Henry Wise, President of the AIPG Texas Chapter, and the AIPG-TX Board announced today that AIPG-TX now has a social media account at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIPGTexas It’s now up to all of us to use it and encourage others to do so as well.
The Texas Legislature is now in session and bills are being filed and worked on. New information are shown in bold. HB 632, by Darby, Relating to the establishment of an advisory committee for the TexNet seismic monitoring program. Filed 11/23/2020. For more information go to: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=HB632 HB 666, by Harris, Companion bills HB 668 (Duplicate) and SB 152 (Identical), Relating to the regulation of groundwater conservation districts. A person with groundwater ownership and rights may petition the district to adopt modify a rule. This bill lists what the petition must contain. Filed 11/30/2020. For more information go to: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=HB666 HB 668, by Harris, Companion [...]
Be sure to review the list of YouTube videos made available by the Houston Geological Society: https://www.youtube.com/user/HGSGeoEducation/videos Also see the First Virtual AAPG ACE Conference presentations by the Energy Minerals Division and Astrogeology Committee: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI3dyuNS2IhDZA7qjdwte3Q For the full versions of the Uranium (Nuclear & REE) Committee presentations: "Uranium and Nuclear Power are on the Move ... Again" See YouTube video and reference PDF with active links in comments below: https://i2mconsultants.com/downloads/corp/UCOM-Issues2020ShortSlides.pdf and "Sources of Rare Earth Elements in the U.S. and around the World" See YouTube video with reference PDF with active links in comments below: https://i2mconsultants.com/downloads/corp/REE-EMDPresentation8-31-20.pdf
By the numbers: Texas 54,266 geoscience employees (excludes self-employed)1 7.2 billion gallons/day: total groundwater withdrawal3 $5.22 billion: value of nonfuel mineral production in 20174 254 total disaster declarations, including 154 fire, 36 flood, and 20 hurricane disasters (1953-2017)⁶ $70.2 million: NSF GEO grants awarded in 201714 Your State Source for Geoscience Information Texas Bureau of Economic Geology The University of Texas at Austin University Station, Box X Austin, TX 78713-8924 http://www.beg.utexas.edu/ 512-471-1534 Workforce in Texas 54,266 geoscience employees (excludes self-employed) in 20171 $107,652: average median geoscience employee salary1 39 academic geoscience departments2 Water Use in Texas 7.2 billion gallons/day: [...]
Henry Wise, P.G., CPG, President of the AIPG Texas Section, announced the Texas Board approval and appointment of Dr. Melissa Hill, P.G.,CPG as the new Vice-President for Western Texas. Dr. Hill began her professional career at Southwest Research Institute while working on her M.S. in Geology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She pursued a Ph.D. in Geology at the University of South Florida while working as a hydrologist at the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Her Ph.D. research focused on karst springs and numerical simulations of both laminar and turbulent flow in the Upper Floridan Aquifer. After [...]
Michael D. Campbell, I2M’s Chief Geologist (and VP-Eastern Texas - AIPG Texas Chapter), and Chairman of UCOM said in a recent AAPG - EMD virtual conference that serious competition is now underway to determine which energy source will dominate the power-grid of the foreseeable future. With coal declining rapidly, only natural gas, uranium (and nuclear power), hydroelectric power, and renewables (wind and solar) are in the running. Both natural gas and nuclear power are providing back-up to the power grid because of the inherent drawbacks of wind and solar, (where the former does not blow all the time and [...]
The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) has approved the bipartisan Bill that includes a yearly program for a national strategic uranium reserve. EPW Senate committee chairperson Senator John Barrasso stated on Thursday that the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act would promote US international leadership, preserve America's nuclear fuel supply chain, prevent more carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere, and protect economic, energy and national security. "The bipartisan Nuclear Infrastructure Act is broad reaching legislation, important for supporting the US nuclear fuel industry, national security and clean energy. The legislation will provide a clear path for implementation [...]
The Two-Year On-Ramp for Geoscience Training & Editorial: How to Combat Bullying and Discrimination in the Geosciences of Academia Also see AIPG All-Texas Student Chapter (here). For any questions, e-mail: President of the Texas Section of AIPG Henry M. Wise, P.G., C.P.G.
Presented by Ron Wallace, CPG One hour webinar on Environmental Career Opportunities for Geologists. -Different Services Consultants Offer -Types of Work for New Employees -Other Companies that Offer Services to Consultants that Hire Geologists -Geotechnical Services -State and Federal Programs
The Texas Legislature will be back in session January 12, 2021 through May 31, 2021. On November 9, 2020 bills began to be filed. I’m currently checking these bills and have not found any of general interest to geologists in Texas. As usual, I’ll be filing updates as new bills come in. The Senate Committee on Appropriations has released drafts of fiscal year 2021 funding measures and subcommittee allocations that include $150 million for the U.S. Uranium Reserve (https://bit.ly/3ljJUj8). Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby's statement noted: "By and large, these bills are the product of bipartisan cooperation among members [...]