FactSheet on Geoscience in Texas

Workforce in Texas

  • 59,000: geoscience employees (non-federal/self-employed) in 20151
  • $103,500: average median geoscience employee salary1
  • 270,000: jobs in extractive industries in 20152
  • 80: academic geoscience departments3

Water in Texas

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Petrossian and Team Release TWDB Transborder Aquifers Report

Rima Petrossian, Ph.D., P.G., C.P.G., Manager of the Groundwater Technical Assistance Group of the Texas Water Development Board and her team just released: Texas Water Development Board Groundwater Management Report 17-01;  TWDB Trans-Border Aquifers Report: A Summary of Aquifer Properties, Policies, and Planning Approaches for Texas, Surrounding States, and Mexico (here).  Dr. Petrossian also serves as Vice President – Western Texas, of the American Institute of Professional Geologists.

Groundwater in Texas is a valuable natural resource shared with eight national and international states: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, in the United States; and Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila de Zaragoza, and Chihuahua, in Mexico. Of the 30 Texas aquifers that provide groundwater, 23 are shared with one or more other states. Internationally, Mexico and Texas share four major aquifers and three minor aquifers, based on the Texas definition of aquifers.

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The Wise Report

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) proposes amendments to §851.10 and §851.30 to clarify the definition and role of an “Authorized Official of a Firm” (AOF).

Proposed amendments to §851.80 amend language to establish a proctored review of a Texas Geophysics Examination for a fee, and provide a reduction of the renewal fee to half price for a person who has a medical disability.

Proposed amendments to §851.20 clarify that an applicant who is not a citizen of the United States must provide a copy of a VISA or a Social Security Number.

Proposed amendments to §851.23 provide an alternate process for applicants who cannot provide a professional reference to verify qualifying work experience.

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