The Wise Report Provides Government Updates for Areas of Interest to HGS Professionals.
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The following is an update of current Texas Legislation that may be of interest to Geologists. Of all the bills I''ve been following, these are the only ones that made it through the legislature, and all have been signed by the Governor.
H.B. No. 3: Authored by Puente, Relating to the management of the water resources of the state, including the protection of instream flows and freshwater inflows. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 6/15/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3
S.B. No. 662, companion bill - H.B. No. 1313: Authored by Wentworth, Relating to transmittal to the Texas Water Development Board and a local groundwater conservation district of certain information by a person applying to subdivide a tract of land. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 6/16/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB662
H.B. No. 4: Puente, Relating to water conservation. Last action taken: Sent Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 6/15/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB4
S.B. 404, companion bill - H.B. 1020, Authored by Zaffirin, Relating to the Bee Groundwater Conservation District. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 5/23/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB404
S.B. 1604, Authored by Duncan, Relating to responsibilities of certain state agencies concerning radioactive substances; imposing fees & surcharges'' providing administrative & civil penalties. Area permits for ISL are to be issued by the TCEQ, waste permits by the TDH. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 6/15/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB1604
H.B. 2018, Authored by Duell, Relating to eligibility for a municipal setting designation related to potential impacts to groundwater quality of solid waste activities. Removes the minimum population requirement for an MSD. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 5/25/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB2018
H.B. 3220, Authored by Elkins, Relating to the environmental regulation and remediation of dry cleaning facilities. Allows more sites to participate in the program. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 6/15/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3220
H.B. 3554, companion bill - S.B. 1692, Authored by Carl Isett, Relating to the program for the regulation and remediation of underground and above ground storage tanks.. Extends the life of the LPST Remediation Fund to September 1, 2011. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 6/15/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3554
H.B. 3837, Authored by Gonzalez Toureilles, Relating to regulation by the Railroad Commission of injection wells used for in situ uranium mining. Need RRC permit for ISL uranium exploration holes and wells until production area permit approved by TCEQ. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 6/15/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3837
H.B. 3838, Authored by Gonzalez Toureilles, Hardcastle, Chisum, Relating to regulation of injection wells used for in situ uranium recovery by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective
The following is an update of current Texas Legislation that may be of interest to Geologists. I am only including those bills sent to or signed by the Governor since all other bills will have to be re-introduced in the next session to be considered. It is anticipated that the Governor will sign these bills shortly.
H.B. No. 3: Authored by Puente, Relating to the management of the water resources of the state, including the protection of instream flows and freshwater inflows. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/30/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3
S.B. No. 662, companion bill - H.B. No. 1313: Authored by Wentworth, Relating to transmittal to the Texas Water Development Board and a local groundwater conservation district of certain information by a person applying to subdivide a tract of land. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/27/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB662
H.B. No. 4: Puente, Relating to water conservation. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/30/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB4
S.B. 404, companion bill - H.B. 1020, Authored by Zaffirin, Relating to the Bee Groundwater Conservation District. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 5/23/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB404
S.B. 1604, Authored by Duncan, Relating to responsibilities of certain state agencies concerning radioactive substances; imposing fees & surcharges'' providing administrative & civil penalties. Area permits for ISL are to be issued by the TCEQ, waste permits by the TDH. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/30/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB1604
H.B. 2018, Authored by Duell, Relating to eligibility for a municipal setting designation related to potential impacts to groundwater quality of solid waste activities. Removes the minimum population requirement for an MSD. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately 5/25/07. For more information go to :http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB2018
H.B. 3220, Authored by Elkins, Relating to the environmental regulation and remediation of dry cleaning facilities. Allows more sites to participate in the program. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/28/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3220
H.B. 3554, companion bill - S.B. 1692, Authored by Carl Isett, Relating to the program for the regulation and remediation of underground and above ground storage tanks.. Extends the life of the LPST Remediation Fund to September 1, 2011. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/28/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3554
H.B. 3837, Authored by Gonzalez Toureilles, Relating to regulation by the Railroad Commission of injection wells used for in situ uranium mining. Need RRC permit for ISL uranium exploration holes and wells until production area permit approved by TCEQ. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/28/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3837
H.B. 3838, Authored by Gonzalez Toureilles, Hardcastle, Chisum, Relating to regulation of injection wells used for in situ uranium recovery by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/28/07. For more information go to: http://www.c
A Very Good Year
by Steve Brachman
This month marks the end of my term as President of the HGS. I have had the pleasure and honor of serving as your President as well as working with a truly superlative Board of Directors. Next year’s President, Linda Sternbach, has done an exceptional job as President-elect, and I know she has many agenda items she will be looking forward to accomplishing. Andrea Reynolds has been out-standing as Vice President, coordinating the technical meetings and lining up speakers. She also has done the extra work to lighten my work load preparing for the General Lunch and Dinner Meetings. Cheryl Desforge has shown tremendous dedication as Treasurer. Her diligence and hard work have paid off in another stellar financial year for the HGS. Jennifer Burton as Secretary has provided the continuity and valuable input to help make the Board Meetings run smoothly. Our Bulletin Editor, Bill Rizer, has fought deadlines and recalcitrant authors to again produce a product that is the envy of other local societies. Directors completing their two-year terms, Jim Doyle and Erik Mason, have provided valuable insight and leadership on critical issues facing the society.
I am confident that the HGS is in excellent hands next year with returning Board members; John Jordan, the incoming Treasurer, Steve Earle, the incoming Bulletin Editor, and returning Directors Bonnie Milne-Andrews and Bob Merrill. All have worked well together to help steer the HGS through the various challenges that we faced this past year. I am confident they will continue to do so next year.
I am not one to look backward and recount achievements of the past year. I find that a more fitting exercise for politicians looking to brag about accomplishments than for society presidents who actually hold day jobs. Instead, I try to look toward the future, and on the whole, I am optimistic. There is no doubt that the HGS faces many challenges in the coming years. I believe we are all aware of the recent history of declining membership and the effects changing demographics and a challenging job market have had on our profession. However, for the first time in many years there was a modest growth in our membership. That growth is but an early sign of the oil and gas boom that has benefited our membership as a whole and provided many with a wide variety of employment opportunities. There is even a perception by some of job security! While it is likely that many young professionals and college graduates will be enticed to enter our field, opportunities are increasing for many highly experienced members who are now being coaxed into remaining active in the work force long after they would have otherwise retired. I know that the HGS will continue to provide valuable services and a meaningful societal base for all members, young, old and anywhere in between.
At the beginning of the year, I stated that my mission for the society was, "Doing stuff for the membership." I hope that most of you have attended a technical meeting, ruined a beautiful day’s walk by playing golf in our annual tournament or devoured some boiled shrimp at our Peel. Regardless of your preferences, the HGS has something to offer for all geologists. We have been around since 1912, and I believe our future has never looked brighter. Invite your nonmember colleagues to accompany you to your next event, and you will help cement that future.
It has been an honor and a pleasure serving as your President. I wish everyone a great summer. See y’all next year!
High Points, Some Low Points and Too Little Sleep
by Bill Rizer
This is my final letter as editor of the HGS Bulletin. At first I thought that I would try to write some compelling prose that would capture the imagination of the reader and take him or her on a grand journey of discovery. Then I got real and told myself to sit down and write the darn thing, for if I waited any longer the rapidly closing window of opportunity to be on schedule would surely close long before I could generate anything even pretending to be grandiose. But there are some things I want to say to you, the membership.
One of the most important lessons that I learned over the past 10 months of often grueling work, more than occasional criticism, numerous opportunities for error that I could hardly pass up and occasional moments of redemption that were few and far between is that it was all worth it. Ten issues of the Bulletin were published, and if not always delivered to everyone on the 1st, they were at least delivered sometime in the appropriate month. If I was not able to move mountains with the power of my pen (keyboard just does not sound right), then at least nobody threatened me with bodily harm.
There are high points and low points in any worthwhile endeavor. Because my nature is to avoid remembering the low points, it may be meaningful to look at some of the good things that have happened these past months. Several original technical papers were published in the Bulletin, including those by John Lorenz (2006) and Martha Withjack et al. (2007). Both papers were written simply, yet their messages were profound. John Lorenz’s paper on residual stress raised a very important issue mostly neglected or ignored by those who measure stress-residual stress is a component of what is measured as the in situ stress field. Residual stresses can be very important-John believes that the current in situ stress field in the Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado, is actually residual.
The paper by Withjack et al. (2007) raised two important issues related to how we use scale models and to scaling in general. Firstly, proper use of scaled models to predict fault distributions in nature requires some prior knowledge of the ductility of the system; i.e., how deformation is localized or distributed. The second issue is more theoretical and involves the question, why do two different model materials, scaled properly and deformed under the same boundary conditions, produce such different distributions of faulting. Within that question are even more involved issues that underscore our lack of understanding of the faulting process and of failure in rock sequences.
Among most enjoyable aspects of the editor position were the various interactions with other board members and with the membership in general. Many of you took the time (and in some cases, my bait) to write letters to the editor or simply email messages to me. In so doing you became involved and that is a wonderful thing. The real lesson I learned as editor is that becoming involved makes life so much more interesting, so much fuller and so much better. It is true that I gave up some sleep time, quite a lot in fact. In return I got so much more. I got to interact with many of you who saw fit to share your point of view with me and with the rest of the membership. I learned a lot through those interactions and got to know several of you, if only through the internet. It amazed me to discover how well intelligent men and women can communicate when they argue and contest in a civilized manner, no matter how different their individual points of view or how passionately they regard the subject. In the end we influence every person with whom we come in contact. Whether or not we convince them of our point of view is completely irrelevant. What is important is that we discuss our differences in a civilized manner, because when we do that we are sure to discover our points of commonality. We see far too little of that these days. And I am very pleased to say to all of you that civility is alive and well in the Houston Geological Society. Thank you all for showing me that and for everything else you taught this humble, sometimes stumbling geologist. It was fun!
References
Lorenz, John C., 2006: Residual Stress, HGS Bulletin, Volume 49, No. 1, September, p. 29.
Withjack, Martha Oliver, Roy W. Schlische, and Alissa A. Henza, 2007: Scaled Experimental Models of Extension: Dry Sand vs. Wet Clay, HGS Bulletin, Volume 49, No. 1, No.8, p. 31.
The following is an update of current Texas Legislation that may be of interest to Geologists. The following bills have been signed by the Governor: S.B. 404 and H.B. 2018. S.B. 662 has been sent to the Governor. The following bills have been signed by the House and Senate: H.B. 3220, H.B. 3554, H.B. 3837. It is anticipated that these bills will be signed by the Governor shortly.
Below is the most recent update of the legislation of interest:
H.B. No 1376: Authored by Chisum, Relating to the name, administration, powers, and duties of the Collingsworth County Underground Water Conservation District. Recommend adding Professional Geologists to the list of approved persons. Last action taken: Recommendations filed with the Speaker 3/27/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1376
H.B. No. 3: Authored by Puente, Relating to the management of the water resources of the state, including the protection of instream flows and freshwater inflows. Last action taken: House Committee Report Printed & Distributed 5/26/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3
S.B. No. 662, companion bill - H.B. No. 1313: Authored by Wentworth, Relating to transmittal to the Texas Water Development Board and a local groundwater conservation district of certain information by a person applying to subdivide a tract of land. Last action taken: Sent to the Governor 5/27/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB662
S.B. No. 659, companion bill - H.B. No. 1292: Authored by Wentworth, Relating to the maximum permitted withdrawals and critical period management of groundwater in the area regulated by the Edwards Aquifer Authority and to the operations and oversight of the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Last action taken: Left pending in committee 4/10/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB659
H.B. No. 4: Puente, Relating to water conservation. Last action taken: Senate House Adopts Conference Committee Report 5/27/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB4
H.B. No. 1313, companion bill - S.B. No. 662: Authored by Hilderbran, Relating to transmittal to the Texas Water Development Board and a local groundwater conservation district of certain information by a person applying to subdivide a tract of land. Last action taken: Placed on General State Calendar 5/9/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1313
H.B. No. 1292, companion bill - S.B. No. 659: Authored by Puente, Relating to the maximum permitted withdrawals and critical period management of groundwater in the area regulated by the Edwards Aquifer Authority and to the operations and oversight of the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Last action taken: Postponed 5/10/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1292
S.B. No. 359: Authored by Williams, Relating to the application of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality''s water quality protection area pilot program to portions of the San Jacinto River. Last action taken: House Committee Sent to Calendars 5/20/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB359
H.B. 475, companion bill - S B. 1498, Authored by Hopson, Relating to the creation of the Panola County Groundwater Conservation District; providing authority to impose a tax and issue bonds. Last action taken: Recommendations filed with the Speaker 3/2/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB475
S.B. 404, companion bill - H.B. 1020, Authored by Zaffirin, Relating to the Bee Groundwater Conservation District. Last action taken: Signed by the Governor, effective immediately
HGS Annual Guest Night Guest Speaker: Dr. Robert T. Bakker, Visiting Curator of Paleontology, Houston Museum of Natural Science will be the speaker for Guest Night Saturday June 16, 2007 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located One Hermann Circle Drive Houston, Texas 77030-4721
Doors open at 6:30 for a social time and Texas sized Buffet with a cash bar. At 8 PM Dr. Bakker will present an entertaining talk on Permian Dinosaurs and the planned new dinosaur exhibit at the museum. .
There will also be a special sneak preview of the movie “Dinosaurs Alive presented in 3D.
A tour of the Museum will be available and all attendees will receive beautiful fossil dinosaur themed souvenirs.Register early as the Guest Night program is limited to 400 due to the seating capacity of the IMAX.
Dr. Robert T. BakkerDr. Bakker is one of modern paleontology’s most well known characters due in large part to his entertaining book “Dinosaur Heresies: Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and their Extinctions”
Prepayment requiredFor more information or to register for Guest Night Click Here
"A special thanks to our generous Sponsors"
Below is a list of terrific AAPG Publications that we just printed too many of. Our fiscal year ends in June and we will have to depreciate many of these, so we are passing the savings on to YOU!
YOU MUST ORDER BEFORE JUNE 15!!!!!
All pricing goes back to normal on June 16, so you must ORDER by midnight (USA, Central Daylight Time) Friday, June 15. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
Order via phone, fax or online. All normal SHIPPING charges apply! Contact Information below.
THIS SALE IS ADVERTISED ONLY VIA EMAIL. THERE ARE NO OTHER NOTICES!!! Inventory is limited. When we run out... we run out.
Visit http://bookstore.aapg.org/ to place orders
In the US/Canada call +1 800 364-AAPG
Outside US/Canada call +1 918 584-2555
Fax orders +1 918 560-2652
Elements of 3-D Seismology (2/Ed., by PennWell)by Christopher LinerAAPG Catalog No. 721Reg. Member Price, $99. You SAVE $44!
Petroleum Provinces of the 21st Century (Memoir 74)edited by Downey, Threet, and MorganAAPG Catalog No. 590Reg. Member Price, $59. You SAVE $14!
Introduction to GIS for the Petroleum Industry (by PennWell)by Dean GaddyAAPG Catalog No. 653Reg. Member Price, $75. You SAVE $30!
Tuesday May 29 North American Dinner meeting, Westchase HiltonOverton Cotton Valley Sand Field, Smith and Cherokee Counties Texas: Expansion, Development and Optimization of a Jurassic Tight Sandstone Reservoir
Speaker: Matt B. Williams and E. Blanche RamseySouthwestern Energy Production Co., Houston, TX Overton Field is located in Smith and Cherokee Counties, Texas, approximately 20 miles southeast of Tyler on the western flank of the Sabine uplift in the East Texas basin. The Field produces from the Taylor interval, the lowest member of the Jurassic Cotton Valley Sand. The Taylor (CVS) in the field area has been divided into four mappable sand packages separated by shale intervals. The field has experienced both an initial development phase and a more recent significant expansion and infill. Field production is currently in excess of 100MMCFD with over 300 wells drilled.http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/?703
Wednesday May 30HGS Downtown Luncheon, Petroleum Club, 800 Bell St. Exxon BuildingThe Barnett Shale Play: Phoenix of the Ft. Worth Basin, a Historyby Dan B. Steward, Consulting Geologist with Republic Energy Inc in Dallas, Texas
Mitchell Energy performed its first Barnett test in 1982. The well was the C.W. Slay #1 in southeast Wise County, a failed exploratory deepening for the Viola LS. Many things had to come together in a timely manner for this test to have been considered. The limited gas recovered on the initial frac gave enough encouragement to pursue a better understanding of this source rock and the technology that might be required to make this almost slate-like rock a producing reservoir.http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/?698
Guest Night June 16Speaker: Dr. Robert T. BakkerVisiting Curator of Paleontology Houston Museum of Natural ScienceAmazing Fossils from the Permian of Texas--New Insights- New Ideas on Reptiles and Dinosaurs
Famous paleontologist, author, and lecturer, Dr. Bob Bakker, will talk at Guest Night about his new role as visiting Visiting Curator of Paleontology for the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which has him traveling between fossil dig sites in North Texas, Wyoming, and designing a world-class paleontology exhibit to be installed here in Houston. Bob Bakker is one of modern paleontology''s greatest and most well known characters. He made a huge public splash with his entertaining 1986 book “Dinosaur Heresies: Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and their Extinctions” explaining that dinosaurs were likely both warm-blooded, fast-moving, and related to birds.http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/?689
The International Explorationists Group is looking for an HGS member to schedule talks and coordinate the fall 2007/spring 2008 speaker schedule. Interested members please contact the International Group chairman, Tarek Ghazi, at tarek@geoknowledge.com.
Instructions for HGS Online Membership Renewal: 2008
Go to your User record page
A. If you are not logged in, you need to login first. After you log in, you will be taken to your user record page.
B.If you are already logged in, you will be on the Home page. To get to your home page, click on the "other options" URL beside your name at the very top of the page
NOTE: All current and past members of the HGS already have a login set up for this Website. Please do not register again and set up a new account, as the site will not recognize you as a member. If you cannot remember your username and password contact the HGS office for this information.
After you successfully login, click on the memberships Icon.
This can be found bottom of the page
You will then be taken to this page
Membership Options
You will then be taken to a page that says:
My Memberships Search View
In your most recent record (there may be more than one) there will be a Renewal link highlighted in yellow. Click on this link to bring up the renewal form.
In the, Complete the Application? Section select “I still need to make changes in my application.”If you need to make changes to anything in your record. Click the "renew membership" button to go to the Application Information screen and check your contact information. It is very important to update your School information (for the annual Directory). Also be sure your addresses are correct; at the bottom of the page, click "Update Membership Application" and you will be taken to the payment screen.
You will be taken to bank gateway where you can enter your credit card payment information and complete the transaction.
Problems / Questions? Email the HGS Webmaster Lilly, or call her at (713) 463-9476
Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies
and Gulf Coast Section of SEPM
58th Annual Convention
October 5-9, 2008
Houston, Texas
Click here to go to the official Website for the 2008 convention for more detailed information and to register
HOSTED BY THE HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies is proud to join the Geological Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America in a joint convention October 5-9, 2008. The focus of each of these groups may be different, but we each have a strong interest and base in the geosciences. The collaboration of these groups should provide a technical program and exhibit area unmatched in Houston in recent history.
Presentations on all aspects of Gulf Coast geology are welcome. We especially invite presentations with the following themes:
3-D Visualization Technology and Methods
Gulf Coast Case Histories
Salt and Faults
Sub-Salt Environments
Deep Water Systems
Onshore Trends and Exploration
Seafloor and Shallow Mapping and Hazards
Coal Bed Methane
Tight Gas Sands
Outcrop Studies and Analogues
Impact of Natural Disasters
Environmental and Coastal Studies
Field Trips / Short Courses Available:
Click here to see the list of Field Trips available at the GCAGS.
Click here to see the GCAGS Website Field Trip page and to register.
Click here to see the Short Courses at GCAGS.
Not too late to submit abstract to GCAGS!
This year’s GCAGS annual convention (Houston, October 5-9) is going to be very different from most years. GCAGS is combined with the Geological Society of America, which has required modification of many of the usual deadlines. Despite the deadlines that are still listed on some society web sites, the last date to submit an Abstract is June 3, with full papers or extended abstracts due June 24. Don’t miss the opportunity!
Abstracts for technical presentations need to be submitted online at www.acsmeeting.org/2008.
Any questions/suggestions for the technical program or issues on abstract submission should be directed to Dr. Art Donovan, the 2008 GCAGS/GCSSEPM Annual Meeting Technical Program Chair. He can be contacted via e-mail: Art.Donovan@bp.com or by phone: 281-850-4312.
Click here to download a copy of the Meeting Notice.
Click here to get a copy of the latest GCAGS 2008 Convention Committee Chairs.
For technical program questions contact Art Donovan at art.donovan@bp.com.
This 2008 Convention is a joint meeting of GCAGS/GSA/GCSSEPM/Tri-Societies and over 10,000 geoscientists are expected to attend.
Upcoming events and Election results
ELECTION RESULTS FOR HGS BOARD 2007-2008
Thanks to all active members who voted.
This was a record turnout due in part to our new online voting module.
Congratulations to our newly elected officers
President-Elect: Kara Bennett
Vice-President: Gary Coburn
Secretary: Ianthe Sarrazin
Treasurer-Elect: John Tubb
Editor: Micheal Forlenza
Directors:
Allison Henning & Richard Howe
HGS Tennis Tournament
Friday May 18
http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/?751
Location: Houston Racquet Club 10709 Memorial Drive
Time: 11:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Prizes: Div. A & B Prizes
Send a check for $50.00 and entry form to:
DAVIS BROS.1221 McKinney, Suite 3100 Houston, Texas 77010Attn: Ross Davis, Tournament DirectorCall (713) 659-3131 with questionsFax (713) 659-8070Rossdavis@davisbros.com
ELECTION RESULTS FOR HGS BOARD 2007-2008Thanks to all active members who voted. This election has 949 responses-- which is a record for HGS voting returns!!
President-Elect: Kara Bennett
Vice-President: Gary Coburn
Secretary: Ianthe Sarrazin
Treasurer-Elect: John Tubb
Editor: Michael Forlenza
Directors: Allison HenningRichard Howe
HGS Guest Night June 16, 2007Amazing Fossils from the Permian of TexasNew Insights and New Ideas on Reptiles and Dinosaurs
article by Bill Osten, Linda Sternbach and Kara Bennett, Guest Night CommitteeFeatured speaker: Dr. Bob Bakker
This year’s HGS Guest Night program will have a paleontologicaltheme and feature Dr. Bob Bakker, a well known expert on dinosaurs and author of the book DinosaurHeresies, as the evening’s keynote speaker in the IMAX theatre. Dr. Bakker is sure toinspire and entertain as he discusses his research on dinosaurs and his efforts withthe Houston Museum of Natural Science to expand the collection of fossil dinosaursand Permian amphibians.As Visiting Curator of Paleontology for the museum, Dr. Bakker has a key role inthe expansion of the fossil collection planned for the next few years. The goal is to make Houston the home of a “world-class collection” of Permian dinosaur, reptile and amphibian fossils.
The 2007 Guest Night program will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. As is traditional, the HGS has the first and second floors of the museum reserved for the evening. After arriving and checking in, HGS members and guests will have about an hour and a half to enjoy the fossils, minerals, oil and gas, and other exhibits. Attendees will enjoy a Texas-sized buffet dinner, beverages and dessert inside the Museum’s main hall during a social period. Dr. Bakker will present an entertaining and interactive talk from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the IMAX theatre.
To top off the night, lucky Guest Night attendees will be awarded door prizes that include beautiful mineral samples, fossils and dinosaur-themed souvenirs.The 2007 HGS Guest Night program is limited to 400 people due to seating capacity limitations of the IMAX theatre. Prepayment is required, and and tickets will NOT be available for walk-ins. Register early and pay online using the HGS Website, or pay bycheck and fill out and mail the registration form published in this issue of the Bulletin. Members can also pay by faxing credit card payment information along with their registration to the HGS office. The form and further instructions are on page 30 of the HGS Bulletin or online at the event page.http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/?689
A video was made of the evening presentation. Click here to get details of the video file.
Biographical SketchBob Bakker is one of modern paleontology’s best known characters. In 1986 he made a huge public splash with his entertaining book Dinosaur Heresies: Unlocking the Mystery of theDinosaurs and their Extinctions (Figure 2) where he explained that dinosaurs were most likely warm-blooded, fast-moving and related to birds. Bakker grew up in New Jersey, studied paleontology at Yale University withprofessor John Ostrom and received a PhD from Harvard University in 1976. As a PhD student, he was in charge of the Harvard comparative anatomy labs, honing his skills as an illustrator of modern birds and reptiles. He taught at the University ofColorado and has held numerous positions at museums in Colorado and Wyoming, including the Tate Museum, where he was Adjunct Curator.
Bob is a talented illustrator and his books are profusely decorated with ancient reptiles and dinosaurs imaginatively brought back to life, running, eating and hunting.As a Visiting Curator of Paleontology at HMNS, Bakker is actively mounting field expeditions to Permian fossil dig sites in northern Texas to find new fossils for the HGS Guest Night
The following is an update of current Texas Legislation that may be of interest to Geologists. Please note that a couple of new ones have been added to the list.
H.B. No 1376: Authored by Chisum, Relating to the name, administration, powers, and duties of the Collingsworth County Underground Water Conservation District. Recommend adding Professional Geologists to the list of approved persons. Last action taken: Recommendations filed with the Speaker 3/27/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1376
H.B. No. 3: Authored by Puente, Relating to the management of the water resources of the state, including the protection of instream flows and freshwater inflows. Last action taken: Committee Report Printed & Distributed 4/30/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3
S.B. No. 662, companion bill - H.B. No. 1313: Authored by Wentworth, Relating to transmittal to the Texas Water Development Board and a local groundwater conservation district of certain information by a person applying to subdivide a tract of land. Last action taken: Placed on Local & Uncontested Calendar 5/8/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB662
S.B. No. 659, companion bill - H.B. No. 1292: Authored by Wentworth, Relating to the maximum permitted withdrawals and critical period management of groundwater in the area regulated by the Edwards Aquifer Authority and to the operations and oversight of the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Last action taken: Left Pending In Committee 4/10/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB659
H.B. No. 4: Puente, Relating to water conservation. Last action taken: Senate Received from the House 5/2/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB4
H.B. No. 1313, companion bill - S.B. No. 662: Authored by Hilderbran, Relating to transmittal to the Texas Water Development Board and a local groundwater conservation district of certain information by a person applying to subdivide a tract of land. Last action taken: Committee Report Sent to Calendars 4/11/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1313
H.B. No. 1292, companion bill - S.B. No. 659: Authored by Puente, Relating to the maximum permitted withdrawals and critical period management of groundwater in the area regulated by the Edwards Aquifer Authority and to the operations and oversight of the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Last action taken: Placed on General State Calendar 5/4/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1292
S.B. No. 359: Authored by Williams, Relating to the application of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality''s water quality protection area pilot program to portions of the San Jacinto River. Last action taken: Referred to Environmental Regulations 5/4/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB359
H.B. 475, companion bill - S B. 1498, Authored by Hopson, Relating to the creation of the Panola County Groundwater Conservation District; providing authority to impose a tax and issue bonds. Last action taken: Recommendations filed with the Speaker 3/2/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB475
S.B. 404, companion bill - H.B. 1020, Authored by Zaffirin, Relating to the Bee Groundwater Conservation District. Last action taken: Referred to Natural Resources 5/4/07. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=..." target="_blank" rel="nofoll
Have you registered for this next week''s exciting HGS technical talks? Are you aware that May is the last month in our HGS year, and your last chance to see some excellent high quality talks before September??? We''ve got a jam-packed, stimulating program lined up!!! Starting with the Continuing Education Class, there''s also a Pinedale talk next Monday at the General Dinner; and on Tuesday the Northsiders are featuring catalytic gas in deltaic basins at their luncheon and the Environmental & Engineering committee''s meeting will shed enlightenment on the state risk reduction program rule revisions. Pre-register now using the links below. We look forward to seeing you at next week''s Technical meetings. Don''t forget to pick up your attendance certificate at the meeting to help you facilitate your record keeping for your professional state license continuing education credits.
HGS Class: Removing the Mystery from International Petroleum EconomicsSpeaker''s Name: Dennis Smith, Chief Economist, IHSDay: Thu 10-May-07 8:00 AMLocation: Noble Energy Conference Facility 100 Glenborough Suite 100 Houston, Texas 77067 Summary: NPV, Government Take, Profit Split – these are all terms commonly used to describe the characteristics and viability of upstream oil and gas projects. Learn what they really mean! This one-day course will remove the mystery of worldwide oil and gas economics. Register Mapquest | Add to Calendar HGS General DinnerSpeaker''s Name: John Bickley and Bryan Lastrapes, Shell Exploration & Production Co.Day: Mon 14-May-07 5:30 PMLocation: Westchase Hilton 9999 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX 77042 Register Mapquest | Add to Calendar Northsiders LuncheonSpeaker''s Name: Frank D. Mango, CEO of Petroleum HabitatsDay: Tue 15-May-07 11:30 AMLocation: Crowne Plaza Houston North Greenspoint 425 North Sam Houston Pkwy East Houston, TX 77060 Register Mapquest | Add to Calendar Environmental & Engineering Dinner MeetingSpeaker''s Name: Paul S. Lewis, Technical Specialist, Texas Commission on Environmental QualityDay: Tue 15-May-07 5:30 PMLocation: Cheddars Westpark @ Beltway Important Notice
THE HGS WANTS YOU!
Come join our fun and exciting committees and give a little back to
May 2007 HGS Bulletin
To download a copy of the May 2007 Bulletin, click here.
The HGS has some news for you regarding this year''s voting campaign and upcoming special events: HGS Elections - Online Voting Closes May 7thHave you already submitted your ballot for this year''s HGS election? We are happy to say that our voter turnout is up over recent years. This may be in part because we are allowing our members the first time to vote electronically as well as by mail-in ballot. If you have not yet voted, please take a few minutes and cast your vote. You received an email from the webmaster in early April with your unique voting ID. This will allow you to log in and register your choices from this year''s outstanding slate of candidates. Thank you for taking a few minutes from your busy day to vote - we appreciate your time and interest in our society''s leadership! http://www.hgs.org/en/bal/?30 Continuing Education Course - next Thursday May 10: International Petroleum Economics
Location: Northside of Houston ar Noble Energy Conference Facility,
100 Glenborough. Suite 100
HGS is excited to bring you this informative one-day short course taught by Dennis Smith, the Chief Economist at IHS. He has over 30 years of experience in the international petroleum industry, and his aim is to "Removing the Mystery from International Petroleum Economics".The course will begin with a review of the concept of cash flow and time value of money and will progress through an explanation of royalty/tax systems and production sharing contracts (PSCs). You will work in a hands-on and interactive environment such that the learnings are reinforced throughout exercises during the day. The cost to attend is only $95 for members* ($70 for students), and $125 for non-HGS members if registered by May 7th. This low price includes continental breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Don''t miss this great opportunity to learn! http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/?741* Membership prices are extended to HGS, GSH, API Houston, HAPL, SIPES Houston, SPE Gulf Coast, SPEE Gulf Coast members. HGS Annual Guest Night at the Houston Museum of Natural ScienceOur annual HGS night at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) has been scheduled for Saturday June 16th. We are delighted to have Dr. Bob Bakker, famous paleontologist and dinosaur expert, inspire and entertain on his current favorite topics of dinosaur research and his role in expanding the HMNS fossil dinosaur collection and Permian amphibians. The evening will kickoff at 6:30 pm, with guests free to visit the fossils, rocks, minerals and energy halls. We will also feature dinosaur casts and teaching exhibits related to the ongoing North TX dinosaur digs. Attendees will enjoy a TX-sized buffet dinner served in the exhibit halls, including beverages and dessert before Dr. Bakker''s talk in the IMAX theatre from 8-9 pm. Door prizes will include beautiful minerals, fossils and dinosaur-themed keepsakes. The IMAX theatre only has 400 seats which limits our capacity - do not miss out on this year''s special program. Tickets are $30 ($25 for students).Guest Night tends to sell out early - register early and secure your place. To register and for more details on the event and Dr. Bakker, please visit http://www.hgs.org/en/cev/?689.
Relax!
by Steve Brachman
As President of the Houston Geological Society, one of my functions was to attend the AAPG Leadership Conference held in Tulsa in February. During the conference, I had the opportunity to brag about the HGS and all of the things we do right. As the "800 pound gorilla" of all member societies, what the HGS does and thinks carries a great deal of weight around AAPG. As always, it is easy to boast about our great volunteers and the tremendous job they do in running the wide variety of activities covered by the HGS umbrella. But I also try to share with other member societies some of what I have learned by being active in the HGS over the years. I have found that a great deal of our success comes from our reaching out to the greatest number of members and providing them with services and activities that keep them wanting to pay their dues every year. Foremost among those services are our great social activities.
During the conference presentations, I use the line, "In order to run a great luncheon meeting, you have to run a great golf tournament." The HGS holds annual golf and tennis tournaments, a Skeet Shoot, and the Shrimp Peel. I believe these activities are just as critical to the success of our society as our technical meetings. A well-run social event provides three things. First, it offers a venue for relaxed interaction among the members. Second, it provides an opportunity to make business contacts outside of the more rigid atmosphere of a technical meeting. Third, a social event provides income to the society to help offset other activities that operate at a loss and, there-fore, helps keep member dues low.
The committees that run these activities are among the busiest in the HGS. Unfortunately, I can not recognize everyone, but I hope that the committee chairmen will pass on our thanks to their contributors. Mark Dennis of Petrolog, Inc will now oversee the Golf Tournament Committee, long- and ably-chaired by Al Filipov. The Golf Tournament is a huge undertaking. It occupies three courses at the Kingwood Country Club and has over three hundred and fifty participants. The tournament is a daylong scramble with refreshments during, a buffet after and numerous door prizes and awards. Held in September, the HGS Golf Tournament has long been one of the premier golf outings in the Houston area.
The Skeet Shoot Committee, run by Tom McCarroll of Patriot Exploration, is a wonderful event held over Father's Day weekend in June. More than 100 shooters participate. Tom, with the help of Gary Martins of Live Oak Environmental, holds the shoot at the Greater Houston Gun Club in Missouri City. They provide refreshments, door prizes, awards and an excellent BBQ lunch. Shooters from novice to expert compete in different categories, so spirited competition and a great time are had by all.
In May, Ross Davis and his assistant Heidi Nasser of Davis Brothers put on the remarkable Tennis Tournament at the Houston Country Club. This event is a half day of "playing until you drop" with lunch, refreshments and door prizes. Participants play round-robin doubles, rotating partners each round, with no elimination. The top game winners at each skill level team together for a championship round. Having played in this tournament myself for many years, I can safely say it is as enjoyable as the many higher cost tournaments played in Houston. Ross has been organizing and staging the Tennis Tournament for an amazing 12 years.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Shrimp Peel, organized by Lee Shelton with Knowledge-Reservoir. The infield of Sam Houston Race Track is the venue for this great event. Not only do the over 500 participants get to eat shrimp in conjunction with guzzling their favorite liquid beverage, they can also try their luck with the ponies. Lee has a great deal of help from his committee, which includes Kent Horstman, also of Knowledge-Reservoir, Terry Neffendorf and Mack Olsen of Subsurface Computer Modeling (SCM) and Michele Wood of CGG-Veritas. Due to their superb efforts, the Shrimp Peel has become a most enjoyable fixture on the HGS social calendar.
Critical to the success of these social events is the tremendous sponsorship and support provided by numerous local companies and individuals. Each committee chair gave me a long list of loyal sponsors. Since I can not do justice to all of the sponsors individually in this limited space, I instead want to collectively thank each of them for their generous contributions to our social events and to the HGS.
So please attend these great events, thank the organizers and sponsors for the tremendous job they do, and most of all, relax and have fun!
A Busy Month
by Bill Rizer
The month of May evokes feelings of warmth, green things and rebirth. Of course as I write this it is early April and we just had one of the coldest weekends of the year. Add to that the fact that I finally put to bed the ninth Bulletin of my tenure and what I feel like is far closer to a cold wrung-out wet bar rag than somebody's idyllic image of spring. It really has not been that bad...never mind!
This Bulletin features a new column, one I hope catches on big, called Recollections. In this month's column George Devries Klein tells us one of the (what I am sure are) many interesting stories of his career in "Recollections of a Cold War Experience." I hope the column catches on because I know there are so many stories out there that the membership would love to read. I might even have one or two myself. So, if you like the column and have something of interest to say, please send it on in.
This month there is a continuing education short course on petroleum economics-how to determine the viability of oil and gas projects. The Geophysical Society of Houston (GSH) is hosting a golf tournament and dinner at the Kingwood Country Club and their Annual Awards Banquet at the Lakeside Country Club. Leon Thomsen, President of SEG, will give a presentation on the role of SEG in the development of geophysics in the 21st century.
The HGS General Dinner features a presentation on Pinedale Field that promises to be interesting because it demonstrates how a major can improve tight economics and increase recovery in a geologically complex and environmentally sensitive area by the intelligent use of existing technology and the innovative development of new technology. This month also features a very interesting article by Mustafa Saribudak and Bob Van Nieuwenhuise on how they used various near-surface geophysical techniques to successfully locate and image an active fault in northwest Houston. Their work demonstrates how the new generation of geophysical tools and software provides a new suite of viable techniques for near surface site characterization and mapping.
Two letters to the Editor are published this month, one by Jim Bishop and the other by Rick Garza. In conjunction with Rick’s letter is a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal by Senator Jim Inhoff of Oklahoma and an introduction to a power point presentation by Lee Gerhard. Rick had asked me to publish the Inhoff letter along with his and had told me about the Gerhard introduction. For the sake of parity I included a short section summarizing some of the results of the series of 4 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, issued in 1990, 1995, 2001 with the most recent (2007) being released in parts this year. I keep reading how scientists must argue from the data, so this summary includes 3 figures (yes the hockey stick is one) used by adherents and some skeptics alike to back their conclusions on climate change.
Keep those letters coming and think about submitting one of the stories each of you has about your life in the oil patch!
Joint HGS & SPE General Luncheon
HGS/SPE Joint Luncheon
Wednesday April 25
Petroleum Club 800 Bell St (43rd Floor) Houston, TX 770
Speaker''s Name: Michael Mileo, Frade Project Manager, Chevron
Development of the Frade Field, Offshore Deepwater Brazil, Northern Campos Basin
The Frade project is Chevron’s recently announced deepwater heavy-oil development project requiring a capital investment of approximately $2.5B. The sanctioning of the Frade project marks a major milestone in an effort that began in 1997 when Brazil opened up its oil and gas reserves to foreign exploration.
The Frade field is located in the Northern Campos Basin, approximately 370 kilometers offshore Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1,100 meters water depth. The one hundred fifty-four (154) Km2 Frade concession area is adjacent to Petrobras’s Albacore Leste andR oncador developments.
The field was discovered in 1986 by Petrobras, was subsequently appraised with a Petrobras well in 1989 and two Texaco wells in 2001.Register Now
The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
April 20, 2007
I have been notified by Glenn Lowenstein, with Terrain Solutions, that Senator Dan Patrick, District 7, issued a press release on April 12, 2007 which states:
"On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee passed a $152 Billion budget. The budget, as recommended, increases spending by 10% over the next two year budget cycle. While Senator Patrick is not a member of the Senate Finance Committee and therefore was not involved in preparing the budget, he did gather information in just two days on ways the Legislature could save nearly $3 Billion in state spending.
"Furthermore, under this budget, Texas will spend just $110 million (or 0.07%) to secure our border. "I believe illegal immigration is driving much of our budget increases. Exploding health care and education costs have our budget in a bind. However, we are dedicating the equivalent of a budget hick-up to secure our border. Illegal immigration is an area of significant concern to a vast majority of Texans, and we are just tossing pocket change at the problem," Senator Patrick remarked.
"While each area we identified where the budget could be cut will most certainly have its supporters and detractors, I look at each one of these areas and have to ask two simple questions: Is this a critical role of government, and do I feel comfortable in taxing my constituents to fund it?," Senator Patrick questioned. Those areas Senator Patrick identified are:
"...Board of Professional Geoscientists (eliminate) $858 Thousand
"Validation: The agency limits competition and consumer choice and there is little evidence the agency was or is necessary....
"Senator Patrick has authored SB 1190, which would create a Texas Spending Commission to find waste, fraud and abuse in state government. The commission, modeled after President Reagan''s Grace Commission, would have audit powers over state agencies so they could report to the Legislature ways to cut spending.
"Editor''s note: The Senate''s budget (with the above spending) passed by a vote 26-5. Senator Patrick voted against the budget."
The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists are preparing a response to Senator Patrick.
Senator Patrick''s office is accepting comments at:
Court Koenning: 512-463-0107 or 713-876-4444
Mailing address: Room 3S.3, Austin, Texas 78711 (fax: 512-463-8810)
or
11451 Katy Freeway, Suite 209, Houston, Texas 77079 (fax: 713-461-0108)
EDITORIAL COMMENT
I''ve said it many times in the past, we''ve fought very hard to get to where we are today and need to defend it. We all need to support a lobbying effort so that this sort of thing stops re-occurring.
The $858,000 that Senator Patrick is trying to save is the smallest amount he looked at in the two days he studied the problem and I don''t believe that the small staff of the PG board spends anywhere near that amount. I believe it''s the amount of income the State receives from the fees the TBPG charges during the year, all of which goes into the general fund and then is allocated back to the TBPG as needed. The TBPG is self-funding and therefore not an expense to the State of Texas.
If Senator Patrick succeeds, we''ll go back to having to have our work overseen by engineers who can provide the necessary seals that are required by various laws, people who are not necessarily as knowledgeable as we are on the subject of geology and hydrogeology. This is why we fought for the PG in the first place. I believe you''ll find the future will require more geology being sealed by someone who can be legally be held responsible for the work. I don''t believe an engineer is qualified to oversee geology and hydrogeology. I''ve personally had to correct them too many times.
I plan on sending my own letter to Senator Patrick pointing out these items.
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
4/20/2007
The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
April 14, 2007
The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) met on Marcy 30, 2007. Besides the swearing in of their new members, to two more interesting topics related to the possible requirement for a professional geoscientist to seal reserve reports and compliance.
The TBPG received a request from the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) requesting the TBPG’s requirements for the sealing of reserve reports. The TBPG recommended that the SEC submit a complaint about non-Professional Geoscientists signing these reports to be given to investors and they will ask the Attorney General’s office to provide guidance for the appropriate action, if any. The TBPG is aware of the original intent to exclude oil and gas geologists. However, public offerings are currently a gray area and will probably need to be addressed eventually. The TBPG will not address it until they receive a complaint.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reported the misuse of the initials PG after a person’s name to the TBPG. A Colorado geologist submitted a TCEQ report and had PG after his name on the cover, although he did not seal the report. The report was also signed and sealed by a Texas registered Professional Geoscientist. Texas currently has no reciprocity with other states, so, even though he may be registered in Colorado, he can’t use the initials PG after his name on a Texas report. The TBPG is currently looking into reciprocity, but until such time, the Colorado geologist was issued a cease and desist letter.
Video of each agenda item discussed at the meeting is downloadable at:
http://www.texasadmin.com/cgi-bin/agenda.cgi?location=txgeo&savefile=TBP...
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In 2001, the 77th Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 2912, commonly referred to as the Sunset Bill. That bill, as amended in 2003 and codified in the Texas Water Code ?5.134 and ?5.801 through ?5.807, requires the TCEQ to limit its acceptance of environmental data to only data generated by a laboratory NELAC accredited under the Texas Laboratory Accreditation Program. That requirement comes into full effect on July 1, 2008, and affects the TCEQ and all entities submitting data to the agency unless one of the exemptions allowed by the law is met.
Please review the Remediation Division''s web page and fact sheet at:
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/HB2912.html. For questions regarding laboratory accreditation, please contact the Texas Laboratory Accreditation Program at 512-239-3754. For questions on Remediation program implementation, contact Ann Strahl at 512-239-2500.
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The following is an update of current Texas Legislation that may be of interest to Geologists.
Bill Number
Companion Bills
Author(s)
About
Quote
Comments
Last Action
More Information
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality''s (TCEQ''s) Groundwater Protection Committee report to the 80th Legislature (SFR-047/06) describing their activities for the two preceding years and recommendations for groundwater protection is now available at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/comm_exec/pubs/sfr/047_06.pdf
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The TCEQ''s Report to the 80th Legislature on priority groundwater management areas and groundwater conservation districts (SFR-053/06) is now available. It contains Information on activities undertaken during the preceding two years relating to the study and designation of priority groundwater management areas and the creation and operation of groundwater conservation districts. It is located at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/comm_exec/pubs/sfr/053_05.pdf
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
4/7/2007
You don''t want to miss this time to socialize with friends, and hear an interesting presentation.
HGS General DinnerSpeaker''s Name: Michael Geffert, Managing Partner, Greystone Oil & Gas LLPDay: Mon 9-Apr-07 5:30 PMLocation: Westchase Hilton 9999 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX 77042 Summary: The Revitalization of Sligo Field by Michael Geffert, Greystone Oil and Gas
Prior to the formation of Greystone Petroleum LLC and its development of Sligo Field, located in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, Michael Geffert and Joe Bridges drilled and completed over 200 wells in Lower Cretaceous and Upper Jurassic reservoirs located in the Ark-La-Tex. Though these were primarily Hosston wells located on turtle structures in the North Louisiana Salt Basin, their experience in mapping, drilling and completing the Rodessa, Pettit, Hosston, Cotton Valley and Smackover reservoirs led them to the observation that completion procedures followed by Pennzoil and other operators at Sligo Field left many gas charged reservoirs either behind pipe or bypassed below packers and cast iron bridge plugs.
Sponsor: Sense Intellifield
Register Mapquest | Add to Calendar Posted by: Andrea Reynolds
April 22nd is Earth Day. Prior to that, we will be treated to several weeks of environmental messages on television, radio, and in the newspapers. I am certain that many of these messages will concern global warming,and especially, anthropogenic (manmade)global warming. First, I am notgoing to re-hash the global warmingargument here. That has been handled at length elsewhere. Second, to avoid typing “anthropogenic” throughout this letter, I will call it “a-warming”. Rather than argue a-warming in thismonth’s letter, I would like to discuss how the argument has affected the scientific community in general and geologists in particular. First, to be straightforward, I personally think the theory behind awarming has little merit. But, as my wife says, who cares what I think! What is more important to me is the damage this issue has done to geologists and other scientists.
Recently, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski confirmed that hewanted to strip the title of State Climatologist from Oregon State University’s George Taylor because Taylor does not agree with Oregon’s official a-warming stance (from KTW-TV report,Portland). Last year, I read an interesting article from Canada about how certain faculty at prominent universities, especially in the United States, have been pressured into conforming to the a-warming point of view. Apparently, so the story goes, if you are involved in climate and atmospheric research, it had better be pro-a-warming or don’t count on any funding. This, of course, does not mean that all research that favors a-warming is due to coercion, it simply means that little or no funding is available to support the other viewpoint.That was not always that case. In the recent past, several companies, most notably ExxonMobil and Ford, supported groups who engaged in research and published position papers contrary to a-warming. Both companies recently changed their positions. It is no secret that ExxonMobil, under new leadership, agreed to stop funding those groups and has now promised Stanford University $100 million to support their climate change research. What is somewhat less known is that ExxonMobil was actively encouraged to switch its stance by two U.S. Senators, Olympia Snowe, R- Maine, and Jay Rockefeller IV,D-West Virginia. They sent the new CEO an open letter saying that ExxonMobil “has an obligation and a responsibility to the global community to refrain from lending their support…to bogus, non substantiated articles and publications on climate change”. The text of this letter is included in the In the News section within this Bulletin. Needless to say, the opinion of Senators who have the ability and the means to pass a Windfall Profits Tax carries a great deal of weight.
The result in my opinion is that, what began as a scientific debate now has degeneratedinto open warfare…we have reached the watershed where dissent is vilified, and scientificdisagreement is politicized as fodder for talk shows. Not only has the a-warming debate polarized scientists in general,it also has divided the geologic community. In AAPG, global warming has split the society with most of the “oilies” on one side and most ofthe internationals/academics/students on the other.In fact, the a-warming crowd has warned that the organization will “whither-away” because students, young professionals, and internationals, the three targeted growth groups of AAPG, will refuse to join or quit due to an anti a-warming AAPG position.
I do not doubt they are correct, to some extent. In fact one candidate for Vice President-Sections, John Armentrout, has made the stance of AAPG embracing the a-warming argument as the centerpiece of his campaign. The result in my opinion is that, what began as a scientific debate now has degenerated into open warfare. Detractors of a-warming are accused of everything from embarrassing the scientific community to conspiring to commit crimes against the planet. Personally, I have made my decision based on the facts as Iinterpret them. If additional information becomes available to make me change my mind, I will do so. As of this moment, I think my beliefs are correct. No apologies are necessary.Discussions carried out on the national stage, however, seem to consist of 10% reason and 90% emotion. I do not believe that should be the case in the scientific community. Unfortunately, we have reached the watershed where dissent is vilified, and scientificdisagreement is politicized as fodder for talk shows. We have reached that point, I believe, because many in the scientific community and elsewhere believe that combating a-warming is so important for the “common good”, it is acceptable, or even commendable, to stifle debate, censor opposing opinions, and twist independent thought through coercion. I hope I am wrong, but if correct, we will have arrived at a sad state of affairs, ushering in a new age of de Tocqueville’s “Tyranny of the Majority”, this time as it applies to the advancement of science. Frankly, I can’t wait until April 23.
The Houston Geological Society election voting period opens in April 2007 and continues to May 7, 2007
This email contains valuable information to help HGS members vote online for the following candidates: President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer_Elect, Editor-Elect and HGS Directors. This email contains instructions only and is not the ballot you will use to vote.
A second email will be sent that will have the ballot weblink. The email with the ballot will contain a link to go to a secure webpage and vote for HGS candidates of your choice using a personal Voting ID number.
When you get the second email with ballot website link and your personal voting number- do the following:Go to the HGS Website at WWW.HGS.ORG Logon to the HGS Website with your member user name and password (If you don't remember your user name and password contact the HGS Webmaster) Click the link on the E-Mail and you will be taken to the voting page On the voting page, input the unique voting ID number located on the email. Each member has a unique voting ID number. Please do not share your number with anyone. You will be taken to the candidate list page. Cast your votes by clicking on the boxes next to the candidate names. You will also see the candidate bio's that you can read to help you decide on the candidate you want to vote for. When you are done selecting candidates, click the "submit vote" button at the bottom of the page. The HGS Website committee and HGS Webmaster have worked with the programmers to make the online voting process efficient and easy to use. If you have suggestions for improvements or encounter any problems with the new online voting process, please contact the Website Committee Chair (Bill Osten) or HGS Webmaster (Lilly Hargrave at lilly@hgs.org ).
April Bulletin
About the cover: Normal faults in silicic volcanic rock. Black Mountains, Death Valley, California.Reproduced with permission. Copyright Marli Bryant Miller, University of Oregon, visit www.marlimillerphoto.com to see more of her excellent geological photographs. This photograph and many others can be viewed at the Earth Science World Image Bank, American Petroleum Institute, http://www.earthscienceworld.org, an excellent source for geological photographs.
To download the HGS April 2007 Bulletin, click here.
Online Voting Comes to HGS and Using Scaled Models
by Bill Rizer
Highlights for the Bulletin this month include an invited technical paper by Martha Withjack, Roy Schlische and Alissa Henza of Rutgers University on "Scaled Experimental Models of Extension: Dry Sand vs. Wet Clay." This paper addresses two critical issues in physical modeling that have direct relevance to how we use models as an aid to interpretation and to predict structure in the subsurface. The short paper discusses the meaning of scaled models and how these models are constructed, and then shows examples of how two similarly scaled models using two different modeling materials give two very different results when deformed under the same boundary conditions. The differences are in how the deformation is distributed. In the more brittle sand models, deformation is concentrated (localized) along a few main faults. In the more ductile clay models, deformation is distributed widely among many smaller faults. Correct use of the models requires some knowledge of how deformation is distributed in the real structures, i.e., whether they act like brittle or ductile materials.
You may have noticed in recent years that the large majors have begun taking on complex and challenging projects that were considered too risky not long ago. Heavy oil, oil shale and deep water are just a few that come to mind. This month Michael Mileo of Chevron discusses one such project, Frade Field, a heavy oil concession in 1,100 m of water in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. The presentation, a jointly sponsored HGS and SPE luncheon, will be at the Petroleum Club on April 25.
Candidates for the various HGS offices are profiled in this issue. Not only do you get a chance to see what they look like, you get to read their bios and statements on why you should vote for them rather than the other "turkey" candidate(s). This year the HGS is developing an online voting system to make it easier for the membership to vote. All members who can should take advantage of this new system. Paper ballots will be provided for those who wish to mail in their choices. In either case, exercise your right to choose the officers who serve you. Information on how to vote will be forthcoming and will be posted on the Web site as soon as the system is ready.
The letters to the editor keep coming. This month's letter from Tom Ewing makes a number of important points, including one that I had not heard before--"...fossil fuels are chiefly responsible for the quality of life enjoyed by every American and much of the world. We (geoscientists and engineers) have found and are finding the wealth that has sustained the modern world." You are encouraged to read the entire letter.
This month the "Governmental Affairs" column describes a number of initiatives contained in the president's fiscal year 2008 budget request that are relevant to energy and climate change. In the same column, Henry Wise and Arlin Howles report that in a historical reversal from past policy the president admitted the "serious challenge of global climate change" in his State of the Union Address. They also report a number of hearings called by Democrats to address the issue of climate change and to investigate charges of censorship of government scientists and science to advance a particular political agenda. That issue is also discussed briefly in the "In the News" column.
Political Science
by Steve Brachman
April 22nd is Earth Day. Prior to that, we will be treated to several weeks of environmental messages on television, radio, and in the newspapers. I am certain that many of these messages will concern global warming, and especially, anthropogenic (man-made) global warming. First, I am not going to re-hash the global warming argument here. That has been handled at length elsewhere. Second, to avoid typing "anthropogenic" throughout this letter, I will call it "a-warming".
Rather than argue a-warming in this month's letter, I would like to discuss how the argument has affected the scientific community in general and geologists in particular. First, to be straightforward, I personally think the theory behind a-warming has little merit. But, as my wife says, who cares what I think! What is more important to me is the damage this issue has done to geologists and other scientists. Recently, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski confirmed that he wanted to strip the title of State Climatologist from Oregon State University's George Taylor because Taylor does not agree with Oregon's official a-warming stance (from KTW-TV report, Portland). Last year, I read an interesting article from Canada about how certain faculty at prominent universities, especially in the United States, have been pressured into conforming to the a-warming point of view. Apparently, so the story goes, if you are involved in climate and atmospheric research, it had better be pro-a-warming or don’t count on any funding. This, of course, does not mean that all research that favors a-warming is due to coercion, it simply means that little or no funding is available to support the other viewpoint.
That was not always that case. In the recent past, several companies, most notably ExxonMobil and Ford, supported groups who engaged in research and published position papers contrary to a-warming. Both companies recently changed their positions. It is no secret that ExxonMobil, under new leadership, agreed to stop funding those groups and has now promised Stanford University $100 million to support their climate change research. What is somewhat less known is that ExxonMobil was actively encouraged to switch its stance by two U.S. Senators, Olympia Snowe, R- Maine, and Jay Rockefeller IV, D-West Virginia. They sent the new CEO an open letter saying that ExxonMobil "has an obligation and a responsibility to the global community to refrain from lending their support...to bogus, non substantiated articles and publications on climate change". The text of this letter is included in the In the News section within this Bulletin. Needless to say, the opinion of Senators who have the ability and the means to pass a Windfall Profits Tax carries a great deal of weight.
Not only has the a-warming debate polarized scientists in general, it also has divided the geologic community. In AAPG, global warming has split the society with most of the "oilies" on one side and most of the internationals/academics/students on the other. In fact, the a-warming crowd has warned that the organization will "whither-away" because students, young professionals, and internationals, the three targeted growth groups of AAPG, will refuse to join or quit due to an anti a-warming AAPG position. I do not doubt they are correct, to some extent. In fact one candidate for Vice President-Sections, John Armentrout, has made the stance of AAPG embracing the a-warming argument as the centerpiece of his campaign.
The result in my opinion is that, what began as a scientific debate now has degenerated into open warfare. Detractors of a-warming are accused of everything from embarrassing the scientific community to conspiring to commit crimes against the planet. Personally, I have made my decision based on the facts as I interpret them. If additional information becomes available to make me change my mind, I will do so. As of this moment, I think my beliefs are correct. No apologies are necessary. Discussions carried out on the national stage, however, seem to consist of 10% reason and 90% emotion. I do not believe that should be the case in the scientific community. Unfortunately, we have reached the watershed where dissent is vilified, and scientific disagreement is politicized as fodder for talk shows. We have reached that point, I believe, because many in the scientific community and elsewhere believe that combating a-warming is so important for the "common good", it is acceptable, or even commendable, to stifle debate, censor opposing opinions, and twist independent thought through coercion. I hope I am wrong, but if correct, we will have arrived at a sad state of affairs, ushering in a new age of de Tocqueville’s "Tyranny of the Majority", this time as it applies to the advancement of science. Frankly, I can’t wait until April 23.