Texas State Geoscience Registration Bill

Texas State Geoscience Registration Bill

The Texas State Geoscience Licensure Bill, SB-405, was passed by the Texas House on April 26, 2001 and signed by the Governor May 11, 2001.

If you are interested in professional registration, check out the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists web site at www.tbpg.state.tx.us . You will find a listing of the board members, the Act and the rules governing the board’s activities. In addition, there is mailing list that will automatically advise you of any changes, such as the availability of registration forms.

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Click here to go to the HGS Forum and input your comments on the Texas State Geoscience Registration Bill.
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Past Notices and Related information
(Posted July 22, 2003) By: Craig Dingler, HGS President 2003-04
A message to fellow Houston Geological Society members: Greetings, everyone:
As a reminder, the due date is rapidly approaching for submitting applications to the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) during the grandfathering phase of licensing.
I urge everyone who has considered applying to review the “frequently asked questions” (FAQs) on the TBPG web site ( www.tbpg.state.tx.us/faq.htm ) to help determine if being licensed would benefit you, your career, and your professional growth. The licensing procedure is more stringent, and more expensive, after the grandfathering phase ends on August 31, 2003.
Applications are available from the TBPG website:www.tbpg.state.tx.us/forms.htm or by mail from the TBPG, P.O. Box 13225, Austin, TX 78711
I have also attached below a letter from Mr. Richard Howe, an HGS member, sent to Texans in the American Institute of Professional Geologists and the Association of Engineering Geologists. Mr. Howe brings up several good points that may factor in your decision.
Respectfully yours,Craig DinglerHGS President 2003-04
Dear Geoscience Colleagues:
During the 2001 legislative session, the Texas Geoscience Practice Act was passed. This legislation provided a mechanism to license geologists thereby granting them a legally recognized professional status in Texas. Licensing of geoscientists in Texas provides protection to the public by requiring geoscientists working in the arena of public health and safety to possess a level of education and expertise that qualifies them for such practice. It keeps unqualified people from performing geoscientific work that could adversely impact the public and that could leave the geoscience profession with a black eye. The licensure act also protects the geoscience profession by preventing or limiting encroachment into our areas of expertise by other professions.
The licensure act established a “grandfather” period extending from September 01, 2002 to August 31, 2003 wherein geoscientists possessing a geoscientific education and more than five years of experience could become licensed without taking the exam. The August 31st deadline for applying for licensure is fast approaching.
If you plan to get your license, you need to have your application and other required information into the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists by this date. Otherwise, you will have to take an exam in order to obtain your license.
As I understand, only 57% of all examinees pass the National Association of State Boards of Geologists (ASBOG) “fundamentals of geology” examination. This group includes both first time and multi-time test takers. The 57% pass statistic for this exam has been constant since October 1992. The pass rate for the “principles and practice” exam - normally taken after 5 years of professional experience - is only slightly better than the “fundamentals of geology” exam.
The Texas Board has selected to use the ASBOG (National Association of State Boards of Geology) examinations for Texas applicants. This helps provide a national level of commonality between states and makes it easier for a geologist to obtain a license in another ASBOG member state. The examination uses a multiple-choice style and is designed to test the candidate’s general level of geology. Questions are based upon the results of a national task analysis, thus the examination is designed to test fundamental geologic principles and skills that are directly related to the public practice of geology. A selection of sample questions from the “Candidate’s Handbook” are presented below:

1. . According to the Unified Soil Classification, a soil described as a GW is a (an):
   
   
   
   1. well-graded gravel or gravel-sand mixture, with no or little fines
      
   2. poorly graded gravel or gravel-sand mixture, with no or little fines
      
   3. coarse clayey gravel
      
   4. organic silt of low plasticity
   
   
2. Which one of the following minerals dissolves into soluble ions without residue?
   
   
   
   1. kaolinite
      
   2. pyrite
      
   3. selenite
      
   4. orthoclase
   
   
3. A map at the scale of 1:24,000 compared to a map at the scale of 1:62,500 is:
   
   
   
   1. smaller scale map
      
   2. a larger scale map
      
   3. larger scale or smaller scale dependent upon the units of measurement
      
   4. larger scale or smaller scale dependent upon the ground area shown
   
   
4. A phaneritic igneous rock composed of orthoclase, oligoclase, biotite, hornblende, and quartz is:
   
   
   
   1. monzonite
      
   2. syenite
      
   3. latite
      
   4. granodiorite
   
   
5. An aerial photograph taken with a camera having a focal length of 6 inches flying 10,000 feet above the datum has a scale of:
   
   
   
   1. 1:10,000
      
   2. 1:20,000
      
   3. 1 inch = 10,000 feet
      
   4. Scale cannot be determined from the data given.

If you can’t readily answer these questions, do you think you can pass the fundamentals exam?
If you are in the petroleum industry or academia - areas that are normally exempt from licensure - and if you believe that you have no need for a license, then consider that should your present employment end you may have to find work in other areas of geoscientific application. Without a license you cannot prepare a geologic report for any public entity in Texas. Additionally, you will be prohibited from consulting in any geoscientific area that affects the health and safety of the citizens of this state. In order to work as an unlicensed geoscientist on projects affecting the public health and safety, you will have to work under the direction of a Professional Geoscientist or a Professional Engineer.
If you are absolutely certain that you do not need a license or if you believe that you can easily pass the required exams if the need ever arises, then by all means don’t take advantage of the “grandfather” period. However, if you believe there is even the slightest chance that you may one day find yourself working in an area requiring a license and that you will not have the time or the desire to re-educate yourself for the exams, then do not let August 31st pass without having submitted your license application.
For all of my geoscience colleagues who have decided not to seek licensing, I urge you to reconsider. For those of you who have not made up your minds, I hope that you will decide to become licensed professional geoscientists.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Howe, P.G., C.P.G.
(Posted September 18, 2002) By: Dan Smith, AAPG President and Rick Ericksen, DPA Chair State Registration and Licensure
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