A Look Back at 2010
 
A new year has arrived and it is time to look back over 2010. As usual, the year brought us several surprises and changes, most of which would never have been predicted. Remembering the words of Casey Stengel “Never make predictions, especially about the future.”
 
I could discuss the political changes that took place in November, but I am a skeptic and until proven differently, a politician remains a politician independent of whether we color their district red or blue. I will leave that discussion for the next editor…I would like to focus on the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the extension of the drilling ban, the rig count, the prices of oil and gas, who is buying what, what has been discovered, and changes within my family.
 
The year began with mixed signals. The day before the President’s State of the Union Address, the Department of the Interior announced that it would delay the Virginia offshore lease sale scheduled for November 2011. The next day, the President included this line in his address, “It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development.” This single line suggested to many that there might be a change in the wind and much of the offshore would be on a path toward leasing and future exploration. However, the draft budget released in February indicated the contrary and the industry should expect a decrease in the availability of new offshore acreage.
 
On April 20th the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded. Eleven lives were lost, seventeen crewmembers were injured, and oil began to leak from the Macondo well. Estimates of the amount of oil that leaked remain a point of contention. The U. S. government estimates that 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled; BP contends that the government number may be over-estimated by between 20 and 50%. The actual amount of oil spilled is probably not important to most of us. All parties agree that it was a large amount, which impacted the ecosystem and livelihood of much of the Gulf Coast. What is important to most of us, in addition to the loss of life, was the fact that the Macondo well explosion and leak resulted in changes to the industry that will persist for many years:
 

• The shutdown of drilling in U.S. offshore waters for much of the year
• A reorganization of the agency that regulates the industry
• New regulations and requirements
• The formation of a cooperative industry organization to respond to such incidents in the future
• A hardening of the freeze on OCS leasing for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Mid and South Atlantic through at least 2017.

Unlike offshore, where government action slowed down activity, onshore activity did not miss a beat. The rig count continued to slowly increase throughout the year (Figure 1). As of December 4th, there were 1,690 active land rigs. Much of the growth in the rig count can be attributed to a steady increase in the number of oil wells. At the start of the year there were 427 oil well rigs and on December 4th there are 742 oil well rigs in operation. Horizontal operations accounted for 966 of the rigs. One can only hope that the concerns expressed at different governmental levels over fracking do not lead to significant restrictions in shale gas and shale oil operations. We may begin to ponder whether the restrictions on Marcellus operations in Pennsylvania are exceptions rather than the forbearers of things to come.

The year began with the closing of ExxonMobil’s purchase of XTO, a major move into the unconventional resource arena. France’s Total and China’s CNOOC both entered into significant deals with Chesapeake Energy for positions in the Barnett Shale and the Eagle Ford Shale, respectively. India’s Reliance also took a position in U.S. unconventionals, with a capture of a position in the Marcellus Play. It was not only foreign companies acquiring assets in the U.S., U.S. companies entered in the unconventional space overseas in such places as Poland and Romania.
 
The steady increase in the number of rigs took place even though the price of natural gas continued a general decline (Figure 2). Natural gas began the year at $6.645 and in early December closed at $4.318 per MMbtu. The drift toward lower natural gas prices during the year was not reflected in crude oil (Figure 3). Crude oil meandered for much of the year within an $18.00 trading range, with its low occurring in late May and a high in November. There may be a number of reasons for the apparent disconnect between oil and gas prices — increased availability of North American gas a result of shale gas drilling as well as a weakening of the U.S. dollar — but I will leave that in the hands of the economists to debate.
 

 
Significant discoveries continued to be made globally. Near to home there was McMoRan’s Davy Jones discovery at 28,263 feet on the Louisiana shelf. Further a field there were major resource adds, for example Tullow’s Owo discovery in Ghana, Petrobras’ pre-salt Franco discovery offshore Brazil, Eni’s Cabaça South East discovery offshore Angola, and Chevron’s Acme gas discovery offshore Australia. New resources continue to be found.
Finally, there have been a number of changes to our family, all of which brought both my wife and I tears of joy! The year began with the arrival of our first granddaughter Madison. As she made her entrance to the world, Terry was in the delivery room with Jeff and our daughter, Rebecca, while I was in the waiting room, on a conference call. (It does seem that you can never escape.) This summer, Madison began the family tradition and took her first cruise! (Although I’m not sure that she will remember Alaska and those glorious glaciers.)
This summer our family grew in leaps and bounds, as our younger daughter, Michelle was married. We welcomed David, our new son-in-law, and also two new-granddaughters — Catherine and Abby. The two girls and I have spent many hours in the kitchen cooking and baking together. Being a grandparent is wonderful! All the fun and none of the responsibilities! A few weeks ago, we were thrilled to learn that Michelle and David are expecting an addition to their family! So as a family we will continue to expect change as 2011 begins. And, you know what they say about changes, “you have to be flexible”.
Until next month…

HGS Legends Night
 
Mark your calendar for Monday night, January 17. This will be our HGS Legends Night. We will be honoring the four living members of HGS who are past-presidents of both HGS and AAPG. These distinguished members are John Amoruso, Dick Bishop, Dan Smith, and Dave Rensink. Dave is presently the AAPG President. These gentlemen will share their presidential perspectives of HGS and AAPG and what the future holds for these cornerstone societies. As a special guest, Rick Fritz, AAPG Executive Director, is planning to attend the event and will be part of the program.
Until January 1, 2011, the tickets are $25 per person or $200 for a table of 10. If you are reading this article after January 1, your ticket cost will be $35 per person or $250 for a table of 10. All profits from this event will be divided between the HGS Calvert Scholarship Fund and the HGS Foundation Scholarship Fund. The HGS would really like to have a sellout crowd for this gala. This special event has limited seating. Ashley Harris of ION Geophysical Corporation heads up the HGS Legends Night committee.
This past October’s events included:

• A very successful Earth Science Week, as highlighted in the December Bulletin.
• The Upper Cambrian Microbialites trip to central Texas went well with 23 paid participants. Thanks go to the field trip leaders,Dr. Andre Droxler, Rice University, and Dr. Wayne Ahr, Texas A&M University. Field Trip Chairman Gary Moore was called out of town on business at the last minute. Richard Howe substituted for Gary so we did not have to cancel the trip. Thanks Richard and Gary.
• The HGS Golf Tournament, run by Mark Dennis, was held on a beautiful October day with 320 golfers. Next year’s tournament will be held on October 17, 2011.

See you at HGS Legends Night! Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Click here to download PDF of Jan. 2011 Bulletin
 

Click here to download PDF of Dec. 2010 Bulletin
 

Click here to download the high resolution PDF 
 

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
December 19, 2010
 
At its open meeting on December 14, 2010, the Texas Railroad Commission approved for publication two rulemakings.  The first one concerns proposed new Subchapter C in new Chapter 5 relating to Carbon Dioxide (CO2).  The new subchapter implements additional requirements in Senate Bill 1387 (2009) to protect underground sources of drinking water while promoting the capture and storage of anthropogenic CO2 incidental to enhanced recovery of oil, gas, or geothermal resources.  For more information go to:  http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/prop-new-SubchC-Ch5-CO2-EOR-Dec14-2010.pdf
 
The second proposal concerns amendments to §3.79 and §3.86 regarding horizontal drilling requirements and non-perf zones (NPZs).  The NPZ proposal will be filed with the Texas Register in early January with an expected Texas Register publication date of January 21, 2011.  This rulemaking will have a 60-day comment period.  More information on this rulemaking will be posted on the Texas Railroad Commission's website during the first week of January.  In the meantime, you can read the proposed rules at:  http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/prop-amend-3-79-and-3-86-NPZs-as-approved-Dec14-2010.pdf

The 2011 legislative session will begin on January 11, 2010.  I've been compiling a list of proposed bills that may be of interest to geologists.  If you have any that I have missed, let me know and I'll include them.  Filing of proposed bills has begun and here's the ones I'm currently watching.  All new items or updates are in bold:
 
HB-377, by McClendon, Relating to the expenditure of money from the general revenue fund for rail projects.  Filed 12/02/2010.  For more information go to:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB377
 
HB-444, by Creighton, Relating to notification of applications for permits for certain injection wells.  "If an application is received in proper form for a permit for an injection well to dispose of industrial and municipal waste and the proposed location of the injection well is in the territory of a groundwater conservation district, the executive director shall submit a copy of the application to the governing body of the groundwater conservation district. The groundwater conservation district may make recommendations to the commissionconcerning any aspect of the application..."  For more information go to:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB444
 
SB-104, by Davis, Relating to restriction on the release into the air of natural gas and an associated vapors from a gas well.  Filed 11/8/2010.  For more information go to:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB104
 
SB-105, by Davis, relating to a restriction on the formation in which certain commercial disposal wells permitted by the Railroad Commission of Texas may inject oil and gas waste.  "...applies only to a commercial disposal well...proposed to be located in a  hydrocarbon-producing geological formation that underlies all or part of two counties: (1) that are adjacent to one another; and (2) each of which has a population of more than 1.4 million.(b) A permit issued by the railroad commission for a commercial disposal well...that authorizes the disposal of oil and gas waste may authorize the disposal of the waste only in the Ellenberger formation or a deeper formation."  For more information go to:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB105
 
SB-274, by Uresti, Relating to the regulation by groundwater conservation districts of certain wells.  Pertains specifically to the Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area.  For more information go to:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB274 
 
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
12/19/2010

The Wise Report Henry M. Wise, P.G. December 12, 2010
 
On September 9, 2010, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department submitted a petition for rulemaking which requested an exemption for discharges associated with pesticide applications authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or exempted from permit requirements by federal or state statutes from discharge prohibitions currently found in Chapter 213, Subchapters A and B; and in 30 TAC Chapter 311, Subchapters A, B, and F. On November 3, 2010, the TCEQ recommended approval of the petition for rulemaking.
 

A recent decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) rule which provided that National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits were not required for pesticide applications into, over, or near waters of the United States (National Cotton Council of America v. U.S. EPA, 553 F.3d 927). As a result of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision and because Texas is a delegated state, the discharge of pesticides must now be regulated through the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES). By court order, applications of pesticides into, over, or near water in the United States must be authorized under the NPDES program by April 9, 2011. Currently, because the discharge of pesticides is not a point source, Chapters 213 and 311 allow the application of pesticides. However, on April 9, 2011, pesticide application will be prohibited within the Highland Lakes area (Lakes Travis, Austin, Inks, Buchanan, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Marble Falls) and Edwards Aquifer recharge, contributing, and transition zones.
 

This proposed rulemaking would allow the application of pesticides to continue within these areas for protection of human health and the environment. The inability to control pests could impact public health by preventing mosquito control, restricting recreational activities in the regulated areas due to invasive aquatic vegetation or invasive animals, restrict state and federal agencies from administering programs within their jurisdiction, restrict the volume of water flow in surface waters overlying the aquifer due to invasive aquatic vegetation, and increase the potential for public water supply systems to experience taste and odor problems due to excessive vegetation and algae in surface waters overlying the aquifer.  For more information go to:  http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/30.ENVIRONMENTAL%20QUALITY.html#47
 
The proposed rule for pesticide application within the Highland Lakes area (Lakes Travis, Austin, Inks, Buchanan, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Marble Falls) and Edwards Aquifer recharge, contributing, and transition zones can be found at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/30.ENVIRONMENTAL%20QUALITY.html#78

 
The TCEQ proposes amendments to implement federal regulations pertaining to the safety of drinking water from groundwater and surface water sources. Federal rules controlling levels of the metals lead and copper in drinking water have been in place since 1991. Lead and copper can leach into drinking water from pipes or solder under corrosive conditions. The federal rules require public water systems to monitor for lead and copper; monitor for water quality parameters related to corrosivity; perform corrosion control studies; install optimum corrosion control treatment; meet lead and copper action levels; and, when action levels are exceeded, educate the public. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper: Short-Term Regulatory Revisions and Clarifications (LCSTR) on October 10, 2007. Under 40 Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR) §142.10, the TCEQ must adopt rules at least as stringent as the federal rules to maintain primary enforcement authority (primacy) over public water systems in Texas. This rulemaking proposes to incorporate the federal rules for lead and copper and to make minor changes for consistency with the adopted federal rules to retain primacy for the Safe Drinking Water Act and its amendments (SDWA). In addition, staff proposes to repeal and replace the rule language for lead and copper to reorganize the rules to match the organizational structure for other chemicals in drinking water. The intent of this proposal is to assist the regulated community by making the rules easier to use. No part of the proposed rulemaking differs from the federal requirements or existing Texas requirements in stringency.
 

This rulemaking also proposes to make minor changes to Chapter 290 for consistency with the federal Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2), Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (DBP2), and Ground Water Rule (GWR). Rule Project Number 2006-045-290-PR incorporated the major requirements of the federal LT2, DBP2 and GWR on December 19, 2007. In the time since that adoption, as part of the EPA's primacy review, the EPA identified some rule elements inadvertently omitted from that rulemaking. These omissions are proposed to be corrected in the current rulemaking. These changes, though important in order to meet primacy, are relatively minor in terms of extent and scope. For more information go to:  http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/30.ENVIRONMENTAL%20QUALITY.html#52
 Henry M. Wise, P.G.The Wise Report1271272010

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
December 5, 2010
 
At its open meeting on November 30, 2010, the Texas Railroad Commission adopted new Chapter 5 relating to Carbon Dioxide (CO2).  The new chapter implements Senate Bill 1387 (2009) concerning the capture, injection, sequestration, or geologic storage of carbon dioxide. The new rules should be published in the December 17, 2010, issue of the Texas Register, with an effective date of Monday, December 20, 2010.  The new rules can be viewed at:  http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/adopt-new-ch5-Nov30-2010.pdf

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) has adopted amendments concerning the licensure and regulation of Professional Geoscientists. These amendments, repeals and new rules will reorganize, specify and clarify the requirements for examination and licensure, firm registration and certification as a Geoscientist-in-Training; clarify the application procedures; clarify the distinction between the license and the license certificate; clarify license, registration, and certification renewal requirements and procedures; define the role of the Authorized Official of a Firm; strengthen the professional code of conduct and apply relevant portions of it to registered firms, the Authorized Official of a Firm, and Geoscientists-in-Training; clarify complaint procedures and the actions the Board may impose on a Professional Geoscientist, a registered firm, an Authorized Official of a Firm, a Geoscientist-in-Training, an unlicensed individual and an unregistered firm; correct minor errors; improve the definitions and rules; and ensure that the rules reflect current legal, policy, and operational considerations. The adoptions become effective December 15, 2010. For more information go to:  http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/adopted/22.EXAMINING%20BOARDS.html#393
 Henry M. Wise, P.G.The Wise Report12/5/2010

Where We Work
In the October Bulletin we looked at where the HGS membership lives world-wide. This month we will look at where the members work in the Houston area. The chart shows the location of office buildings where our members work, with the height of the building reflecting the number of HGS members. For this study, I defined an office as one with two or more members. The red office buildings show locations in 2008, and the green ones depict locations in 1971.
 
We must point out that there are some errors and distortions in this chart for the 1971 data. The highway system depicted is the present-day one. Note that Beltway 8 is shown, even though it was not built until well after 1971; and the addresses used downtown in 1971 were not the same as used today. Back then they commonly used building names as addresses instead of street numbers. As a result, I used the zip code as the office address. On the chart, the zip code 77001 represents all of the offices that are located in this area. The total number of members working in offices downtown in 1971 was 536 out of 1,847 total as opposed to 426 out of 1,946 total in 2008. As is shown on the chart, most of the office locations were downtown and along US Highway 59 (the Southwest Freeway). The location of the technical talks was downtown, mainly in the Petroleum Club. The late Mac McKinney, former HGS President, told me that the attendance for the noon luncheons at the Petroleum Club was commonly 300 members. We rarely have this many attendees now. There are several reasons that luncheon attendance was greater in the past. In the 70’s there were fewer meetings per month, almost all meetings were downtown, and HGS members working along Highway 59 had much less traffic then, so access to downtown was easier.
 
By 2008, there had been a major shift in the locations of offices away from the Highway 59 area to the Galleria, Richmond-Beltway 8, west I-10, and the Greenspoint areas in addition to downtown. Our meeting areas (see blue stars) are now downtown at the Petroleum Club, Westheimer near Beltway 8, and Greenspoint. The Northsiders luncheon is held in the Greenspoint area where several major office buildings are located. The location at Westheimer and Beltway 8 is in close proximity to the home addresses of many of our members and near the Galleria and Richmond-Beltway 8 cluster of offices. The Woodlands is one area of potential growth. It is the residential area for many HGS members. Anadarko is the largest oil and gas company in the Woodlands area. Rumors are that Exxon is planning a large office park near the intersection of I-45 and Hardy Toll Road. If this happens and Exxon relocates some or all of its employees to this office park, then HGS will have to consider having a Dinner meeting in the Woodlands. In planning for the future direction of office and membership growth, I am again reminded of the quote by Niels Bohr – “Prediction is difficult, particularly when it concerns the future.”
 
Arthur C. Clarke’s third law from “Profiles of the Future” states that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” As far as I am concerned, graphics is “sufficiently advanced technology.” Thanks go to Greg Muirre with Inexs for doing his “magic” on the charts in this Letter.
As I write this Letter, we are in the middle of Earth Science Week. So far we have had around 390 students participating in the activities. Approximately 60 HGS members have volunteered. Thanks go to Jennifer Burton, Martha McRae, Inda Immega, and all their volunteers for their time and work.
 
In this Bulletin (page 16) there is a note by Ashley Harris regarding the upcoming Legends of HGS Dinner to be held on January 17, 2011. Please put this date on your calendar.
 
Kelly Limbaugh is planning the 2010 HGS Honky-Tonk Ho-Ho-Hoedown on Monday December 6th at Blanco’s Bar & Grill. Itsounds like a lively evening. Hope to see you there.
That’s all until next month.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Volunteers are Not Paid Because They are Priceless 
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it to happen, others make it happen.” You might have guessed that my topic this month is volunteering. I hope that by the end of this note you will understand its importance to both HGS and to you. For ten months each year volunteers deliver to the membership of the Houston Geological Society a robust technical program, with up to six technical meetings, as well as a number of social events. Members also receive the Bulletin and access to a continuing education program, through short courses, special topical conferences, and field trips. The delivery of these products is not the result of a large full-time staff, although one might believe that to be the case. The officers and directors, committee chairmen, speakers, and Bulletin contributors are all volunteers who as suggested by Churchill “make a living by what they get and make a life by what they give”.
 
Although the HGS is one of the largest geological societies, the number of volunteers remains proportionally small. At times, the limited number of volunteers results in challenges to deliver the type, diversity, and quality of program that we have all come to expect. As I write this, my fourteenth column, I once again ask all of you to consider volunteering some of that most valuable commodity — your time.
 
In the November issue of the Bulletin we published a call for new officers and board members as well as members of the AAPG House of Delegates. (It has been reprinted this month.) Please consider forwarding your name along to Past HGS President – Gary Colburn. Gary heads the Nominating Committee, which is currently working to assemble the strongest possible slate of candidates available. If you feel that you cannot commit the amount of time required to serve on the Board or as a member of the HOD, consider working on a committee as a chairman or simply as a committee member. If you need something even less time intensive please consider presenting some of your work at one of the many different meeting venues or help to select and secure a speaker. The different meeting organizers are always looking for good talks and help with building their technical programs.
 
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve” (Martin Luther King). By serving HGS you are also serving yourself by helping to build and solidify a professional/technical network. A professional network is more than simply building long list of connections in LinkedIn. True networks require active participation, contact, and exchange. The interaction with other HGS members and meeting attendees is a major step in building a true network where individuals can and do support each other. Presenting at an HGS meeting, or for that matter at any technical meeting, provides an opportunity for peer feedback and discussion, or as Leonard Nimoy said “The miracle is this — the more we share, the more we have”. These sharing opportunities provide an open exchange of ideas and can only strengthen one’s thought process, identifying areas that need technical development and/or additional supporting data. A presentation is a way to share what we have learned and give back to the community. For those new to the field, it is an opportunity to begin your path toward professional recognition. I have found over the years that developing a presentation or writing paper by itself becomes a learning exercise too, tracking down the appropriate references and supporting data and gaining a clear understanding of possible counter-arguments.
 
I can hear some of you saying, I’m busy right now, I need to plan ahead. Well, have I got an opportunity for you! If you are into long-range planning, the HGS will be hosting several major meetings beyond the 2011 AAPG Convention over the next few years: there is the GCAGS meeting in 2013 and the AAPG Annual Conventions in 2014 and 2017. Meetings of such size and scope require significant local support, meaning volunteers, with a diverse suite of skills, ranging from helping in the development of the technical program to securing sponsorships, and the development of a complete social program. Hosting of four major meetings in a seven year period will clearly stretch the available volunteer resource-base of HGS. These meetings also provide a unique opportunity for growth and development. One may learn the “ropes” in a supporting role or step-up into a leadership role depending on your level of confidence. There will be both leadership and supporting positions available at each convention. It is never too early to make your interests known to the HGS leadership. As you might expect, the planning of these meetings begins several years before the actual conference occurs.
 
Although I am writing this column for the Bulletin, there are of course, other opportunities for volunteerism outside of HGS. Over my career I have found that acting as reviewer for manuscripts is a great way to support our science and to learn at the same time. Providing a good technical review requires that you have strong fundamentals, a willingness to be open to new ideas and question established paradigms, and not being afraid to provide constructive criticism. There is a wide-range of peer-reviewed journals always looking for reviewers. Acting as a reviewer has contributed to my personal growth by sharpening my thinking, keeping me open to ideas of others, and pointing me in the direction that the science is heading.
 
For other less demanding opportunities consider signing up to be a docent at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (see the November issue of the Bulletin) or visit a school and talk about geology. You never know you might start someone down the path to be a future geologist or geophysicist. Most people do not volunteer unless asked. Making 3000+ phone calls does not appear to be a viable option, at least for me, so let this be my request to each of you: find a few hours to give something back “Volunteering can be an exciting, growing, enjoyable experience. It is truly gratifying to serve a cause, practice one's ideals, work with people, solve problems, see benefits, and know one had a hand in them “ (Harriet Naylor).
Until next month…

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
November 28, 2010
 
In response to the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) Advisory Opinion Request #4 (Do you need to sign and seal a Phase II ESA report and attachments if that report follows the ASTM E1903 standard, is performed for the private use of a potential property purchaser, and is not submitted to a government agency?  If there is such a requirement, are there any circumstances where an exception applies?), the TBPG has determined that no advisory opinion will be issued.  The committee determined that the question can be answered by reference to the Texas Geoscience Practice Act.  According to the Act, Section 1002.002 (6)(A)(iii), "practice for the public" is defined as providing professional geoscientific services for the public or a firm or corporation in this state if the practitioner assumes the ultimate liability for the work product.  A Phase II ESA report and attachments performed following the ASTM E1903 standard would be considered the public practice of geoscience, unless exempted by Section 1002.002(6)(B).  Therefore, such work must be signed and sealed to be in compliance with the Texas Geoscience Practice Act.
 
Henry M. Wise, P. G.
The Wise Report
11/28/2010

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
November 20, 2010
 
John Mikels, with Geo Consulting, has informed me that the TCEQ held meetings on the Edwards Aquifer protection rules in November.  Public comment can be made until 5:00 p.m. December 19, 2010 to Amy Settemeyer, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Field Operation Support Division, MC 174, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas  78711-3087, faxed to 512-239-0404, or e-mailed to asetteme@tceq.state.tx.us.  For further information or questions concerning these hearings, p[lease contact Ms. Settmeyer at 512-239-2588 or visit http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/compliance/field_ops/eapp/history.html.

The 2011 legislative session will begin in just over a month.  I've been compiling a list of proposed bills that may be of interest to geologists.  If you have any that I have missed, let me know and I'll include them.  Filing of proposed bills has begun and I currently have two on my list.  I'll be updating this list about once a month, unless something important comes up.  My list so far is:
 
SB-104, by Davis and Wendy, Relating to restriction on the release into the air of natural gas and an associated vapors from a gas well.  Filed 11/8/2010.  For more information go to:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB1054
 
SB-105, by Davis and Wendy, relating to a restriction on the formation in which certain commercial disposal wells permitted by the Railroad Commission of Texas may inject oil and gas waste.  "...applies only to a commercial disposal well...proposed to be located in a  hydrocarbon-producing geological formation that underlies all or part of two counties: (1) that are adjacent to one another; and (2) each of which has a population of more than 1.4 million.(b) A permit issued by the railroad commission for a commercial disposal well...that authorizes the disposal of oil and gas waste may authorize the disposal of the waste only in the Ellenberger formation or a deeper formation."  For more information go to:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB105
 
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
11/20/2010

Awards Night at the November 8 General Dinner Meeting
Students Receive HGS Awards
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mike Deming, Shannon Cavanaugh, Sandra Marek, Dolores Van der Kolk, Ananya Mallik ,
HGS President John Tubb in the back.
 
 
 Ananya Mallik  , Rice University                          Dolores Van der Kolk               
 
 
 Shannon Cavanaugh, Texas A&M         Sandra Marek, Stephen F Austin U
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Wise ReportHenry M. Wise, P.G.November 8, 2010
 

The Railroad Commission of Texas proposes new §11.136, relating to Uranium Exploration Permit Fees, to fund the regulatory program as necessary to implement the Commission's statutory authority for uranium exploration enacted by House Bill 3837, 80th Legislature (2007).  For more information go to:  http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/prop-new-11-136-permit-fees.pdf

 

Henry M. Wise, P.G.The Wise Report11/8/2010 

2010 AAPG Leadership Conference–Tulsa, Oklahoma
 
On August 27 at 7:10 AM it was 83 degrees F in Houston. When I landed at Tulsa at 8:40 AM it was 62 degrees F. Wow, What a difference! It stayed between 64 and 88 degrees all weekend. That was the good news. The bad news was I stayed inside all weekend in meetings. Other good news was that the meetings were humorous, entertaining, and educational. The Leadership Conference is held yearly in August at a resort hotel outside of Tulsa. The event is attended by Tulsa AAPG management staff, national elected AAPG officers, AAPG Committee Chairmen, Regional and Sectional Presidents, representatives of Sectional AAPG Young Professionals, and Student Chapter leaders from around the world. An extremely impressive group.After a very humorous and educational keynote speech, “The Power of Influence”, by Andrew L. Urich, JD, Puterbaugh Professor of Ethics & Legal Studies in Business, we split up into focus groups. The focus group that I found very interesting was entitled “AAPG in 2035”. It was led by AAPG President-Elect Paul Weimer and Regional Vice-Presidental candidate David Blanchard. The quote that preceded the discussion was from Niels Bohr: “Prediction is difficult, particularly when it concerns the future”. The discussion centered on what the AAPG would look like in 2035. We “crammed” a scheduled two-hour discussion into three hours and could have gone longer had we had more time available. After numerous scenarios and many predictions, we came to no conclusions (see above remark by Niels Bohr).
The discussions that interested me most concerned membership predictions. AAPG has a total membership of 31,887 as of July 1, 2010. The figure displayed here is a chart that was shown at the meeting. As you can see, the largest age groups are 51-60, students, and under 30. The concern for the AAPG is what will happen 10 years from now when most of the greater-than-51 age group is gone from the membership role. The two groups that have the potential to fill the gap are students and under 30. Students do not have a great record of remaining with the AAPG after graduation. The other areas of potential are the various international regions. The AAPG predicts a massive decrease in membership by 2020 if nothing is done to increase enrollment of the student, under 30, and international groups.
 
I have not done an age/percentage chart for the HGS, but I believe that our age distributions are similar to those of AAPG. This means that we need to emphasize increasing our membership, especially with the younger geoscientists in the Houston area. The NeoGeos Committee Chairman Carrie Kidd is leading an effort to get that group more involved in membership growth. They manned our exhibit booth at the recent NAPE using a laptop to sign up new members on the spot. They also have been at the last two technical talks to help recruit new members. Jeff Allen, a NeoGeos member, has recently volunteered to be chairman of the Membership Growth Committee of HGS. His enthusiasm and interest in membership should go a long way in helping alleviate a potential problem for the HGS.
 
Let’s all work to recruit new members.
Laissez les bon temps rouler
 

The Past Three Decades
Every so often one begins to feel somewhat nostalgic. As I put my pen to paper, that is the mood that I find myself in. I have been working as a petroleum geologist for more than three decades. When I look around the office there are very few faces that were here when I began. No, this is not going to be a melancholy essay, rather it will be one of surprise and change, a quick review of a journey of learning for myself and the industry.Much changed in the oil and gas industry over these three decades, so much so that it is difficult to find a starting a point. Perhaps we should begin with one of the more dramatic changes. The industry has contracted during the past 30 years. Just think of the “Seven Sisters”.There are only four surviving sisters – ExxonMobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP. This consolidation and reorganization continues today, with mergers and acquisition of service companies and the sale and purchase of major assets. Consolidation has also resulted in a contraction in the industry’s employment. I remembering hearing that the number of jobs lost in the US petroleum industry exceeded the losses of the US steel and auto industries combined. Furthermore, the relative roles of the national oil companies have grown, with several now becoming leaders in technology development. This too has changed the playing field.
Not only have there been changes to the business-side of the industry but the nature of our work has changed quite a bit. Some of these changes have resulted in significant improvements in our productivity. When I began, maps were drawn and colored by hand, seismic data were interpreted on paper records, and thousands of punch cards were used if we were actually using a computer. Today, maps are prepared by computer, seismic data are interactively interpreted at a workstation, and we interact with our computer through a keyboard and in some cases orally. But more importantly we view the technical-side of our business very differently. For example, I am a geochemist. I began my career looking at source rock attributes of shales and micrites. Very often members of my team were brought in after a well failed to help explain the lack of hydrocarbons or the presence of gas rather than oil in what everyone hoped was going to be an impact well. The exploration program tended to rely on the geophysicist to define the target and the stratigrapher to help identify potential reservoir bodies. As the industry became more knowledgeable about exploration risks, hydrocarbon charge took its seat at the table along with trap, seal, and reservoir. Now, with the growth of unconventional resources, and shale gas specifically, geochemistry actually helps define the play. Organic carbon and thermal maturity are often considered key elements.
 
An early project of mine was a regional assessment of the Gulf of Mexico. One of the more significant conclusions of the study was that there were multiple viable petroleum systems in the deepwater portion of the Gulf of Mexico. I was advised that although I could effectively document the presence of thermally mature oil-prone source rocks (oil was recovered from caprock at DSDP Site2 a decade earlier) there was little exploratory potential because of the lack of a viable reservoir. Similar arguments could have been made for many continental margins around the globe, with the recovery of Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary organic-rich black shales, many of which were also oil-prone, by the Deep Sea Drilling Project and the Ocean Drilling Program. In general, industry was working with the old paradigm that course clastics were not transferred to the deepwater portions of the basin but trapped in the rivers, estuaries, deltas, and on continental shelves. Sound science and brave management at a number of companies has changed that paradigm. Deepwater targets dominate the portfolios of many companies, with exploration targets extending into waters exceeding 10,000 feet and production occurring at depths greater than 5,000 feet.
 
Another change over these past three decades has been in the nature of the “prize”. When I began in the industry, natural gas was something to avoid, particularly internationally. Oil was the sole prize. Domestically, there was a market but internationally the term “stranded gas” was part of our lexicon as a result of lack of viable local markets and the inability to transport gas globally Today, gas has become a fungible commodity just as oil. Local markets are expanding, gas-to-liquids technology has developed, and LNG (liquefied natural gas) trade routes are developing across the different oceans. Our tools previously focused on oil exploration and development. With this broadening of the target, a new set of tools are being developed to aid in gas exploration and development. For example, the prediction and treatment of nonhydrocarbons gases is of growing importance, with many accumulations containing significant amounts of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and nitrogen. These nonhydrocarbons not only reduce BTU content, and hence value of the gas, the acid gases add costs associated with production and development and challenge technologies. Chevron’s Chuandongbei project in Sichuan Province, China, will deal with elevated hydrogen sulfide and their Gorgon project, Northwest Shelf, Australia, will become the largest CO2 sequestration project when completed.
 
If I have learned anything in the past three decades, and I hope that I have, it is that this “stodgy” industry of ours undergoes continuous transformation and is, in fact, a high tech industry. What I was doing thirty years ago is quite different from what I am I doing today. I have been forced to learn and evolve. When an applicant arrives for a job interview, I do my best to explain that successful employees have learned to adapt to the changing landscape and what they do today will not be what they will be doing when they are ready to retire. I also tell them that the only thing about the future that I can predict is that there will be change and that predictions are difficult. How do I feel about the past three decades? Like most of my generation in the industry there were several challenges. We had to survive through the uncertainties of multiple mergers and numerous downsizings. Overall, I have really enjoyed the technical challenges and associated rewards. Let’s see how long this ride can continue.
Until next month…

Click here to download PDF of Nov. 2010 Bulletin
 

BOB ARDELLBob Ardell is currently a petroleum consultant to Kossak Oil and Gas L.P. Bob has worked in the industry for over 40 years after graduating from Monmouth College with his bachelors and masters from Kansas State University.  His service to the profession began in New Orleans where he served as the editor of the NOGS Log and has continued at all levels of the profession. He has been a long-term member of the House of Delegates and also served on numerous support committees both regionally and nationally. He is a past chairman of the AAPG Foundation Associates and presently serves on the AAPG Foundation Corporation and on the audit committee of the Foundation.
 
 
 
 
PAUL BABCOCKPaul Babcock joined NFR Energy LLC in 2008 as Vice President-Geosciences. Prior to his post with NFR, he has held other executive and senior technical positions with Peoples Energy Production LLC, Burlington Resources/Meridian Oil and Mobil Oil/Superior Oil. Babcock received his Bachelor of Science in Geology from the State University of New York and completed graduate Geoscience and Engineering courses at the University of Houston. He is a Texas Licensed Professional Geoscientist. Paul Babcock has been an AAPG member for over 30 years, a delegate in his 12th year and was a GCAGS-section representative to the Advisory Council for 2 years. He has also been active in SIPES and the HGS organizations.
 
 
LEE BACKSEN

 
GEORGE BALL
 
SANDRA BARBER
 
KARA C. BENNETT
Kara C. Bennett has been an independent consulting geoscientist and prospect generator since 1994. Previously Kara worked at Gulf, Mobil, Amoco and more recently she was Chief Geoscientist at Rocksource Energy. She earned her B.S. in Geology from Florida Atlantic University and M.S. in Geology from the U. Florida in 1978.  She has been very active in the HGS, as committee chair (ConEd), Editor, Vice President, President-elect and 2008-09 HGS President. She currently chairs the HGS Advisory and Nominations Committees. She also originated and maintained the online HGS Jobs Hotline for the first 4 years. A member of AAPG and SIPES, she has chaired Continuing Education for the AAPG 2006 Annual Convention and served one term as an HOD delegate.
 
 
GEORGE BOLE
 
STEVEN BRACHMAN
 
PAUL WILLIAM BRITT
Paul William Britt is an independent geologist, consultant and President of Texplore since 1992. Paul has previously worked for Elf Aquitaine, Union Texas Petroleum, Michigan Wisconsin Pipeline and Exlog. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. in Geology in 1978. He has served on the HGS Board as Vice President, Bulletin Editor, Director and Treasurer as well as having chaired several committees. He is currently President of the AAPG Division of Professional Affairs, and has been active in SIPES, having held several national and local positions. He has served as a Delegate in the House for five terms since 1992 and has chaired several HOD committees.
 
 
 
MARTHA BROUSSARD
 
MARTIN M. CASSIDY
Martin M. Cassidy with Harvard BA geology, and newly married, moved to Corpus Christi in 1955 to work with Standard of Texas. We liked Texas and petroleum geology. After military duty, a M.S. degree from the Univ. Okla., two years of Ph.D. study at Harvard (ABD), with 3 children, returned to Texas in 1962 joining Amoco. Martin retired in 1994, and then earned a Ph.D. at the U. of H. He joined AAPG in 1963 being active in membership, the publication pipeline committee, and as an AAPG delegate for the last six years. With both domestic and international experience Martin believes that he can well represent the Houston geoscience community.
 
 
 
GARY P. CITRON
Gary P. Citron after a twenty year career at Amoco joined Pete Rose’s consulting firm in February 1999, which focuses on risk analysis. Gary became Pete’s first Partner in Rose & Associates, LLP in 2001 and is now the Managing Partner. In 1999 he served in AAPG’s Visiting Geologist Program. In 2001, he received the best paper award from the AAPG’s DPA, and in 2007 he was honored for delivering a ‘Top Ten Oral Presentation’ at the AAPG Long Beach convention. Gary currently serves on the AAPG Education committee and as an Associate Editor for the SPE. He is a Texas State certified and licensed Geologist who has authored more than a dozen publications.
 
 
GARY COBURN
 
JIM CORKEN
 
CHERYL DESFORGES
Cheryl Desforges has been privileged to have been allowed to practice geology in the petroleum industry since 1975. Her career path at various times has involved being an independent consultant, and working for a number of up-stream oil and technical service companies, including Atlantic-Richfield Company (ARCO), Sonat Exploration, Diamond Shamrock, J. M. Huber, Randall & Dewey, Ryder Scott, and Sabco Oil and Gas Corporation, my current position. Her career has offered her opportunities to develop skills in many facets of geologic evaluation spanning rank wildcat and regional trend exploration to field exploitation, as well as SEC reserve audit preparations, acquisition screening and divestment marketing. Her education includes a B.S. degree in Geology from Texas Christian University and a M.S. degree in Physical Science/Geology and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. She is a licensed Professional Geoscientist in the State of Texas and an active member in a number of professional organizations, including AAPG, HGS, SEPM, GSA and SEG.  She has held various volunteer and elected positions including HGS Treasurer-Elect/Treasurer 2005-2007;  Committee Chairman: Finance 2004-2005; Continuing Education 2004-2005; Publication Sales 1985-1989; Conference Co-Chairman 2005 “Coastal Subsidence, Sea Level and the Future of the Gulf Coast”; Regional Science Fair Awards/Interns Selection Committee 2004-2009, GCAGS Houston 2008 Treasurer, AAPG HOD 2007-2010. She would be pleased if HGS elects me to another AAPG HOD term.  

The Houston Geological Society conducted an Art, Essay and Photography contest to celebrate National Earth Science Week, October 9-16, 2010. The theme this year was “Exploring Energy". Click here to view the pictures of the winners.
Art Contest “Energy on Earth” 

 
First PlaceRebecca BrownVictoria Walker Elementary School   

 
Second PlaceBriana HernandezSan Jacinto Elementary  
 

 
Third PlaceKyndal CookSan Jacinto Elementary
Photography Contest: “We Depend on Energy”
 

 
First PlaceEric GoetheClear Lake High School  

 
Second PlaceLaurie France TrevinoRummel Creek Elementary 
 

 Third PlaceKatelyn MizeSt Joseph Catholic High School
Essay Contest: “How Energy Powers the Planet”
Essay 1st placeJennifer GreenBeresford School
Essay 2nd placeJody SettleBrazoswood High School
Essay 3rd placeArianna GrupeNew Caney Sixth Grade Campus

The Wise Report
October 24, 2010
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
 
The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists will be discussing Advisory Opinion Request #4 at the October 28, 2010 meeting of the General Issues Committee to be held at the Offices of Baker & Hostetler, LLP, 1000 Louisana, Suite 2000, Houston, Texas at 3:00 p.m. Paul C. Moore, P.G. has asked if you need to sign and seal a Phase II ESA report and attachments if that report follows the ASTM E1903 standard, is performed for the private use of a potential property purchaser, and is not submitted to a government agency?  If there is such a requirement, are there any circumstances where an exception applies?
 
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
10/24/2010

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
October 15, 2010
 
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is holding an open meeting on Petroleum Storage Tank (PST) Reimbursable Cost Specifications Rule Revisions on November 4, 2010. The meeting is open to the public and will provide a brief overview of changes being considered which may increase reimbursable costs at eligible sites.  Please go to http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/pst_rp/conferences.html for additional information.

 
The TCEQ has revised the PST Super Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to Compliance in Texas, RG-475.  This is a comprehensive guide to issues relating to PSTs, divided by subject into 14 modules and it can be found at:  http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/forms_pubs/pubs/rg/rg-475.html

 
At its open meeting on October 12, 2010, the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) adopted the amendments, new rules, and repeals in Chapter 11, the uranium rules.  The only rule that was not adopted is §11.136, concerning Uranium Exploration Permit Fees.  The proposed version of this rule has been withdrawn, and a new proposed version is scheduled to be presented at the RRC's next open meeting on November 2, 2010.  A copy of the adopted rules can be found at:  http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/adopt-repeal-and-new-and-amdmts-Ch11-Uranium-Oct12-2010.pdf
 

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

10/15/2010

Barry KatzTEKS, Taxes, and Earth Science Education
 
The extractive industries (oil, gas, and mining) are among the most important parts of the economy of the state of Texas. These industries account for about 11% of the state’s gross domestic product. They also account for at least 6% of the state’s tax revenue. Oil and gas provide for the employment of more than 350,000 Texas residents, whether born in the state or having migrated from elsewhere. When trickle down effects are accounted for, more than 700,000 people are employed as a result of the oil and gas industry in Texas. The oil and gas industries remain one of the reasons that Texas’ unemployment rate remains below the national average.
 
Clearly these industries are important to the state’s fiscal health. One would, however, be hard pressed to determine this through an examination of the state’s kindergarten through grade 12 science curriculum. You need to look very hard to find the earth science component. It is much easier to find biology, chemistry, and physics. Yes, the state does have among the strongest earth science programs at the university level, but without a strong K through 12 pipeline which feeds into these programs, why would someone decide to major in geology or geophysics? It almost appears that the school system is attempting to drive-out the inherent interest present in most students in fossils, rocks, and minerals, and the forces that change the face of this planet, such as glaciers, moving water, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
 
It may be argued that the extractive industries represent Texas’ past and present, and that the education of our children and grandchildren should focus on preparing them for the future. A look, however, at future energy source profiles indicates that hydrocarbons will remain important, accounting for more than 25% of the energy used.
With that as a foundation, let’s take a quick look at the earth science curriculum as a function of grade as represented by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

• Kindergarten – identification, description and observation of rocks, soil and water as resources.
• 1st grade – concepts of recycling of water, rocks, and soils
• 2nd grade – hydrologic cycle and natural resources
• 3rd grade – observation, measurement, and recording of forces that cause changes in objects. This includes changeson Earth caused by weathering, subsidence, and earthquakes.
• 4th grade – the effect of past events on the present and future of the Earth using fossils, and changes in growth,erosion, dissolution, weathering and flow. Testing soil properties to learn the effects of the oceans on land.
• 5th grade – examination of the formation of landforms through constructive and destructive processes and the formation of the Earth’s renewable, non-renewable, and inexhaustible resources
• 6th grade – the rock and hydrologic cycles as integrated systems and forces on Earth including, volcanic activity, tectonic uplift, and the flow of water.
• 7th grade – the alteration of Earth systems by natural and human activity.
• 8th grade – The sequence of events in the rock cycle, the role of oceans in climatic changes, and the impact of modifying the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles. Prediction of land features resulting from mountain building, beach erosion, land subsidence, and continental drift.

Beyond the eighth grade there are no earth science requirements. There has been a geology, meteorology, oceanography (GMO) offering, which is being replaced by an earth and space science class. In the GMO class, topics are taught such as plate tectonics, origin and composition of rocks and minerals, the rock cycle, processes and products of weathering, natural energy resources, interactions in the watershed, characteristics of oceans and the atmosphere, and global climate. Although a complete curriculum is present, very few students enroll in the class as a result of the limited time available for electives and the graduation requirements in biology, chemistry, and physics, which will have end of course (EOC) exams. Compare the 4688 students that completed GMO statewide in 2006-07 to the 337,443 that completed biology, 252,977 that completed chemistry, 93,363 students that completed physics, and the 258,234 students that completed integrated physics and chemistry (IPC).Although the expectations for some of the grades appear reasonable with respect to course content, the actual time allocated to the material is quite limited. For example, it is my understanding that in the fifth grade only two weeks are allocated to earth sciences, with generally only an hour dedicated to science each day. Even smaller amounts of time per day are typically set aside for science in the lower grades. Furthermore, very often the teachers are ill prepared to present the material themselves, as only a few have been exposed to earth science while in school. This limited exposure and the lack of formal training in the earth sciences may explain why fifth grade students tested statewide in the sciences between 2006 and 2009 received the lowest grade in earth science. Nearly a quarter of the students were unable to establish a sequence of events or identify and describe the importance of earth materials as renewable, non-renewable, or inexhaustible resources. Eighth grade test results were even more disappointing, with only slightly more than half of the students being able to analyze the regional effects of erosion and weathering as well as how natural and/or human events may contribute to the extinction of species. These results explain the recommendations made at the Texas Education Agency 2009 Science Update Conference by Heydrick et al. to focus attention on earth and space science.
 
Clearly a gap exists between the importance of earth science to the state’s economy and the education program. How may we work to close this gap? There are a number of possible solutions. Pick an elementary or middle school and donate a few hours to help present the earth science content. Who better than a real geologist or geophysicist to present this information to a class to get them excited about science that continues to challenge and excite each one of us? If you need presentation material let the HGS know, we will share resources. Bring along your rock, mineral, or fossil collection and have the kids describe what they are seeing and then you can explain the significance of their observations. Request a geologic map of the US from HGS. Discuss it with the students and then present it the school. Review and discuss the earth science curriculum, with teachers,administrators, and local and state officials. Make sure that the relevant concepts are being presented and that sufficient time is made available to master these concepts. Ensure that all involve understand that earth science is much more than “rocks for jocks”. Inform the teachers you know of the HGS Earth Science Week (October 9-16) activities, which are described elsewhere in this month’s Bulletin and take advantage of the activities yourself. Remember that if we don’t become involved we don’t have the right to complain.
 Until next month…

Where We Live
Did you notice the cover of this month’s Bulletin? It shows a mosaic of where our members live around the world, especially in the Houston area. This was based on 3810 members from the 2008 HGS-GSH Directory. Over 2000 members reside in the Greater Houston area. Can you find your home? I could.The green stars show the location of most of our technical sessions: General Luncheon downtown, General Meeting at the Westchase Hilton on Westheimer, and the Northsiders luncheon in the Greenspoint area. The Petroleum Club and the Westchase Hilton locations match up very well with the heaviest membership population centers. The Northsiders meeting is a luncheon held in the Greenspoint area where several large petroleum companies have offices. As far as I know, no meeting has been tried for the Kingwood area or the area northeast of Highway 290. The Northsider group tried an evening meeting in the Woodlands area several years ago with very little attendance. It was believed that when the Woodlands area members arrived home from downtown, it was too late to go to HGS meetings.
 
I can do ideas, and I can do data, but I cannot do graphics. Thanks go to Greg Murrie with Inexs for doing the graphic’s magic for me.
In other news, the Technofest held this past July was a great success. We had geoscientists attend from Midland, San Antonio, and Dallas. Next year, Technofest has been scheduled for July 21, 2011 at the Westin Oaks Hotel in the Galleria. Plan to attend. Congratulations to Deborah Sacrey, Bonnie Milne, Jim Grubb, and Rene Mott for putting on this great program.
 
Thanks go to Rosemary Laidecker for volunteering to be the Chairman of the Continuing Education Committee. We did not have a Chairman last year, although Thom Tucker did yeoman’s duty as acting Chair. This committee plans and runs conferences and short courses throughout the year. If you have any ideas for an event, please contact Rosemary at rmlgeo@gmail.com.
Our first social event — the Golf Tournament — takes place at the Kingwood Country Club the 25th of this month. This event is chaired by Mark Dennis and is always well attended, so get your reservations in soon!
Laissez les bon temps rouler

Click here to download PDF of Oct. 2010 Bulletin
 

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
September 12, 2010
 
The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) has issued a draft advisory opinion (AOR #3).  This draft advisory opinion was brought about due to a question of a client who would only pay for a technician to oversee and log the drilling of a soil boring or monitoring well.  In a nutshell, this opinion states that a PG is responsible and it is up to him to determine whether he or some other person, who is qualified in the mind of the overseeing PG, should be in the field performing the work.  The full text of the advisory opinion request can be found at:  http://www.tbpg.state.tx.us/Advisory-Opinions.html
 
Comments should be made to the TBPG by October 17, 2010.
 
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
9/12/2010

What is in a Bulletin
 
This summer is proving to be very productive. My goal was to develop a plan for the 2010-11 HGS Bulletin. I believe that my time has been well spent. I have met with my editorial team, discussed some ideas with colleagues and family members, and also reviewed some of the other geosciences news magazines. After some thought, I have decided that my musings this year will cover a broad range of topics including the education of our children and grandchildren, changes in our science and business over the past thirty years (i.e., what has happened over my career), individual professional development, and the events of 2010, which appears to be a year to remember.
 
This month I will acquaint readers with the processes that transform a few articles and advertisements into a high quality, professional journal. The Bulletin is posted monthly on the HGS website, but it remains available to all members in hard copy; a service which has become less common. The income generated from advertisers helps enable HGS to provide this service.
The editorial and production teams work on a very tight production schedule during the last two weeks of each month to produce the 64+ pages of monthly content. The timeline was developed to ensure a targeted delivery by the first of each month for the greater Houston-based membership. For those who live outside of Houston and overseas, the HGS staff hopes that delivery remains timely enough for the material to be useful.
 
Mechanics are important but I continue to believe that content is the key to the success of the Bulletin. The backbone for each monthly issue remains the extended technical abstracts for the six HGS monthly meetings. Each month we target to include abstracts for two General Meetings (a luncheon and dinner meeting), an International Meeting, a North America Meeting, a Northsiders Meeting, and an Environmental and Engineering Meeting. It is our aim to ensure, along with those responsible for each of the monthly meetings, that the topics are timely and that there is sufficient technical content in the abstract and associated figures to standalone and provide value to those members unable to attend. The Bulletin also publishes the extended abstract each month for the Houston Chapter of SIPES.
 
In addition, the Bulletin will publish technical notes that are considered of potential interest to the membership. When a note is received, a rapid technical review is undertaken, normally by someone other than the editorial team. If no fatal flaw is detected in the manuscript, it is copy-edited and published typically in the next issue to be assembled. So if there is something technically interesting that you would like to share with the membership, please feel free to forward your manuscript to the Editor.
 
The Bulletin publishes two editorials each month, one prepared by the HGS President and a second by the Editor. Strictly speaking there are no clear rules as to content or length of these editorials. They tend to address topics that are of concern and interest to both the individual at the keyboard and, we hope, the general membership. The editorials may focus on issues facing HGS members, as well as the profession in general, or may simply highlight an interesting professional or personal event. The board encourages each of our members to let us know your thoughts and whether we have hit or missed the target. Please remember that letters to the editor can expand beyond commenting on the thoughts of the President and the Editor.
 
We are also open to publishing member news, as long as it does not represent a business advertisement. The Bulletin continues to highlight news and events important to members and their spouses. This is reflected in part in two monthly columns, the Government Update and the Houston Petroleum Auxiliary Council (HPAC) News, a monthly calendar and listing of geo-events. These regular items are supplemented with detailed announcements of events sponsored by HGS and associated organizations, such as Guest Night, the various tournaments, and major national or regional meetings to be held in the greater Houston area. Following these various events, reviews and reports are sought and published. We also attempt to keep the membership informed of the major actions and activities of the various HGS committees.
 
Every year the HGS honors individuals for their service and achievements. Citations for HGS awards (Honorary Memberships, President’s Awards, Outstanding Service Awards, and HGS outstanding student awards and scholarship winners) are published annually. An issue of the Bulletin is also dedicated to inform the membership about the candidates for the HGS Board and now the AAPG House of Delegates. The staff hopes that sufficient information is provided so that you, the members, can make intelligent decisions when selecting our future leaders. Let us know if this helps or if more information is needed.
 
Other items that are considered for publication include book reviews, photographs, and cartoons. We are always looking for reviews of geology related books, including geologist’s memoirs, new technical publicat ions (compilat ion volumes and monographs), and field guides. So if you have recently read something that you would like to comment on or share your opinion with HGS members, please send the information to the office or the Editor.
Photographs with geologic appeal are in great demand for use on the covers of the Bulletin and throughout as fillers. In addition, photographs from all of the society’s meetings and socials are welcome. Are there any hidden artists out there? Original cartoons would also be appreciated. So what goes into the Bulletin? In simplest terms it contains news and technical information. However, our journal can include anything that you, the members, are interested in and willing to help create.
Until next month…

John Tubb, Jr.
A New Start…A New HGS Year.
By the time that you read this Bulletin we will be two months into my term in office. I am looking forward to this year as we are planning on it being a very active one!
 
We started off with TechnoFest on July 22nd. Deborah Sacrey and her committee of Jim Grubb, Bonnie Milne, and Rene Mott put together an expanded program this year. In the past TechnoFest had exhibits on display from 3:30-7:00 p.m. This year TechnoFest had a luncheon with a guest speaker, morning and early afternoon oral sessions, and ended with a late afternoon exhibit session. This will be the model for future TechnoFest conferences.
 
On September 8-9 HGS — PESGB will hold their 9th International Conference on African E&P at the Westchase Marriott. Al Danforth and his committee have worked hard to put together this two-day program of talks along with technical posters and exhibits from sponsoring companies. This conference alternates yearly between Houston and the PESGB of Great Britain. All booths for this event were sold out by June!
 
Frank Walles and his committee will present their Applied Geoscience Mudstones Conference on February 7-8, 2011. This conference has been hugely successful in the past and promises to be again next year. It centers on mudstone system characterization to help improve exploitation of U. S. Gulf Region mudstone “Shale Gas/Oil” reservoirs. Make sure and save the date for this one.
 
In addition to the above major events, we will have our usual technical talks (4-6 times per month), continuing education offerings, and social events (Guest Night, Skeet Shoot, Golf, Tennis, and Shrimp Peel). The national AAPG Convention will be in Houston in April 2011. Steve Levine and his committees are hard at work on convention planning. All of the above activities are made possible by the large number of dedicated volunteers. We have 47 committees manned by about 125 volunteers. We are always in need of new volunteers. If you would like to participate, contact Sue Pritchett, Volunteer Coordinator, at pritchettsue@gmail.com.
Increasing the HGS membership is a goal for this year. Increasing the membership is easy to say, but it is devilishly difficult to accomplish. We have approximately 3626 members at the present time, down from a high of 5500 members in 1991. Encourage your friends and coworkers to join HGS. The dues for the year are only $24 which is a tremendous bargain. My wife and I cannot go to the movies for less. Our society is the best networking tool in the industry. We don’t want you to miss a thing!
The HGS sponsors two scholarship funds: the Calvert Memorial for graduate students and the HGS Foundation Fund for undergraduate students. At the GCAGS Directors’ meeting this spring, the Directors approved a $10,000 matching fund for both of these scholarships. The HGS Board has also approved to match $10,000 for each of these funds. The scholarship funds have until June 30, 2011 to raise the $10,000 in order to be eligible to receive both matching funds. This means that if you donate $100 to either scholarship fund, they will receive $300. This is a tremendous way for the scholarship funds to increase their total endowment. This can be achieved by going to the HGS Webpage and clicking on Donate to the HGS Scholarship Funds. In this section you can donate money to either or both of the scholarship funds. Let’s all get behind this very worthwhile endeavor of making more money available for scholarships.
Laissez les bon temps rouler

Click here to download PDF of Sep. 2010 Bulletin
 

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

August 22, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

8/22/2010

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

August 14, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

8/14/2010

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

Themes for ACE 2011 are:

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

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

For booth sales or sponsorship information please contact Mike Taylor.