow, (2)hydrodynamic, (3) transition, and (4) geopressured zones. Each zone is characterized by a pressure gradient dictated by lithology and stress. Some of the drilling problems in the upper two zones are SWF, LOC and the presence of hydrates. Riseless drilling was developed to tolerate the mud pressure that is needed to stay within the DTW and reduce the number of casing seats to reach exploration objectives.

In the lower two zones, pressure exponentially accelerates in the shale (Seals) and becomes hydrostatic in the sand beds (Reservoirs). The excess pressure created by compartmentalization between the shale and sand is usually amplified by the presence of hydrocarbon. Drilling the interface between shale seal and pay sand is the most troublesome drilling zone. Hard kicks, mud cuts, well flow, and blowouts are common at the seal-reservoir boundary and well prognoses should account for that.

Before drilling, seismic velocity, offset wells and modeling are used to predict pore-pressure. Calibration of the model should be performed while drilling. Failure to incorporate the geological setting, structural pattern, and the expected hydrocarbon column height can lead to faltering well prognoses and unforeseen events.

There are several lines of defense that should be employed before relying on the BOP.

Before Drilling:

Perform sub-surface geopressure modeling using seismic velocities.
Calibrate the model using the offset wells. In the Deepwater Horizon case, located in Mississippi Canyon block 252, there are several wells close by. Two of them are in Mississippi Canyon block 252 (Texaco) and two miles due south in Mississippi Canyon block 296 (ENI).
Design well prognoses to account for geopressure compartmentalization, in addition to the expected hydrocarbon column.

During Drilling:

Observe the balance between the formation pressure and the mud pressure.
Increase mud weight to combat the flow, kicks and bore-hole instability as needed and calibrate the model accordingly.

Casing seats and cementing:

Cementing the casing should be done in a gas free mud. Presence of gas in mud causes lower integrity cement bond. The cement shoe should be able to stand firm against the formation’s high pressure, especially with the presence of hydrocarbon. Repeated circulation should take place to clear the dissolved gases in the mud.
Run Cement Bond Logs to QC the annulus cement infill. The presence of gaps in the cement requires squeezing additional cement behind the casing to increase cement integrity.
Test the casing shoe to a pressure value exceeding the hydrocarbon charged formation.

In the recent event, it seems that the bottom cementing plug was not able to hold the formation pressure, especially with the presence of hydrocarbon. At this point the hydrocarbon gushed out through the casing to the drilling ship.

Reliance on the BOP without careful and diligent use of additional lines of defense, such as those listed above, may result in other catastrophic events in deep water exploration.

19-May-10 1:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

May 7, 2010

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The 2010 revision of RG-411, Investigating and Reporting Releases from Petroleum Storage Tanks (PSTs), is now available for download from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) webpage at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/forms_pubs/pubs/rg/rg-411.html.

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The Railroad Commission of Texas withdraws the proposal published in the November 6, 2009, issue of the Texas Register (34 TexReg 7730) and proposes amendments to §11.71 and §11.72, relating to Purpose and Authority; and Applicability; new §11.73 and §11.74, relating to Uranium Exploration Forms; and Information Subject to Public Review; amendments to §11.81 and §11.82, relating to Statutory Definitions; and Regulatory Definitions; amendments to §§11.92 - 11.100, relating to Permit Application; Elements of Permit Application; Application Approval; Bonding, Insurance, Payment of Fees; Permit Issuance; Renewal; Transfer; Permit Approval; and Permit Denial; amendments to §11.113 and §11.114, relating to Revocation or Suspension without Consent and Revision on Motion or with Consent; and new rules §§11.131 - 11.142, relating to Uranium Exploration Permit: General Provisions; Application to Conduct Uranium Exploration Activity; Uranium Exploration Permit Revision; Uranium Exploration Permit Renewal; Uranium Exploration Permit Transfer; Uranium Exploration Permit Fees; Commission Notice of Uranium Exploration Permit Application, Issuance, and Denial; Uranium Exploration Drill Site Operating and Reclamation Requirements; Uranium Exploration Drill Site Plugging and Reporting Requirements; Commission and Groundwater Conservation District Jurisdiction; Groundwater Quality and Well Information; and Groundwater Analysis and Reporting; amendments to §§11.151 - 11.153, relating to Plan; Standards; and Alternative Methods; amendments to §11.181 and §11.182, relating to Closing, and Release; amendments to §11.194, relating to Release from Reporting Requirement; amendments to §11.203, relating to Duration of Liability; and amendments to §11.206, relating to Release or Reduction of Bonds. The Commission is publishing a new proposal that incorporates revisions based on some of the comments the Commission received on the version of the proposed rules published in the Texas Register on November 6, 2009. For more information go to: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/16.ECONOMIC%20REGULATION.html#40

and: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/WITHDRAWN/16.ECONOMIC%20REGULATION.html#231

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

5/7/2010

7-May-10 8:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

April 25, 2010

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) has adopted new rules regarding advisory opinions, the Geoscientist-in-Training (GIT) Program, an amendment to §851.80 establishes an initial application fee and a subsequent annual renewal fee of $25 for a GIT certificate, and an amendment to §851.106 regarding geoscientists to report to the TBPG any known or suspected violation of the Texas Geoscience Practice Act or Board rules.

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

4/25/2010

25-Apr-10 1:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

April 18, 2010

A Petroleum Storage Tank (PST) Operator Training Rule Stakeholder Meeting will be held on April 27, 2010. The meeting is open to the public and will provide a brief overview of proposed rule changes which will: 1) add requirements for Operator Training at Underground Storage Tank (UST) Facilities in a manner that meets federal law; and 2) make less substantive changes to existing administrative and technical UST rules as necessary to simplify and clarify them. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in open discussion. Additional information can be found at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/remediation/rpr/documents/PST_Stakeholder_Meeting_April27.doc

Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
4/18/2010

18-Apr-10 6:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

April 11, 2010

The annual update of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) Tier 1 protective concentration limit (PCL) tables is now available on the TRRP PCLs web page at http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/trrp/trrppcls.html. For instructions on how to use the Tier 1 tables, please refer to Tier 1 PCL Tables (RG-366/TRRP-23), and for information on their applicability, see Toxicity Factors and Chemical/Physical Parameters (RG-366/TRRP-19). Both documents are available on the TRRP Guidance and Forms web page, http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/trrp/guidance.html. For questions on changes to toxicity factors, please contact the TCEQ Toxicology section at 512-239-1795.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

4/11/2010

11-Apr-10 10:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

April 4, 2010

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The TCEQ has updated theTCEQ Remediation Division Correspondence ID Form (TCEQ-20248). Use of the form will expedite the processing of reports and correspondence received by the Remediation Division and will better ensure the accuracy of data entered into the agency's databases. They asks that you complete and submit this form as a cover sheet for all correspondence and reports submitted to the TCEQ Remediation Division cleanup programs on or after June 1, 2010. Instructions are available in PDF format and the form itself is available in MS Word format on the Remediation Division cleanup program web pages and at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/announcements.html

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

April 4, 2010

4-Apr-10 7:00 PM

The Wise Report

Henry Wise — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

March 26, 2010

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is being updated. This update will reflect changes brought about due to legislation passed during the last two sessions. The revisions deal with NORM, solid waste, disposal wells, enhanced recovery wells, brine mining, geologic storage of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon storage, geothermal energy, in situ tar sands, and uranium exploration and mining. The proposed MOU can be found at: http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/prop-amend-3-30-MOU.pdf

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Justin McNamee of Rowlett is replacing Ben Harris of Plano, who resigned, on the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists for a term to expire February 1, 2015. We thank Mr. Harris for his service and wish Mr. McNamee the best of luck.

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The Railroad Commission of Texas proposes new Chapter 5, relating to carbon dioxide, to implement Senate Bill (SB) 1387, 81st Legislature (Regular Session, 2009), which was effective September 1, 2009. SB 1387 amended the Texas Water Code and the Texas Natural Resources Code to provide for the implementation of projects involving the capture, injection, sequestration, or geologic storage of carbon dioxide. The purpose of the proposed rules is to protect underground sources of drinking water while promoting the capture and storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. The proposed chapter can be found at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/16.ECONOMIC%20REGULATION.html#163

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I recieved a copy of a February 26, 2010 letter from US Representative Pete Sessions to the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists. Representative Sessions is seeking input regarding how the Administration’s 2011 Budget and associated spending priorities may impact energy exploration and production. A few budget provisions that he discussed were:

Intangible Drilling Costs - The President's budget calls fro the repeal of the intangible drilling cost expensing. This will cost companies $5.6 billion over the next five years.
Marginal Well Tax Credit - This tax credit will be repealed. According to the Independent Petroleum Association of America, marginal wells account for 20% of American Oil and 12% of natural gas production.
Repeal Enhanced Oil Recovery Credit
Repeal Deduction for Tertiary Injectants
Repeal Exception to Passive Loss Limitations for Working Interests in Oil and Nagural Gas Properties
Repeal Percentage Depletion for Oil and Nagural Gas Wells
Repeal Domestic Manufacturing Tax deduction for Oil and Natural Gas Companies
Increas Geological and Geophysical Amortization Period for Independent Producers to Seven Years

The bottom line for the above is an increase in taxes for Oil and Gas Companies of an estimated $18.2 billion over five years and $36.6 billion over 10 years.

Oil and gas isn't the only industry under the gun. Coal is also going to see an increase in taxes:

Repeal Expensing of Exploration and Development Costs
Repeal Percentage Depletion for Hard Mineral Fossil Fuels
Repeal Capital Gains Treatment for Royalties

These will result in an increase in coal company taxes of approximately $1 billion over five years and $2.3 billion over ten years.

Reprentative Sessions is a member of the Rules Committee and is responsible for handling the Rule for energy bills that will come to the House floor for a vote. If you have questions or would like to make comments to Representative Sessions, He requests that you contact his Legislative Assistant, Evan Shoop at 202-225-2231 or email her at Evan.ShoopWmail.house.gov.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

3/26/2010

26-Mar-10 11:00 PM

HGS Annual Guest Night - May 22, 2010 - Speaker Announced

Bill Osten — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Announcing

2010 HGS Annual Guest Night

Saturday, May 22, 2010

"Big Bend

Where the Rockies Meet the Appalachians

Discoveries and Enigmas"

Guest Speaker:

Dr. Patricia Wood Dickerson,

The Geological Institute and Visiting Research Fellow,

Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin

The 2010 Houston Geological Society Guest Night program will be held on Saturday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. HGS members and their guests will have access to the first and second floors of the Museum for a fun and informative evening. Upon arrival and check-in, HGS members and guests will have about an hour and a half to enjoy the Museum’s spectacular collection of fossils, minerals, and oil and gas exhibits. Attendees will enjoy a delicious Texas-sized buffet dinner, beverages and dessert inside the Museum’s main hall. Following the social hour and dinner, guests will retreat to the IMAX Theater for a presentation by Dr. Patricia Wood Dickerson of the Jackson School of Geoscience at the University of Texas. Dr. Dickerson will present an intriguing geological analysis of the stunning and mystical Texas treasure.. The Big Bend!.

Dr. Pat Dickerson was born (at a very early age) in Waukegan, Illinois. She has worked as a geologist, editor, photographer, writer, dance instructor and apricot cutter for a California fruit-packing firm (not in that order).

Her research in rifts and mountain chains of the world, including doctoral studies (University of Texas-Austin) in the Big Bend of west Texas, has provided opportunities for wide-ranging explorations: the Rocky Mts., Rio Grande rift, Iceland, Norway, the Cordillera of western North America, Mexico, Belize, Argentine Precordillera, Appalachian chain from the Canadian Maritimes through west Texas, and the Southern Alps of New Zealand. She has drawn from those investigations in petroleum, gold, and water resource assessments and now applies those passions in astronaut crew training, in academic teaching, and in leading natural history field seminars for students, professional scientists, and nonscientists. For her efforts in astronaut training in field geophysics and geology, she was recently awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal.

Always a sell-out, the 2010 HGS Guest Night program will limited to 400 people due to seating capacity limitations of the IMAX Theatre. Prepayment is required, and tickets will NOT be available for walk-ins. On-Line registration will be open on April 1, 2010. For more details, click here.

15-Feb-10 7:00 AM

2009 HGS Holiday Party Featured Door-Prize Give-Away

Tarek Ghazi — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:00:00 GMT

55 revellers gathered at Sullivan's Steakhouse on December 21, 2009 for the annual HGS Holiday Party. This year's event, sponsored by RPS and Star Creek Energy, featured gift basket give-aways to eight lucky attendees, who were selected at random by HGS President Elect John Tubb and Kelly Limbaugh of Global Geophysical.

The winners of the gift baskets were Larry Rairden, Walt Wornardt, Scott Thornton, Mike Tribble, Donna Fouch-Flores, Terry Mattalino, Joy Badger and Tim Kiley. Thanks to Linda Sternbach for the pictures of the winners and other partiers shown below. The people are named left to right.

Part of the crowd at Sullivan's Steakhouse

Larry Rairden and Kelly Limbaugh	John Tubb, Walt Wornardt, Kelly Limbaugh
John Tubb and Scott Thornton	Mike Tribble and Kelly Limbaugh
Donna Fouch-Flores and Kelly Limbaugh	John Tubb, Terry Mattalino and Kelly Limbaugh
John Tubb, Kelly Limbaugh and Joy Badger	John Tubb and Tim Kiley
Dawne Jordan and Thom Tucker	Tom Riley and wife dancing

5-Jan-10 1:00 PM