AIPG-TX News | AIPG-TX

16 Apr, 2019

Texas Legislature Hearing on HB-1311

All Texas AIPG Members:

The following link is streaming video from hearings on HB-1311, regarding the Texas Board Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) in Austin, Texas:

http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=45&clip_id=14257

The pertinent testimony begins at 1 hr., 8 minutes, and runs through 1 hr., 32 minutes. See the time bar below the screen to adjust the time into the video.

See Texas House Bill citation:

HB 1311, by Senfronia Thompson, Flynn, Lambert, Paddie, Nevarez, Watson, identical to SB 609, Relating to the continuation and functions of the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists. Scheduled for public hearing on 4/16/2019. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB1311

See Texas Senate Bill citation:

SB 609, by Watson, Birdwell, Buckingham, and Nichols, identical to HB 1311, Relating to the continuation and functions of the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists. Referred to Business & Commerce, 2/21/2019. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=SB609

13 Apr, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

The Wise Report

The State Legislature is now in session and bills are being filed and worked on. See Highlighted HB and SB concerning the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists.

New information is listed in bold (0 new bills listed):

HOUSE BILLS:

HB 223, by Reynolds, Relating to the funding through greenhouse gas emissions fees of energy efficiency programs administered by certain utilities; authorizing a fee. Referred to State Affairs, 2/19/2019. For more information go to: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB223

HB 225, by Reynolds, Relating to the analysis of inspection and maintenance requirements for air quality permits issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for certain oil and gas facilities. Regulates fugitive emissions from all oil field equipment, the use of venting and flaring, etc. Referred to Environmental Regulation, 2/19/2019. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB225

HB 245, by Farrar, Relating to a requirement to make certain environmental and water use permit applications available online. “The applicant shall post a copy of the application on a publicly accessible Internet website and provide to the commission the address of that website.” Referred to Environmental Regulation, 2/19/2019. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB245

04 Apr, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

Texas House Bill Passes by Wide Majority, Now to Senate

Sunset Update – Texas Legislature Activities

HGS’s Clint Moore reports that folks should use the following link that takes you to the House bill, and then click the “companions” tab and you will see Senate bill 609, which is still in committee over on the senate side.

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB1311

HB 1311 was passed with 121 yes, 16 no, with about a dozen absent or not voting. Some absent either did not get to their desk fast enough to vote or were otherwise not pushing the button on their desk. So, check back tomorrow for a final vote tally. The absent dozen can vote long after the initial floor vote is posted.

Now, on to the Senate, Need to get it set on calendar for a committee hearing. The bill’s sponsor Sen. Watson is not on the Bus. & Commerce Committee, whose Vice Chair is Nichols, fortunately Nichols is listed as a co-author of the bill with Watson. Need to ask Nichols to get it on the committee calendar next step.

31 Mar, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

The Wise Report

The Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is under review, as required every five years. This MOU addresses the TCEQ’s environmental reviews of TxDOT highway (transportation) projects. The updated MOU removes unnecessary definitions and simplifies the coordination process, so that coordination is only required on transportation projects that require environmental impact statements, supplemental environmental impact statements, or environmental assessments. The public comment period is April 12 to May 13, 2019. The public hearing date is anticipated to be May 9, 2019. For more information go to: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/legal/rules/rule_lib/proposals/17008007_pex.pdf

31 Mar, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

MARCH 31 UPDATE: Monitoring House Bill Activities

MARCH 31 UPDATE: MONITORING HOUSE BILL ACTIVITIES: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/BillStages.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB1311

Henry M. Wise, President of AIPG Texas Section, has heard from his contacts that now is the time. The final stretch of getting the amended Texas Geoscience Act reauthorized is here. Senate and House Bill 1311 currently being considered by the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee and will be voted on in the immediate future, even as early as tomorrow. As with most of life, timing is everything. TGC has been following the lead of our lobbyist about when the proper time would be for us to call our representatives to tell them we want them to support the bill. They tell us that there are two well known organization opposing the bill. We need 30 Republicans to support the bill, but they are not so unified. So, we are asking all licensed geoscientists who are in republican districts to call and email their representatives asking for them to support the bill.

24 Mar, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

The Wise Report

Effective March 22, 2019, the TCEQ PST Program has revised the Plan A Target Concentrations for Leaking Petroleum Storage Tank (LPST) releases. The new Target Concentrations for soil and groundwater reflect the PAH toxicity parameters, as revised by United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in March 2017 and the chemical/physical factors as posted by the Technical Support Section of the Remediation Division. The seven (7) affected PAH constituents are:

Benz(a)anthracene
Benzo(a)pyrene
Benzo(b)fluoranthene
Benzo(k)-fluoranthene
Chrysene
Dibenz(a,h)anthracene
Indeno-1,2,3-cd-pyrene

The revised Plan A Target Concentrations apply target risk goals as established in the PST rules (Chapter 334, Subchapter G, Section 203.(1) (I) and (J)) and the methodologies developed in the regulatory guidance, Risk-Based Corrective Action for LPST Sites (RG-523/PST-03). All methodologies, default values, and exposure factors used in the equations are supported by ASTM standards (E-1739-95) and US EPA.

22 Mar, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

SIPES Field Trip to the Palo Duro Canyon – May 3 to 5, 2019

To All AIPG Members:

Here is the announcement on the SIPES Dallas Field Trip to the Palo Duro Canyon. Dr. Holbrook (TCU sedimentology professor) has been instrumental in getting this field trip together. He has a graduate student, Grayson Lamb, who has been studying the Dockum Group in the canyon for his master’s thesis. Apparently Grayson has encountered some really interesting aspects of the Dockum Group.

19 Mar, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

The Wise Report

The State Legislature is now in session and bills are being filed and worked on. New information is listed in bold (0 new bills listed):

House Bills:

11 Mar, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

The Wise Report

The State Legislature is now in session and bills are being filed and worked on. New information is listed in bold (34 new bills listed):

27 Feb, 2019

By AIPG-TX News

Additional Councilors-at-Large Appointed to the Advisory Board of the Texas Section of AIPG

Henry M. Wise, P.G., C.P.G., President of the AIPG Texas Section, announced today that in a move to widen the representation of AIPG in Texas, three additional Councilors-at-Large were just appointed from a field of candidates during and confirmed after deliberations of the February AIPG Texas Section Board Teleconference. These are:

G. Boyd Handley, Jr., P.G., JD., C.P.G., Houston…..in District IV

Hughbert Collier, Ph.D., P.G., C.P.G., Stephenville…..in District III

Kevin J. Smart, Ph.D., P.G., C.P.G., San Antonio.…..in District II

On another matter, President Wise announced that Glen Collier, P.G., C.P.G. is retiring from the Advisory Board and will be phasing out of his consulting company, Hydrex Environmental, Inc. Nacogdoches, Texas over the coming months. Henry Wise, Officers, and Advisory Board Members thank Mr. Collier for his substantial contributions to the Texas Section of AIPG during the past few years, including his service in chairing the Scholarship Committee (more), and for hosting the 2018 GeoDayz Training Program held in Nacogdoches, Texas. His steady advice and council were always well considered by the Officers and other members of the Board. His absence will be missed.

This post was simultaneously announced on the AIPG National website Section News: http://aipg.org/sectionnews