The Wise Report

The USGS has assessed water quality from 6,600 wells in regionally extensive aquifers that supply most of the groundwater pumped for the nation's drinking water, irrigation, and other uses. A series of new USGS reports highlight how geology, hydrology, geochemistry, and chemical use affect the concentrations of individual contaminants in groundwater. Regional summaries of where and why groundwater is vulnerable to contamination now are available. The report that includes the Texas Gulf Coast can be found at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1356/. Links to the other reports can be found on the same page. Michael D. Campbell, with I2M Associates, LLC announced the [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:13:20-05:00January 24th, 2015|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

During the mid-1990s, the Institute of Environmental Technology (IET), consisting of associates of the Environmental Litigation Associates (ELA) and other senior environmental professionals in the Houston area, taught a 4-month program designed to cross-train professional refugees from a depressed oil and gas industry for the purpose of finding employment in an expanding environmental industry. Over more than 5 years, some 400 geologists, engineers, and other professionals graduated from that program, most of whom found meaningful professional employment. When the oil and gas activity returned a few years later, the graduates offered a better background to potential employers than before [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:13:40-05:00January 17th, 2015|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

The EPA is proposing new rules for in situ mining. A number of states, including Texas, already have many or all of these rules in place. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy signed a draft of the proposed rules on Dec. 31. A 90-day public-comment period on the new "Health and Environmental Protection Standards for Uranium and Thorium Mill Tailings" opens when the final draft is published in the Federal Register. The publication date is uncertain. An EPA fact sheet on the new rules says that the original standards were issued 1983 and revised in 1995. Since that time, [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:13:56-05:00January 17th, 2015|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) proposes amendments to clarify the definition of "Geoscience Firm" and remove the Geoscience Firm registration requirements currently applicable to a Professional Geoscientist who offers or performs non-exempt geoscience work for the public in Texas as a sole proprietor; remove the restriction that requires a new licensee to report to the TBPG within 60 days of becoming licensed the name of the firm or organization with which the licensee is employed if the employment includes the practice of geoscience; remove the registration and renewal fees for sole-proprietorships; and remove the restriction that a [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:14:15-05:00December 26th, 2014|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) proposes amendments to clarify the definition of "Geoscience Firm" and remove the Geoscience Firm registration requirements currently applicable to a Professional Geoscientist who offers or performs non-exempt geoscience work for the public in Texas as a sole proprietor. TBPG proposes amendments to remove the restriction that requires a new licensee to report to TBPG within 60 days of becoming licensed the name of the firm or organization with which the licensee is employed if the employment includes the practice of geoscience. TBPG proposes amendments to remove the registration and renewal fees for [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:14:32-05:00December 21st, 2014|AIPG-TX News|

AIPG-TX Board published report / articles

Members of the AIPG-TX Board, President Henry M. Wise and VP-Eastern Texas Michael D. Campbell have published a report and a series of articles at: /commodities

By admin|2025-08-04T20:15:12-05:00November 30th, 2014|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

While the State Legislature meets in January, bills are already being filed. There are currently eight filed bills that may be of interest to Texas geologists: HB 163, by Larson, Relating to interstate cooperation to address regional water issues. Sets up the Southwest Water Commission to discuss water needs of the region with other states and Mexico. Filed 11/10/2014. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=84R&Bill=HB163 HB 190, by Burkett, Relating to the regulatory analysis of rules proposed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Sets up guidelines for TCEQ analyses. Filed 11/10/2014. For more information go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=84R&Bill=HB190 HB [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:15:33-05:00November 26th, 2014|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

The TCEQ has made several minor revisions to the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) Tier 1 Protective Concentrations Levels (PCLs) which were released in early September 2014. The revised tables, dated November 12, 2014 will replace the September 2014 tables. You can access the revised tables using the link: http://www.tceq.texas.gov/remediation/trrp/trrppcls.html The 2014 PCL tables are a single Microsoft Excel workbook, with each table on a separate worksheet. The tables are also presented as a print only Adobe Acrobat portable document format (PDF) file. The Excel file and the PDF file each contain PCL tables 1 through 10 and the [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:15:52-05:00November 15th, 2014|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

Consistent with changes enacted into state law in 2013, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will return to being the sole preconstruction air-permitting authority in Texas, including for permits that address greenhouse gas emissions. This change marks a departure from the previous two-tiered system in which the TCEQ issued federally required Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits for “traditional” pollutants and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued PSD permits for greenhouse-gas emissions. To foster continued economic prosperity in Texas, the state has worked diligently to become the greenhouse-gas permitting authority while also vigorously opposing select components of the [...]

By admin|2025-08-04T20:16:11-05:00November 1st, 2014|AIPG-TX News|

The Wise Report

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's (TCEQ's) publication "Natural Outlook" has an interesting article on the EPA's proposed new ozone standards. It appears that the proposed ozone standard may actually increase the number of potential deaths in some areas, like Houston and Los Angeles. To read the entire article, go to: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/sip/eighthour.html Henry M. Wise, P.G. The Wise Report

By admin|2025-08-04T20:16:27-05:00October 4th, 2014|AIPG-TX News|