HGS

The Year that Was and Grateful Acknowledgement - 2008-2009

noemail@hgs.org — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The Year that was and Grateful Acknowledgement 2008-2009

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.

HGS Editor

It has been a tumultuous year for Houston and the Houston Geological Society. It was a year that saw wild swings in energy prices, a powerful hurricane, an economic collapse, and a historic and often rancorous presidential election.

When the HGS’s administrative year kicked off in July 2008, the price of a barrel of oil was riding high, surging to a record price of more than $147. There seemed to be no stopping the upward trend. Record oil company profits and boom times were here again. Raise your hand if you thought we would see $200 per barrel oil by the end of 2008. I see a few hands, but the rest of you who did not raise your hand are just in denial. See the Editor’s column in the September 2008 HGS Bulletin for some perspective on the price of energy from the distant historical viewpoint of nearly a year ago.

Since those bygone giddy days of last summer, the price of oil fell to less than $35 per barrel by the end of 2008. It turns out that the spike in the price of oil in 2008 really was due to speculation after all. By May 2009, the price of oil had recovered somewhat to around $54 per barrel. Forecasts for future prices are now more moderate, but likely more realistic.

The slide in the price of oil has had a predictable impact on petroleum exploration and production activities. The North American drilling rig count was cut in half in the past year. In April 2009, Apache Corporation announced the layoffs of 200 workers or about six percent of the company’s 3,600-person workforce. "When you are not as active, you don't need as many people," said Apache spokesman Bill Mintz. ConocoPhillips, El Paso Corporation, and oilfield services companies Baker Hughes, Halliburton, and Schlumberger also announced layoffs in April. ConocoPhilips eliminated 1,350 jobs and Schlumberger cut 5,000 jobs worldwide.

There have been other oil booms, notably during the period between 1982 and 1985 when workers from around the United States surged into a burgeoning Houston. These heady times are inevitably followed by a downturn. The mid-1980s downturn lasted many years. In retrospect, the year 2008 may be notable for having one of the briefest oil boom-bust cycles.

As summer slid towards autumn, the Gulf of Mexico turned violent, unleashing Hurricane Ike. On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike roared across the Texas coastline and raked Houston and neighboring municipalities. While life returned to normal for most Houstonians shortly after power was restored, coastal communities were devastated and may take many years or decades to recover, if ever. See the Editor’s column in the December 2008 HGS Bulletin for a discussion of the merits of the Galveston seawall.

The autumn and winter tumble in the price of oil coincided with the slide in the stock market and the disintegration of the global economy. The real estate market in many parts of the country crumbled leading to record foreclosures and toxic debt. We are now facing the worst economic situation at any time since the great depression. The federal government has had to provide tens of billions of dollars in TARP and stimulus funds to prop up profligate banks and financial institutions.

A full economic recovery may be years away, but there are hopeful signs that the crisis is ebbing. Houston has fared better through this economic whirlwind than many parts of the country. Because Houston real estate prices did not rocket they way they did in Florida, Arizona, and California from 2001 to 2007, the fall here has been less severe.

At the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, America participated in the ideals of founding fathers by electing a president and witnessing the peaceful transition of our government to a new administration, a new administration with a stated goal of restoring "science to its rightful place." Science and politics have not always been companionable. See the Editor’s column in the November 2008 HGS Bulletin about this sometimes contentious relationship.

With this issue of the HGS Bulletin, my term as Editor draws to a close. Hopefully, you found some worthwhile reading in these pages. It has been a great experience and I have learned a lot. I have had the pleasure of meeting many dynamic people who donate their time to make the HGS a great organization. I encourage all members to get involved with some part of the society even if you just come out to the technical meetings.

My thanks go to the fine HGS editorial board of Charles Revilla, James Ragsdale, and editor-elect Gordon Shields. Their insightful and timely editorial reviews and comments kept me on the right path often through some tough sledding. Good luck to Mr. Shields as he dons the editor’s mantle for 2009 - 2010.

Thanks also to Lisa Kruger for her patience and skill each month assembling the Bulletin and producing a great looking publication. Prime Source Office Solutions did a fine job as the Bulletin printer and mailer. Gratefully acknowledgement also goes to Lily Hargrave in the HGS office who managed the flow of advertisements from diverse sources and the financial aspects of the Bulletin.

Thank you to our advertisers for your support throughout the year and to the authors who contributed the items presented in the Bulletin.

Be well, do good work, and stay in touch.

Happy trails.

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.

HGS Editor

hgs.forlenza@gmail.com

8-Jun-09 8:00 AM

The Wise Report

noemail@hgs.org — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:15:00 GMT

The Wise Report

June 5, 2009

Henry M. Wise, P.G

This Texas legislative session is officially over. The following is the final list of new legislation that has been sent to the Governor for his signature or are now effective. If the Governor calls a special session, I'll be watching to see if anything of interest developes.

S.B. 448. Author: Carona. 6/1/2009-Sent to the Governor. Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation to mitigate adverse environmental impacts resulting from the construction, improvement, or maintenance of state highways or state highway facilities. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB448

S.B. 480. Author: Carona. 6/1/2009-Sent to the Governor. Relating to the authority of the Texas Transportation Commission to enter into a covenant for environmental remediation of real property owned by the Texas Department of Transportation. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB480

H.B. 469 (same as S.B. 483, above). 6/3/2009-Sent to the Governor. Authors: Phil King, Anchia, and Hughes. Relating to the establishment of incentives by this state for the implementation of certain projects to capture and sequester in geological formations carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere. 60% of carbon emissions from clean coal will be sequestered. Sequestration will be monitored by the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin, and there will also be tax incentives for sequestration used by O&G for enhanced oil recovery. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB469

S.B. 940 (same as H.B. 2821, below). Author: Wentworth. 5/29/2009-Sent to the Governor. Relating to the regulation of the public practice of geoscience. Defines geoscience firm, geoscientist-in-training, and professional geoscientist, strengthens the ability of the TBPG to deal with complaints and allows for staff-initiated complaints, and allows the TBPG to make advisory opinions. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB940

H.B. 2820 (Same as S.B. 941, above). Author: Chisum, Chavez. 5/29/2009-Sent to Governor. Relating to contracts by governmental entities for professional services relating to geoscience. Adds professional geoscience to the list of professional services. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2820

S.B. 1201 Author: Carona. 6/1/2009-Sent to the Governor. Relating to an affidavit required to be filed in a cause of action against certain licensed or registered professionals. PGs are not currently included, but could be eventually. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1201

H.B. 2259 (same as S.B. 1378, above). Authors: Crownover, Hardcastle, Farabee, Chisum, Gonzalez, and Toureilles. 5/26/2009-Sent to the Governor. Relating to the plugging of inactive oil or gas wells. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2259

S.B. 1387 (same as H.B. 2669, below). Author: Seigler. 5/27/2009-Effective on 9/1/2009. Relating to the injection and geologic storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1387

S.B. 1711. Author: Hegar. 5/19/2009-Effective Immediately. Relating to the use of sediment control ponds to satisfy environmental and safety regulations at surface mining operations in the state. "Without obtaining a permit, a person may construct or maintain a reservoir for the sole purpose of sediment control and divert and use the water to satisfy environmental and safety regulations for fire or dust suppression, applicable to [as part of] a surface coal mining operation under the Texas Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act (Article 5920-11, Vernon ’s Texas Civil Statutes)." Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1711

H.B. 1796. Authors: Chisum, Hancock, and Sheffield. 6/3/2009-Sent to the Governor. Relating to the offshore geologic storage of carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1796

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

6/5/2009

5-Jun-09 8:15 PM

Days of Terroir - Geology in a Glass

noemail@hgs.org — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Editor’s Column
June 2009

Days of Terroir:

Geology in a Glass

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.
HGS Editor

Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.

Ernest Hemingway

The cabernet sauvignon shimmers garnet-red in the glass. The grapes for this wine were grown on vines rooted in the calcareous loamy soils formed on the Quarternary alluvium on the Texas High Plains. The taste of ripe red and black fruit is lush and distinct with hints of licorice and tobacco and a bite of tannins. But there are other tastes in the glass as well, something else. Is that something else a taste of the earth, maybe a taste of geology?

In the oldest wine-grape-growing regions in Europe, oenophiles speak of something called terroir, pronounced "teh-RWAHR." The term has its roots in the Latin word terratorium, from terra meaning land or earth. The same root used for the words terrain and territory. The French often use the phrase goût de terroir (taste of the soil) to refer to the earthy flavor of some wines.

In 1831, Dr. Denis Morelot, a wealthy landowner in Burgundy, observed in his Statistique de la Vigne Dans le Département de la Côte-d’Or that nearly all of the producers in the area made wine essentially the same way, so the reason that some tasted better than others must be due to the terroir — specifically, the substrata underneath the topsoil of a vineyard. Wine, Dr. Morelot claimed, derived its flavor from the site’s geology: in essence, from rocks.

When viniculture experts use the term terroir, it not only includes reference to the type of soil (chalky, claylike, gravelly, sandy), but also to other geographic factors that might influence the quality of the finished wine like altitude, position relative to the sun, angle of incline, water drainage, prevailing wind direction, and climate. The concept of terroir embodies a sense of place and a connection to the land and to the geology. In the United States, wine producers use the term microclimate to encompass the same considerations.

In Bordeaux and Burgundy, the top wine growing regions of France, premium wines from the well-respected domains (estate vineyards) sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars per bottle, while nearby vineyards, often less than a mile away, produce wine categorized as vin ordinare that sells for less than five dollars per bottle. Decades of research by French geologists and other scientists, such as American James Wilson, author of the classic 1998 book Terroir: The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines, has shown that vineyard boundaries, in many cases dating back centuries, mirror underlying faults, facies changes, and other variations in geological properties.

Wine enthusiasts will say the characteristic minerality of wines produced in the Chablis region in France comes from the limestone beds underlying the vineyards. Eric Asimov, wine critic for the New York Times, describes wines from Chablis as having a taste and aroma of "crushed rocks" and "fossilized oyster shells" in a May 5, 2009 article.

Wines grown in the Champagne province owe their desirable characteristics to the Cretaceous chalk underlying northeastern France writes the Pulitzer Prize-winning author John McPhee in his article Season of the Chalk in the March 2, 2007 issue of The New Yorker magazine. The Cretaceous period gets its name for the French word for chalky. McPhee notes that the Cretaceous is the only geologic period named for a rock (with the debatable exception of the Carboniferous). The deep fertile chalk soils of Champagne are a natural moisture regulator for the chardonnay and pinot noir vineyards which are the source of the grapes used in the méthode champagnoise. The chalky soil absorbs an amount of water equal to up to 40 percent of its volume yet remains sufficiently well drained for good vine health. The soft chalk has also allowed vintners to excavate hundreds of miles of tunnels where more than a billion bottles of champagne are cellared.

Coarse glacial deposits and outwash gravels are the setting for some of the finest wine-producing areas of the world found in California, Oregon, Washington, New York, New Zealand, and France. In France, sediments from periods of glaciation in the Pyrenees Mountains and the Massif Central overloaded the Garonne and Dordogne rivers producing a series of gravel terraces where the best vineyards (so-called First Growth) occupy the same type of gravel. The well-known estates Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Haut-Brion, and Latour are located on a particular stratigraphic unit identified as the Günz gravel.

The Rise of the "Terroirists"

The general topic of terroir is of growing international interest among viticulturists and wine lovers as shown by the numerous recent publications and symposia. Earth scientists are no less smitten with the concept devoting sections of academic conferences to the topic such as at the 2003 Geological Society of America meeting in Seattle, the 2004 Geological Association of Canada meeting in Ontario, and the 2004 meeting of the International Geological Congress in Florence, Italy.

The allure of terroir has been lovingly embraced of wine writers, distributors, marketers, and sommeliers. Some of the language related to this new-found passion has become quite poetic: "Wines express their source with exquisite definition," asserts Matt Kramer in his 1989 book Making Sense of Wine. "They allow us to eavesdrop on the murmurings of the earth." Of a California vineyard’s highly regarded chardonnays, he writes, there is "a powerful flavor of the soil: the limestone speaks." In his monthly newsletter, Kermit Lynch, one of the most respected importers of French wine, returns repeatedly to the stony flavors in various white wines from a "terroirist" winemaker in Alsace: "When he speaks of a granitic soil, the wine in your glass tastes of it."

Grapes – true berries

Grapes belong to the family Vitaceae and the genus Vitis. All Vitis are "lianas" or woody, climbing vines. Vitis is split into two subgenera: Euvitis or true grapes and Muscadinia or muscadine grapes. The most important species for wine production is Vitis vinifera, the European, noble, or "Old World" grape. There are at least 5,000 cultivars of vinifera grapes grown worldwide, and some estimates put the number of known cultivars as high as 14,000. However, less than 100 are used to make vast majority of wine.

Vitis vinifera is thought to be native to the area near the Caspian Sea, in southwestern Asia, the same region native to apple, cherry, pear, and many other fruits. Seeds of grapes have been found in excavated Bronze-age dwellings in south-central Europe dating to approximately 3500 to 1000 BC. These discoveries attest to the early use of grapes beyond its native range. Egyptian hieroglyphics dating to 2440 BC detail the cultivation of grapes and wine making. The Phoenicians carried wine cultivars across the Mediterranean before 600 BC and Romans spread the grape throughout Europe. Grapes moved to the Far East via traders from Persia and India and came to the New World with early settlers and missionaries.

Grape growing regions are broadly distributed in the temperate zones around the globe. Vinifera grapes can be characterized as requiring Mediterranean climates and are adapted to a wide variety of soil conditions, from high pH and slightly saline, to acidic and clayey. Deep, well-drained, light textured soils are best for wine grapes. Highly-fertile soils are unsuited to high-quality wine production, since the vigor and yield of the vines must be controlled and managed.

With an annual production exceeding 12 billion pounds worth an estimated $3 billion, grapes are the highest-value fruit crop in the United States. Today, United States grape and wine production is dominated by California; however, production is increasing is many other states.

Texas Viniculture

Some of the oldest wine growing areas in the United States are found in Texas. In the 1650s, Franciscan missionaries planted vines in West Texas near El Paso. Some vineyards in Texas pre-date the vineyards planted in California by more than one hundred years.

Texas is America's fifth largest grape and wine-producing state according to a 2007 study by industry analysts in conjunction with the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. Texas has more than 220 family-owned vineyards with 3,100 acres producing more than 2.4 million gallons of wine each year.

The University of Texas System is the largest wine producer in the state with over 1,000 acres planted near Fort Stockton. First established as an experimental vineyard in 1987, the university leases the land to a group of Bordeaux wine makers who produce under two labels - Sainte Genevieve and Escondido Valley.

Texas is roughly divided into three main wine growing regions spanning a diverse range of geology and microclimates that allows many different types of grapevines to grow. The North-Central Region spans the northern third of the state from the New Mexico border across the Texas Panhandle and towards Dallas. This includes the Texas High Plains which has the highest concentration of grape growers in the state. The eastern third of the state makes up the South-Eastern Region which encompasses the area around Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. The high humidity at the northern end of this area makes it difficult to grow vinifera grapes, while vines of the native muscadine family flourish. At the far south end of this region, along the Mexico–United States border is the state's oldest winery, Val Verde, which has been in operation for over a century. The Trans-Pecos Region encompasses the central-western third of the state where about 40 percent of the state's grapes are grown in some of the highest altitude vineyards. More than two thirds of the wine produced in Texas comes from this area.

Terroir of the Texas High Plains

The Texas High Plains have become a major wine grape production region and have been officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area since 1993. The distinctive characteristics of the High Plains are derived from its unique terroir - a semi-arid climate with hot summers and mild winters, high elevation, sedimentary and eolian geology, and suitable soils found nowhere else in the state.

Texas High Plains vineyards are planted primarily on three similar reddish calcareous soil series (tiera roja) widely distributed in the region. These are very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils derived from sandy (Patricia and Brownfield series) or loamy (Amarillo series) eolian sediments from the Pleistocene-age Blackwater Draw Formation. These soils are well-suited for grape production with a low to moderate fertility and good drainage, yet adequate water-holding capacity.

Climatic conditions are also conducive to high-quality grape production; relatively low annual precipitation and low relative humidity provide an environment that inhibits most fungal diseases of grapes. Although the region is considered a hot climate for grape production, temperatures become favorably moderate at night during the fruit ripening period owing to the high elevation (more than 3,500 feet above mean sea level) and the low relative humidity. High solar radiation contributes to vine fruitfulness and good color development in red wine grapes.

The most notable wineries on the Texas High Plains are Llano Estacado, Caprock, and Pheasant Ridge. Pheasant Ridge, ten miles north of Lubbock, has been owned and operated for more than 15 years by geologist and former HGS member Bill Gipson. Gipson graduated with a degree in geology from the University of Texas in 1949, worked as a petroleum geologist for Pennzoil starting in the 1960s, and later was president of POGO Resources in the early 1990s. While working for Pennzoil and traveling frequently to California, he developed a great interest in wine and an appreciation for terroir. Seeking to become involved in viniculture in Texas, Gipson’s knowledge of geology and terroir led him the High Plains where the permeable calcareous loamy soils and the microclimate are similar to the classic wine-making regions in France. He purchased a share of the existing 50-acre Pheasant Ridge Winery in the 1980s and became the owner in 1993. Despite the threat of hail storms and late freezes, Pheasant Ridge now produces about 6000 cases annually and the winery’s cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay have won in national competitions.

While the High Plains may not be as scenic as the terraced slopes of the Bordeaux countryside, Gipson says, they do offer a similar environment for grapes. "Wine from the Texas High Plains tastes more French than the California wines grown in the volcanic soils of the Napa and Sonoma valleys," he noted. "The limestone gives the wine structure and more aging potential."

Earth or Yeast?

The idea of geology imparting its essence to wine, that one can taste the earth in a glass, is appealing, a welcome link to nature and a place in a delocalized world. "The trouble is, it’s not true," write Harold McGee and Daniel Patterson in a May 2007 New York Times article titled Talk Dirt to Me. The authors contend that the skills of the winemakers and the biological interactions of yeast and the grape during fermentation are responsible for the range of tastes and textures, even minerality, that are found in wines.

"Plants don’t really interact with rocks," explains Mark Matthews, a plant physiologist at the University of California, Davis who studies vines. "They interact with the soil, which is a mixture of broken-down rock and organic matter. And plant roots are selective. They don’t absorb whatever’s there in the soil and send it to the fruit. If they did, fruits would taste like dirt." He continues, "Any minerals from the solid rock that vine roots do absorb — sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, a handful of others — have to be dissolved first in the soil moisture. Most of them are essential nutrients, and they mainly affect how well the plant as a whole grows."

The fermentation process metabolizes grape sugars into alcohol coincidentally producing dozens of aromatic chemicals that make wine more than just alcoholic grape juice. McGee and Patterson write, "It’s because of the yeasts that we can catch whiffs of tropical fruits, grilled meats, toasted bread, and other things that have never been anywhere near the grapes or the wine. The list of evocative fermentation products includes an organic sulfur molecule that can give some wines a ‘flinty’ aroma. And there are minor yeasts that create molecules called volatile phenols, whose earthy, smoky flavors have nothing to do with the soil but are suggestive of it."

So, if vines absorb only select elements from rock that are dissolved in soil moisture, if grape and wine components are not a reflection of the rocks’ minerals, and if earthy aromas in wine come from microbes and not from the earth, do soil minerals have any real role in wine flavor?

Maybe. Hildegarde Heymann, a sensory scientist at the University of California, Davis, is skeptical about the usefulness of the terms "terroir" and "minerality." "People who talk about minerality are describing something they perceive that’s hard to grab on to," she says. "We do know that mineral ions can affect wine flavor by affecting acidity, chemical reaction rates and the volatility of aromas. And we’re just now looking at whether they can affect the body of wine, its ‘mouth feel.’ They might." It is possible, then, that soil minerals may affect wine flavor indirectly, by reacting with other grape and yeast substances that produce flavor and tactile sensations, or by altering the production of flavor compounds as the grape matures on the vine.

The place where grapes are grown clearly affects the wine that is made from them, but it is not a straightforward matter of tasting the earth. If the earth "speaks" through wine, it is only after its murmurings have been translated by the chemistry of the living grape and microbe, write McGee and Patterson. We do not taste a place in a wine. We taste a wine from a place — the special qualities that a place enables grapes and yeasts to express, aided and abetted by the grower and winemaker.

The Other Geologic Beverage

Geologists may taste the earth in their wine, but a beverage with perhaps greater appeal to geologists may have an even closer connection to rocks. Beer and geology are closely entwined asserts Dr. Alex Maltman, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Wales. Dr. Maltman (yes, his real name) presented his view at a seminar on geology and beer at the annual Geological Society of America meeting in 2003. This intimate connection between geology and beer was also described in the December 2004 New York Times article With Great Beer, It's All in the Rocks by Kenneth Chang.

Beer of various varieties has been consumed for thousands of years dating back to at least the third millennium BC. Beer is alcohol fermented from grain, and most beer today is fermented from barley that is partially germinated, or malted. Hops, a type of flower, is added to give a bitter, fruity taste to the beer.

But it is the water used to make beer that provides the direct connection to geology, writes Chang. Beer is more than 90 percent water, and because almost all brewers use water from wells, not from surface water sources, the mineral content of the product is strongly affected by the underlying geology. Thus, local geology has had a strong influence on the style of the traditional beers brewed in different regions.

Early commercial brewers in the 1800s encountered the problem that beer spoiled quickly and did not travel well. However, beers from the 30 or so breweries in the small town of Burton-on-Trent in England were the exception. Decades later it was demonstrated that groundwater from the sandstone formations underlying Burton-on-Trent were ideal for making the traditional regional style of beer called pale ale or English bitter. Some of these beers traveled so well they were carried to far-off British colonies as India pale ale. The groundwater was rich in minerals like gypsum and sulfates and was slightly acidic in the pH in the range of 5 to 5.5 that is necessary for the proper extraction of malts. The sulfates in the groundwater acted as a preservative.

Brewers in the town of Pilsen, Czech Republic draw groundwater from underlying aquifers composed of fractured metamorphic rocks. This groundwater water has a very low mineral content and moderate acidity producing the light, clean taste of the traditional regional lager-style beer known as Pilsner.

Brewers with access to only alkaline groundwater faced special challenges. These brewers discovered that by roasting the grains the proper acidic balance to the alkaline groundwater could be achieved to allow for the extraction of the malt. Dublin, Ireland overlies a Paleozoic limestone aquifer with strongly alkaline groundwater. This alkaline groundwater had to be counterbalanced by a thorough pre-roasting of the grain prior to fermentation. This pre-roasting produced a very dark brew, almost black, with a distinctive taste and texture popularized the world over by Arthur Guinness.

Summary

Wine and beer are natural products of the earth. Their taste may, in part, result from interactions with the unique characteristics of the local geology, the terroir. However, the connection is not a direct one. More research and sampling is needed to discover the extent of this connection. Fortunately, there is no shortage of geologists willing to lend their trained faculties and discerning palates to this worthwhile study.

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The Year that was and Grateful Acknowledgement - 2008 - 2009

Thank you to our advertisers for your support throughout the year and to the authors who contributed the items presented in the Bulletin.

Be well, do good work, and stay in touch.

Happy trails.

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.

HGS Editor

hgs.forlenza@gmail.com

5-Jun-09 11:00 AM

British Geological Survey - Geologic Website of the Month

noemail@hgs.org — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Geologic Website of the Month

June 2009

British Geological Survey

www.bgs.ac.uk

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.

Editor - Houston Geological Society

The modern study of geology was founded in Britain based on the work of James Hutton, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, William Smith, and others. One of the places where this legacy can be appreciated is at Siccar Point.

Siccar Point is one of the world's most famous geological sites, yet it lies hidden at the foot of a remote sea cliff in Berwickshire, Scotland. It was here in 1788 that James Hutton, the 'father of modern geology,' accompanied by John Playfair and Sir James Hall, recognized the vast extent of geological time that went far beyond the then accepted age of the earth of 6000 years. He saw that the near-vertical greywackes of the Silurian Gala Group were unconformably overlain by the younger, gently-dipping sandstones of the Devono-Carboniferous Stratheden Group (Upper Old Red Sandstone). He reasoned that the vertical layers were originally laid down as horizontal beds of sediment on an ocean floor, and that it must have taken a very long time — perhaps millions of years — for these sediments to be lithified, folded, uplifted, and then eroded by earth processes before the younger sandstones could be laid down on top.

Siccar Point is just one of the ten ‘Secret’ geology places featured on the website [www.bgs.ac.uk/education/secretGeology/home.html] of the British Geological Society (BGS). The website of the BGS has the familiar "newspaper" format of a banner above several columns of items. The left column has links to sections about the BGS and what types and areas of research they conduct. The center two columns provide graphics, links, photographs, and capsule summaries to recent or ongoing areas of research and investigation. A series of larger photographs and illustrations are rotated through the primary space at the top of the center columns pertaining to the featured items. The right column is a list of links to news items, feature items, and related geoscience websites.

Founded in 1835, the BGS is the world's oldest national geological survey and is the United Kingdom's premier center for earth science information and expertise. According to the website, the BGS is the nation's principal supplier of objective, impartial, and up-to-date geological expertise and information for decision making by governmental, commercial, academic, and public users. The BGS carries out research in strategically-important areas including energy and natural resources, vulnerability to environmental change and hazards, and earth system science. This work is often conducted in collaboration with the national and international scientific academic community. The BGS maintains and develops understanding of earth sciences to improve policy-making, enhance national wealth, and reduce risk. The BGS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which is the United Kingdom's primary agency for funding and managing research, training, and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences.

The BGS website strikes a good balance between content for a general, non-technical audience and content for a professional, technical audience. Topics on the website that might be of interest to a non-technical audience can be found by clicking on the links labeled ‘Homeowners,’ ‘Popular geology,’ ‘Teachers & students,’ and ‘For everyone.’ The Homeowners page has a nifty link where property owners or prospective buyers can order a "GeoReport’ for any postal address or grid reference location. GeoReports are custom reports for which the user can request pertinent information on the assessment of on-site building stone, radon protection, ground stability and subsidence potential, and groundwater availability.

For the casual visitor, the Popular geology link offers some interesting areas for browsing. These include: "Britain beneath our feet,’ an interactive atlas of geology; "Fossil focus,’ a primer on common fossils; ‘Holiday Geology Guides,’ information on the geology of popular tourist areas of England; and ‘Secret’ geology places.

The Popular geology webpage also features a selection of historic documents and photographs from the BGS archives. These documents include the National Archive of Geologic Photographs with more than 100,000 fully-described images. The BGS archive is where you can learn about William Smith. William Smith was the subject of Simon Winchester’s 2002 book titled The Map that Changed the World.

William Smith was born in Oxfordshire in 1769, the son of the village blacksmith. As a boy he developed an interest in the exposures of rock and the fossils which were to be found locally. Later as a surveyor, his work for canal construction and for the sources of building stone and coal led to a great increase in his knowledge and awareness of various geological features. As he travelled, he observed that the familiar strata he recognized from the south of England were repeated in other areas, with some outcrops stretching right across the country.

Coal miners were already aware of the occurrences of regular successions of workable coal seams. But on a larger scale, Mr. Smith began to recognize that sedimentary rocks could be identified by the fossils they contained, and that these rocks were always arranged in the same sequence. His discovery that strata can be distinguished by fossil assemblages was a concept virtually unrecognized by geologists of that period. Working on this principle, Mr. Smith was able to draw up a table of successive strata which could be applied in any other locality—an early version of the geological column.

By 1799, Mr. Smith, using both his skills as a surveyor and the knowledge gained from his field observations, developed a geological map. His first geologic map was circular in form covering the area around Bath and was exhibited at the Bath Agricultural Society. In 1801, Mr. Smith produced a small geological map of England and Wales which illustrated the outcrops of seven geological formations. He prepared other maps for exhibition at various meeting, but it was not until 1815, with input and support from the enterprising map publisher John Cary, that Mr. Smith's first major geologic map was produced. His 1815 map and the subsequent 1820 edition were the first ever large-scale geological maps of a country.

Sections of the BGS website that might be of interest to a professional or technical audience are found by clicking on the links labeled ‘Academics & researchers,’ ‘Businesses & consultants,’ and ‘Governments & agencies.’ The Academics & researchers page provides an overview of the resources and facilities available for use by researchers and universities such as geologic data in GIS format, a library of reports and books, and collections of borehole core, paleontological, and petrological samples and data. The Business & consultants page provides data licensing and ‘bespoke’ consultancy services for industries such as construction, minerals extraction, insurance, power and energy, water supply, and oil and gas.

As one would expect from a governmental agency website, there are no advertisements, but there is an online store. From the Quick links on the homepage, click on ‘Online shops’ to be directed to a listing of the various publications available for purchase. The publications include books, maps, guides, borehole records, and geoscience reports. Items are priced in British pounds.

The BGS website has a wealth of geologic information related to the United Kingdom. The website has an orderly appearance with a light blue and white palette and straightforward navigation featuring duplicate links. There are areas of interesting browsing for both the casual visitor and the professional geologist. Whether you are considering a journey to a secret geological place to contemplate Hutton’s unconformity or concerned about the ground stability around your country estates in Hertfordshire and in the Cotswolds, the website of the British Geological Society is the place to start.

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.

hgs.forlenza@gmail.com

3-Jun-09 6:00 PM

Many Thanks For a Great Year!

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:00:00 GMT

We’ve come to the end of another HGS year, and it has been a good one. The HGS runs on volunteers, and I would
like to thank everyone who has worked with us this year for being part of it.

The HGS Board this year has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the organization work. Special thanks go to Michael Forlenza, Editor, whose calm patience I’ve tried more than once. The Editor has by far the most demanding job in the HGS, and Michael has done it beautifully. He’s been ably supported by Editor-elect Gordon Shields, associate
editors Jim Ragsdale and Charles Revilla. Lilly Hargrave has handled advertising, and Lisa Krueger has designed and laid out the publication. Thanks to them all for a superb Bulletin.

Special thanks also go to the diligent John Tubb and Matt Boyd who have handled our finances, and Joe Lynch, who has organized our budget and overseen our reserve funds. Sandra Babcock handles the day-to-day accounting and gracefully
got us through a multi-year audit. Our office accounting and financial control system is much more streamlined than in
previous years and should be easier to maintain from here on. Additional thanks go to Ken Nemeth who has overseen the office committee for several years now.

We’ve had an excellent technical program this year, thanks to VP Art Berman and his committee chairs, Justin Vandenbrink, Steve Getz, Matthew Cowan, Tony D’Agostino and Dave Tonner, and their committees. The technical program is the lifeblood of the HGS and we are grateful to them for consistently finding great speakers. Frank Walles and Dave Tonner organized the very successful Mudstones Conference and Deborah Sacrey produced a terrific Technofest last summer (and has another great one in store for August). Paul Babcock put together Vendor’s Corners at many of our technical events, raising funds for our scholarship programs, and Dianna Phu stepped up to help with hotel contracting arrangements.

Thanks go to Gary Moore, Richard Howe, Cecelia Baum, Dave Lazor, Dee Ann Cooper, and Tom Miskelly for putting
together a great series of field trips this year. Tom Tucker, Ken Schwartz, and Cheryl Desforges organized excellent short courses. Cecelia Baum and Rachel Czechowskyj ran a successful NeoGeos program.

Tarek Ghazi did a terrific job taking over the HGS website from long-time web manager Bill Osten with help from
Webmaster Lilly Hargrave. He has also put together a great newsletter notification system and streamlined the website for
better usability. Peter Welch maintains the HGS Jobs Hotline, a valuable member service for which he is rarely thanked but is
very much appreciated.

Alison Henning was a member of the State of Texas Board of Education committee to develop the earth science high school
curriculum and fought valiantly to keep valid earth science in our schools. Matthew Cowan and Dave Rensink traveled to
Austin to testify before the Texas Senate and House about the Texas Board of Professional Geology.

Bill Osten, Chuck Caughey, and Bonnie Milne-Andrews organized Guest Night at the downtown aquarium. It was
different and a lot of fun. Kudos also go to Mark Dennis, who had to deal with canceling and re-scheduling the HGS Golf
Tournament due to Hurricane Ike, and to Ross Davis for the Tennis Tournament and Tom McCarroll for the Skeet Shoot.

Special thanks to Tom Mather and John Tubb for sorting and cleaning out the HGS storage room after it was flooded in April.
This was a nasty job, but Tom managed to save our history bydrying out Board minutes and annual reports from the pre-90s
years which we will scan and preserve so this won’t happen again. Board member Walter Light organized community service events and has been a great asset to the board with his common sense ideas. Board members Ianthe Sarrazin and
Mike Jones have contributed many hours and ideas.

I also want to personally thank past-president Linda Sternbach for her work on nominations and her reminders to me of what
needed to be done next, and to past-presidents Charles Sternbach, Dave Rensink, Steve Levine, Steve Brachman, Craig
Moore, Jim Ragsdale, and Sandi Barber for always being available to provide advice when I asked for it.

Please help me welcome the 2009-2010 Board of Directors: Gary Coburn, President, John Tubb, President-elect, Art Donovan, Vice-president, Amy Sullivan, Secretary, Matt Boyd, Treasurer, David Meaux, Treasurer-elect, and Directors Walter Light, Ianthe Sarrazin, Robert Pledger, and Tarek Ghazi. I am delighted to leave the HGS in such capable hands, and I hope they enjoy their year as much as I have enjoyed mine.

Thank you all for making this a great year for HGS, and a memorable year for me.

3-Jun-09 2:00 PM

Peak Water? The Limits of a Resource

noemail@hgs.org — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

May 2009
HGS Bulletin

Peak Water?

The Limits of a Resource

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.
HGS Editor

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.

~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

When you turn on the faucet at your kitchen sink what do you expect to happen? You expect to get an unlimited supply of fresh potable water to use as you choose in your daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, drinking, flushing, and watering. In most of the developed world, this availability is hardly considered. But just where does that water come from and is it really unlimited or is the earth headed for a crisis?

Water is the ultimate renewable resource. It falls from the sky and a vast reservoir covers 70 percent of the globe. There is no less water today than there was 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, or even a million years ago. Water cycles through the biosphere in a matter of months or years. Surely there is no shortage of water. Yet, each week the media reports on another region in the United States or the world where insufficient water is causing economic hardships, human and ecological suffering, or conflict.

It turns out, that for a large part of the world, there is a shortage of usable, fresh, clean water. Whether due to climate change, poor resource management, over population, reckless use, or willful neglect, more than one billion people do not have access to an adequate supply of potable water and more than 2.5 billion do not have water for basic sanitary needs. Does this scarcity mark the limit of the resource? If water is the new oil, have we reached "Peak Water?"

Reaching the Limits

Approximately 97.5 percent of all the water on Earth is salty or polluted and unsuitable for human use. Of the remaining 2.5 percent, nearly 70 percent is frozen in the ice caps of Greenland and Antarctica. Large amounts of the unfrozen fresh water are found in soil moisture, trapped in deep water-bearing formations, or present as atmospheric water vapor. Only about one percent of the world’s fresh water, less than 0.01 percent of all of the world’s water, is available for direct human use in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and easily accessible aquifers.

Like oil, water is not equitably distributed, respectful of political boundaries, or found in abundance where the demand is greatest. Just as some nations have great oil resources and others do not, so it is with water. About 50 percent of the world's fresh water lies in just a half-dozen lucky countries led by Russia and Brazil. In the last one hundred years, worldwide demand for fresh water has increased six-fold – twice the rate of population growth. This has created a fierce competition for this fluid treasure.

The ultimate source of all available fresh water is precipitation that falls on the continents. This amount is estimated be approximately 40,000 to 50,000 cubic kilometers per year. With annual population increases of about 85 million per year, the availability of fresh water per person is diminishing rapidly. And, this assumes that the amount of continental rainfall remains constant despite evidence that climatic shifts may be altering long-term precipitation patterns.

Agricultural uses put tremendous stress on available fresh water resources. Approximately 70 percent of all fresh water is used for agricultural purposes worldwide. Largely arid Pakistan uses 97 percent of its fresh water for agriculture, and China, with 20 percent of the world's population but only 7 percent of its water, uses 87 percent of its fresh water to irrigate crops.

Globally, many regions are facing water crises. A few of these are:

Australia. Australia is the most arid continent after Antarctica. Even with a population less than one-tenth of the United States, water resources are stretched to the breaking point. The worst drought in history is ravaging the nation. Rainfall has declined to 25 percent of the long-term average and is projected to plummet another 40 percent by 2050. Every major city in Australia has severe water restrictions in place and agriculture is crippled. In 2008, huge unchecked wildfires swept across the desiccated landscape.

Middle East. A 2008 report by the World Bank estimates that the amount of water available per person in this arid and politically volatile region will halve by 2050.

Africa. Desertification has allowed the Sahara to claim large stretches of the surrounding countries. Lake Chad, one of the largest lakes in the world when first surveyed in 1823, has shrunk from a surface area of approximately 10,000 square miles in 1960 to less than 600 square miles by 2000. "Africa is one of the most water-impoverished regions ... and the lack of clean water claims the lives of 4,900 children every day," United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa Chairman Donald Payne said in 2007.

China. The Yellow River, China's second longest, supplies water to over 150 million people and irrigates 15 percent of the country's farmland. But in recent years, water levels in the upper reaches of the river have hit historic lows and it has occasionally run dry before reaching the sea. Probe International, a leading development policy group, has warned that the city of Beijing faces economic collapse and will need to resettle part of its population in coming decades, as it could run out of water in five to 10 years. China is in the process of building the multi-billion dollar North-South Water Diversion Project to bring water from the nation's longest river, the Yangtze, to the parched north.

Conflict

A study showed that 85 percent of the world's population resides in the drier half of the Earth where the limited resource is stretched thin. Many people in these regions are forced to turn to polluted water for their daily needs. Unsafe water is the primary cause of mortality around the world and kills ten times as many people as wars. Every year, eight million people, including 1.8 million children, die of the water-borne diseases diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and malaria.

Water woes could have an impact on global peace and stability. In January 2007, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon cited a report by International Alert, a self-described peace-building organization based in London. The report identified 46 countries with a combined population of 2.7 billion people where contention over water has created "a high risk of violent conflict" by 2025.

The developing world is dividing into those who have sufficient water and those that want more. Stronger nations and rising economic powers such as China and India, coveting the weaker neighbor’s water resources, may resort to unfriendly means to gain control of this wealth. China’s looming water crisis has them eyeing the abundant resources in Tibet. The London Times reported in 2006 that China is proceeding with plans for nearly 200 miles of canals to divert water from the Himalayan plateau to China’s thirsty central regions. Himalayan water is a particularly sensitive issue because snow melt in that region supplies the headwaters to rivers that bring water to more than half a dozen Asian countries. Any plans to divert Himalayan water will likely cause great concern among Southeast Asian nations.

Canada, which has immense fresh-water resources equaling approximately 20 percent of the world total, is wary of its water-thirsty neighbor to the south. Water raises national fervor in Canada, and Canadians are reluctant to share their birthright with a United States that they perceive as profligate and with a long history of mismanagement of their own supplies.

The prospect of losing control of its water under free-trade or other agreements is something Canadians seem to worry about constantly. In 2007, Canada’s House of Commons voted 134 to 108 in favor of a motion to recommend that its federal government "begin talks with its American and Mexican counterparts to exclude water from the scope of NAFTA."

Even Texas has clashed with its neighbors, Mexico and Oklahoma, over access to water. The roots of the Texas-Mexican water dispute go back to the 1944 water treaty which determined how flows from several river systems would be divided. Mexico violated the treaty from 1993 to 2002 by withholding the agreed upon water contributions to the Rio Grande. Texan farmers, ranchers, and irrigation district officials sued the Mexican government for $500 million in damages. Mexico finally made up its water debt in 2005. But many Texan farmers worry about the future as drought lingers throughout the region.

In 2007, the Tarrant Region Water District, in the Dallas area, filed suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma naming the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the Oklahoma Water Conservation Storage Commission. The Texas water district argued that a moratorium passed by the Oklahoma Legislature to bar the exportation of water to other states violated the federal commerce clause. The lawsuit seeks a restraining order to prevent Oklahoma from using the moratorium to block the sale of water to Texas. The suit argues that Oklahoma has allocated only 7.6 percent of the 34 million acre-feet of water that flows out of the state each year into the Red River and Arkansas River. One acre-foot, the volume of water that can cover an acre to a depth of one foot, is approximately 326,000 gallons.

The United States and Texas

The United States is divided approximately in half along the line of 95 degrees west longitude, where the eastern half generally has sufficient precipitation to meet current water demands. West of this line, precipitation is sparse and in many areas, insufficient to meet current demands. The shortfall in these areas is made up with groundwater withdrawals for agricultural and municipal uses.

The American West, like much of the world, is incurring a vast and growing water deficit that is hidden by the lush green golf courses carved into the desert scenery. To bridge the gap between demand and the over-allocated surface water supply, non-renewable groundwater aquifers are exploited. Since World War II, there has been a gold-rush type explosion of water extraction to support the agricultural 'Green Revolution' and thirsty growing cities.

Despite the warnings to Congress in 1888 by explorer and geologist John Wesley Powell that the lack of water was a serious obstacle to unbridled settlement of the West, large metropolises such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, and even Los Angeles have spread across the arid lands where rainfall is often less than ten inches per year. Only by political clout and the expenditure of billions of dollars on vast public works projects that transport water across hundreds of miles blistering desert, are these cities able to exist. Children are taught that water flows down hill, but in the American West, as the saying goes, water flows uphill towards money.

La Vegas means "the meadows" in Spanish and was once a desert oasis with fresh-water springs nourishing verdant grasses. Settlers on the journey west in the late 1800s stopped here to rest and water their livestock. The springs no longer flow and natural meadows are no longer found in Las Vegas due to the heavy draw on groundwater in southern Nevada to slake the thirst of the burgeoning population of Clark County. A new type of unnatural meadow, the irrigated lawn, is found throughout the region.

The Colorado River, the lifeblood of Southwest, is in serious trouble and no longer flows to the sea in most years. Seven states and dozens of Indian reservations, as well as Mexico, tap into or claim a portion its flow. Development has sapped the river, a problem exacerbated by a drought called "perhaps the worst in 500 years" by United States interior secretary Gale Norton. Lake Mead, created by Hoover dam on the Colorado River, is the largest reservoir in the United States and supplies most of Phoenix's and Las Vegas’ water. As of May 2009, Lake Mead was at approximately 43 percent of capacity. A February 2008 study by the University of California in San Diego concluded that, based on climate forecasts and the projected water use, Lake Mead’s water level could drop below the minimum power pool elevation as early as 2017. Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have predicted that Lake Mead has a 50-50 chance of running dry by 2021.

Texas’ situation mirrors that of the world and the Southwest. Its population is expected to nearly double by mid-century, from 20.8 million in 2000 to 39.6 million in 2050. Urban and rural centers have begun to clash over the allocation of water resources; in fact the growing municipal demand for water will be one of the greatest challenges facing Texas. The future living standard for Texans, particularly those in the arid western parts of the state, will depend largely on the availability and affordability of water.

Texas lies at a crossroad of water resources in the United States with annual precipitation rates ranging from more than 55 inches in the Beaumont area to less than ten inches in El Paso. Texas water resources are sufficient to meet the current demand of approximately 17 million acre-feet per year. However, growing water supply demands largely due to population growth and declining supply due to climate shifts may soon lead to deficits. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) forecasts that agricultural water usage will decrease over the next 50 years, but that this decrease will be offset by huge increases in municipal usage. The TWDB projects that overall water demand in Texas will outstrip supply by 2010 with the deficit increasing to seven million acre-feet per year by 2060.

Houston Water Sources

In Houston, our water supply comes from both surface water and groundwater sources. Houston was fortunate to be founded in a location that overlies the Gulf Coast aquifer, a wedge of prolific water-bearing sediments more than 1000 feet thick in Harris County. Growth in Houston and the surrounding areas was greatly aided by the plentiful water drawn from the Gulf Coast aquifer. However, these large groundwater withdrawals came at a cost. Depressurization of the aquifer led to subsidence of the land surface. This subsidence was greatest in the areas east of Houston near the ship channel where ground elevations declined by more than ten feet. Several neighborhoods had to be abandoned due to the flooding that resulted from the subsidence.

In1975, the Texas Legislature created the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District (HGSD), the first of its kind in the United States. Authorized as a regulatory agency and created to end subsidence, the district is armed with the power to restrict groundwater withdrawals. The district has developed and implemented a plan to shift the municipal water source from groundwater to surface water. As groundwater use has declined, water withdrawals from the Trinity River have increased to the point where this source makes up more than 50 percent of the 900 million gallon per day demand.

Summary

Wise management and sustainable development of the world’s water resources is a task that has been postponed too long. Much of the world is in crisis and parts of the United States are rapidly approaching that point. Water-poor regions can no longer expect to put off addressing the problem by pumping ever greater amounts of relict groundwater from shrinking aquifers. Geoscientists should play a leading role in designing innovative solutions such as aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) where seasonally-surplus water supplies are banked in porous underground formations for later use.

So, the next time you open the faucet in your home and draw a glass of clean potable water, take a moment to consider the precious resource that you hold in your hand. Before you raise the water to your lips, think about how many times it has recycled through the atmosphere, earth, and ocean. And most importantly, reflect on how fortunate you are to have all you want.

Michael F. Forlenza, P.G.

hgs.forlenza@gmail.com

3-Jun-09 9:00 AM

The Wise Report

noemail@hgs.org — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

May 30, 2009

Henry M. Wise, P.G

This Texs legislative session ends on Monday, June 1, 2009. The following is a list of new legislation that may be of interest to Texas geologists. Those bills listed with an "*" are bills that have been sent to the Governor for his signature or are now effective, those in bold are updated information.

S.B 136. Author: Ellis. 2/10/2009-Referred to Natural Resources. Relating to the Texas Global Warming Solutions Act; imposing a fee and providing a penalty. For full details go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB136

S.B. 273 (same as H.B. 177). Author: Nichols, Williams. 4/7/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to testing requirements for certain commercial injection wells. This bill allows for additional soil testing and groundwater monitoring. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB273

H.B. 177 (same as S.B. 273, above). Author: Creighton. 3/24/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to testing requirements for certain commercial injection wells. This bill allows for additional soil testing and groundwater monitoring. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB273

S.B. 274 (same as H.B. 178). Author: Nichols. 3/24/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to limitation on the location of injection wells. Prohibits injection wells near faults, in recharge zones, and within 0.5 miles of water supply wells, residences, schools, churches, etc. Doesn't say what type of injection wells and therefore has the potential to shut down ISR mining. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB274

H.B. 178 (same as S.B. 274, as above). Author: Creighton. 3/24/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to limitation on the location of injection wells. Prohibits injection wells near faults, in recharge zones, and within 0.5 miles of water supply wells, residences, schools, churches, etc. Doesn't say what type of injection wells and therefore has the potential to shut down ISR mining. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB178

S.B. 275 (same as H.B. 179). Author: Nichols. 5/22/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to the application of new requirements for commercial underground injection control wells to be adopted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB273

H.B. 179 (same as S.B. 275, above). Author: Creighton, Eisser. 5/11/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to the application of new requirements for commercial underground injection control wells to be adopted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB273

S.B. 341 (Same as H.B.499. below). Author: Wentworth. 5/7/2009-Referred to Energy Resources. Relating to changing the name of the Railroad Commission of Texas to the Texas Energy Commission. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB341

H.B. 499 (Same as S.B. 341, above). Author: Orr. 4/15/2009-Pending in Committee. Relating to changing the name of the Railroad Commission of Texas to the Texas Energy Commission. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB499

S.B. 448. Author: Carona. 5/28/2009-Reported Enrolled. Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation to mitigate adverse environmental impacts resulting from the construction, improvement, or maintenance of state highways or state highway facilities. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB448

S.B. 480. Author: Carona. 5/28/2009-Reported Enrolled. Relating to the authority of the Texas Transportation Commission to enter into a covenant for environmental remediation of real property owned by the Texas Department of Transportation. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB480

S.B. 483 (also H.B. 469). Authors: Seliger, Carona, Duell, and Shapiro. 4/9/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB483

H.B. 469 (same as S.B. 483, above). 5/29/2009-House Appoints Conferees. Authors: Phil King, Anchia, and Hughes. Relating to the establishment of incentives by this state for the implementation of certain projects to capture and sequester in geological formations carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere. 60% of carbon emissions from clean coal will be sequestered. Sequestration will be monitored by the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin, and there will also be tax incentives for sequestration used by O&G for enhanced oil recovery. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB469

S.B. 540. Authors: Estes, Davis, Wendy, Nichols. 4/22/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to notice of an application for a permit to dispose of oil and gas waste in a disposal well. Notification to include local groundwater conservation district. Full Details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB540

S.B. 752. Author: Davis, Wendy. 5/22/2009-Returned to Local and Consent Calendars Committee. Relating to the authority of a local government to prohibit the Railroad Commission of Texas or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from issuing a permit for a disposal well. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB752

*S.B. 940 (same as H.B. 2821, below). Author: Wentworth. 5/29/2009-Sent to Governor. Relating to the regulation of the public practice of geoscience. Defines geoscience firm, geoscientist-in-training, and professional geoscientist, strengthens the ability of the TBPG to deal with complaints and allows for staff-initiated complaints, and allows the TBPG to make advisory opinions. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB940

H.B. 2821 (same as S.B. 940, Above). Author: Chisum, Chavez. 5/14/2009-Committee Report Sent to Local & Consent Calendar. Relating to the regulation of the public practice of geoscience. Defines geoscience firm, geoscientist-in-training, and professional geoscientist, strengthens the ability of the TBPG to deal with complaints and allows for anonymous complaints, and allows the TBPG to make advisory opinions. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2821

S.B. 941 (same as H.B. 2820, below). Author: Wentworth. 5/5/2009-No Action Taken in Committee. Relating to contracts by governmental entities for professional services relating to geoscience. Adds professional geoscience to the list of professional services. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB941

*H.B. 2820 (Same as S.B. 941, above). Author: Chisum, Chavez. 5/20/2009-Sent to Governor. Relating to contracts by governmental entities for professional services relating to geoscience. Adds professional geoscience to the list of professional services. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2820

S.B. 1201 Author: Carona. 5/29/2009-Sentate Concurs in House Amendment(s)-Reported. Relating to an affidavit required to be filed in a cause of action against certain licensed or registered professionals. PGs are not currently included, but could be eventually. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1201

S.B. 1365. Author: Shapleigh. 3/17/2009-Referred to Subcommittee on Flooding & Evacuations by President. Relating to development regulations in certain flood-prone counties; providing civil and criminal penalties. This law appears to be written for El Paso County. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1365

S.B. 1378 (same as H.B. 2259, below). Authors: Duncan and Averitt. 5/1/2009-Referred to Energy Resources. Relating to the plugging of inactive oil or gas wells. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1378

*H.B. 2259 (same as S.B. 1378, above). Authors: Crownover, Hardcastle, Farabee, Chisum, Gonzalez, and Toureilles. 5/26/2009-Sent to Governor. Relating to the plugging of inactive oil or gas wells. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2259

S.B. 1386 (same as H.B. 4655, below). Author: Seigler. 5/22/2009-Reported Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to priority groundwater management areas. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB13786

H.B. 4655 (same as S.B. 1386, above). Author: Smithee. 3/26/2009-Referred to Natural Resources. Relating to priority groundwater management areas. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB4655

*S.B. 1387 (same as H.B. 2669, below). Author: Seigler. 5/27/2009-Evvective on 9/1/2009. Relating to the injection and geologic storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1387

H.B. 2669 (same as S.B. 1387, above). Author: Crownover. 5/14/2009-Laid on the Table Subject to Call. Relating to the injection and geologic storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2669

S.B. 1414. Author: Williams. 5/22/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to the regulation of certain aggregate production operations by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; providing penalties. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1414

H.B. 4280. Author: Frost. 3/24/2009-Referred to Natural Resources. Relating to the regulation of certain aggregate production operations by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; providing penalties. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB4280

*S.B. 1711. Author: Hegar. 5/19/2009-Effective Immediately. Relating to the use of sediment control ponds to satisfy environmental and safety regulations at surface mining operations in the state. "Without obtaining a permit, a person may construct or maintain a reservoir for the sole purpose of sediment control and divert and use the water to satisfy environmental and safety regulations for fire or dust suppression, applicable to [as part of] a surface coal mining operation under the Texas Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act (Article 5920-11, Vernon ’s Texas Civil Statutes)." Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1711

H.B. 3805. Author: Frost. 5/5/2009-Laid on the Table Subject to Call. Relating to the use of sediment control ponds to satisfy environmental and safety regulations at surface mining operations in the state. " Without obtaining a permit, a person may construct or maintain a reservoir for the sole purpose of sediment control and divert and use the water to satisfy environmental and safety regulations for fire or dust suppression, applicable to [as part of] a surface coal mining operation under the Texas Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act (Article 5920-11, Vernon ’s Texas Civil Statutes)." Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB3805

S.B. 1714. Author: Hegar. 5/19/2009-No Action Taken in Committee. Relating to the evidence of beneficial use in the permitting of groundwater. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1714

S.B. 2006. Author: Hegar. 5/13/2009-Received to Natural Resources. Relating to groundwater permitting considerations of the adopted water plans. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB2006

S.B. 2008. Author: Hegar. 5/13/2009-Referred to Natural Resources. Relating to consideration of water produced from exempt wells. "When permitting under an adopted availability or managed available groundwater limit, a district may consider the water produced by wells exempt from groundwater district permits." Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB2008

S.B. 2111. Author: Averitt. 5/21/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to consideration of water produced from exempt wells. Relating to the implementation of and incentives for projects involving the capture, transportation, injection, sequestration, geologic storage, or abatement of carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB2111

S.B. 2321. Author: Averitt. 4/21/2009-Not Again Placed on Intent Calendar. Relating to the management of groundwater resources in the state. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB2321

S.B. 2459. Author: Averitt. 3/31/2009-Referred to Natural Resources. Relating to the Study and assessment of the transport of groundwater in the area regulated by the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Establishes a study group to review an assess the groundwater management strategy of transporting groundwater from Uvalde and Medina counties. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB2459

H.B. 366. Author: Anderson. 5/11/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to creating a task force to review electric energy generation policies and certain permits for operation of electric generation facilities and to study the state's long-term demand for electric generation capacity. "The task force may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and appropriation for purposes of this section." Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB366

H.B. 569. Author: Miller. 5/11/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to Notice of an application for a permit to dispose of oil and gas waste in a commercial disposal well, creating an offense. Requires additional notifications. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB569

H.B. 1105. Authors: Laudenberg and Paxton. 2/25/2009-Referred to State Affairs. Relating to procuring contracts for certain professional services by a governmental entity. Modifies Professional Services Procurement Act by adding pricing as a selection criteria. This would allow contracts to be awarded to lesser-qualified companies because the price is lower. There would be no negotiation of price with the higher priced, more-qualified company. The Governor prefers this bill over SB 941/HB 2820. Needs to add professional geoscience to the list of professional services. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1105

H.B. 1796. Authors: Chisum, Hancock, and Sheffield. 5/29/2009-House Appoints Conferees-reported. Relating to the offshore geologic storage of carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1796

H.B. 1890. Author: Creighton. 5/26/2009-Placed on Intent Calendar. Relating to notification of applications for permits for certain injection wells. Requires local groundwater conservation districts be notified when an industrial or municipal waste disposal well is requesting a permit or when any contested hearings are scheduled. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1890

H.B. 2356. Author: Crownover. 5/11/2009-Committee Report Sent to Calendar. Relating to the filing with the state of well logs by operators of oil-related or gas-related wells; providing a penalty. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2356

H.B. 2811. Author: Hardcastle. 4/1/2009-Reported Favorably as Substituted. Relating to the implementation of and incentives for projects involving the capture, transportation, injection, sequestration, geologic storage, or abatement of carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2811

H.B. 3494. Author: Corte. 4/14/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to the establishment of desired future conditions of groundwater resources and revision of those conditions by the Texas Water Development Board. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB3494

H.B. 4028. Author: Christian. 4/15/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to testing requirements for certain commercial injection wells. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB4028

H.B. 4258. Author: Hildebran. 5/11/2009-Committee Report Sent to Calendar. Relating to the regulation by groundwater conservation districts of the drilling of certain water wells. Puts restrictions on drilling a well within 100 feet of the gradient boundary of the Frio, North Llano, Llano, West Nueces, Nueces, or San Saba River, or any tributary of one of those rivers. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB4258

If you know of any others, let me know and I'll update the list. I'll be watching out for more bills in the future.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

5/30/2009

25-May-09 7:00 PM

The Wise Report

noemail@hgs.org — Sat, 23 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT

The Wise Report

May 23, 2009

Henry M. Wise, P.G

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) has adopted an amendment to 22 TAC §851.30, regarding firm registration. It is adopted without changes to the proposed text as published in the February 6, 2009, issue of the Texas Register (34 TexReg 785). The adopted amendment clarifies procedures for renewing an expired firm registration. Firms that have expired registrations may renew by submitting a completed firm renewal statement with the applicable fees. For more information go to: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/adopted/22.EXAMINING%20BOARDS.html#933
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The following is a list of new legislation that may be of interest to Texas geologists. Those bills listed with an "*" are new listings, those in bold are updated information.

S.B. 275 (same as H.B. 179). Author: Nichols. 5/22/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to the application of new requirements for commercial underground injection control wells to be adopted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB273

S.B. 448. Author: Carona. 5/21/2009-Committee Report Sent to Local & Consent Calendar. Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation to mitigate adverse environmental impacts resulting from the construction, improvement, or maintenance of state highways or state highway facilities. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB448

S.B. 480. Author: Carona. 5/21/2009-Committee Report Sent to Local & Consent Calendar. Relating to the authority of the Texas Transportation Commission to enter into a covenant for environmental remediation of real property owned by the Texas Department of Transportation. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB480

H.B. 469 (same as S.B. 483, above). 5/14/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Authors: Phil King, Anchia, and Hughes. Relating to the establishment of incentives by this state for the implementation of certain projects to capture and sequester in geological formations carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere. 60% of carbon emissions from clean coal will be sequestered. Sequestration will be monitored by the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin, and there will also be tax incentives for sequestration used by O&G for enhanced oil recovery. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB469

S.B. 752. Author: Davis, Wendy. 5/22/2009-Placed on Local, Consent & Res. Calendar. Relating to the authority of a local government to prohibit the Railroad Commission of Texas or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from issuing a permit for a disposal well. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB752

S.B. 940 (same as H.B. 2821, below). Author: Wentworth. 5/22/2009-Placed on Local, Consent & Res. Calendar. Relating to the regulation of the public practice of geoscience. Defines geoscience firm, geoscientist-in-training, and professional geoscientist, strengthens the ability of the TBPG to deal with complaints and allows for staff-initiated complaints, and allows the TBPG to make advisory opinions. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB940

H.B. 2820 (Same as S.B. 941, above). Author: Chisum, Chavez. 5/20/2009-Committee Printed & Distributed. Relating to contracts by governmental entities for professional services relating to geoscience. Adds professional geoscience to the list of professional services. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2820

S.B. 1201 Author: Carona. 5/22/2009-Reported Favorably as Substituted. Relating to an affidavit required to be filed in a cause of action against certain licensed or registered professionals. PGs are not currently included, but could be eventually. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1201

H.B. 2259 (same as S.B. 1378, above). Authors: Crownover, Hardcastle, Farabee, Chisum, Gonzalez, and Toureilles. 5/21/2009-House Concurs in Senate Amendment(s)-Reported. Relating to the plugging of inactive oil or gas wells. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB2259

S.B. 1386 (same as H.B. 4655, below). Author: Seigler. 5/22/2009-Reported Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to priority groundwater management areas. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB13786

S.B. 1387 (same as H.B. 2669, below). Author: Seigler. 5/20/2009-Sent to Governor. Relating to the injection and geologic storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1387

S.B. 1414. Author: Williams. 5/22/2009-Placed on General State Calendar. Relating to the regulation of certain aggregate production operations by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; providing penalties. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1414

S.B. 1711. Author: Hegar. 5/19/2009-Effective Immediately. Relating to the use of sediment control ponds to satisfy environmental and safety regulations at surface mining operations in the state. "Without obtaining a permit, a person may construct or maintain a reservoir for the sole purpose of sediment control and divert and use the water to satisfy environmental and safety regulations for fire or dust suppression, applicable to [as part of] a surface coal mining operation under the Texas Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act (Article 5920-11, Vernon ’s Texas Civil Statutes)." Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1711

S.B. 1714. Author: Hegar. 5/19/2009-No Action Taken in Committee. Relating to the evidence of beneficial use in the permitting of groundwater. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1714

H.B. 1796. Authors: Chisum, Hancock, and Sheffield. 5/21/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to the offshore geologic storage of carbon dioxide. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1796

H.B. 1890. Author: Creighton. 5/14/2009-Left Pending in Committee. Relating to notification of applications for permits for certain injection wells. Requires local groundwater conservation districts be notified when an industrial or municipal waste disposal well is requesting a permit or when any contested hearings are scheduled. Full details can be found at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1890

If you know of any others, let me know and I'll update the list. I'll be watching out for more bills in the future.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

5/23/2009

23-May-09 1:00 PM

2009-2010 HGS Election Results

noemail@hgs.org — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Congratulations to the 2009 HGS Board Election Winners!

The results are in! Thanks to everyone who participated in the election, and congratulations to the winning candidates. Click on their names below for more information about them.

President-Elect	Vice President	Secretary	Treasurer-Elect

John Tubb	Art Donovan	Amy Sullivan	Dave Meaux
Editor-Elect		Directors

Barry Katz		Tarek Ghazi	Robert Pledger

21-May-09 8:00 AM