PENNSYLVANIA COUNCIL of
PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS
 

Members Applaud PCPG's 2012 Annual Meeting

Posted January 23, 2012:  PCPG’s Annual Meeting on January 19, 2012 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg‐Hershey continued what is becoming a tradition of highly informative and entertaining presentations by leading state geologists and regulators.  More than 80 PCPG members and guests were in attendance to interact with their peers and learn the latest news and activities from PA DEP, the PA Geological Survey, the State Registration Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, and PA DCNR's role in shale gas development.

2011 was a spectacular year for PCPG with many accomplishments and growth across our core missions of advocacy, education, and networking.  While certainly pleased with our progress, 2012 is poised to be an even greater year and we look forward to your participation!

Keynote & Presentations

The keynote address was provided by Marcus Kohl, DEP's Director of Regional Coordination and Program Evaluation.  Mr. Kohl discussed the reorganization and formulation of the new DEP bureaus, as well as the efforts that DEP is making toward consistency among regional offices and greater interaction between DEP programs.

State Geologist George E. Love, PG (Director of the PA Geological Survey) provided a comprehensive overview of new and ongoing projects at the Survey, including projects that will generate and share impartial data related to shale gas, update the Commonwealth's well inventory, and continue efforts toward an online geologic library.  DCNR Deputy Secretary and PA State Forester Daniel A. Devlin related DCNR's history of managing gas development in State Parks and how the recent Marcellus play compares, from both financial and technical/regulatory perspectives.  Thomas D. Gillespie, PG, President of the State Registration Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, showed an often-hilarious summary of pitfalls in applying for PG licensure and what the Board needs to see in a successful application.  Attendees can log 175 minutes toward their continuing education requirements (3.5 PDHs in PA).

Representatives of associate member firms TestAmerica, Environmental Equipment & Supply, ALS Environmental, and Eichelbergers Well Drilling were on hand throughout the afternoon sessions with displays and information to assist with project related questions.

PCPG Board of Directors Election Results

After tabulating our member's electronic votes, PCPG is pleased to announce the election of Mark Ioos, PG (Skelly & Loy, Harrisburg) to the PCPG Board of Directors.  Also re-elected to the Board were incumbents Jennifer O'Reilly, PG (GES, Exton) and Past-President James LaRegina, PG (Herbert, Rowland and Grubic, Harrisburg).  PCPG also offers its sincere gratitude for the service provided to the organization by outgoing board member Dennis Bell, PG (Skelly & Loy, Harrisburg).

PCPG also sincerely thanks out-going President Jeffrey Leberfinger, PG for his service and commitment to PCPG during 2011.  We are also excited to welcome new President Louis Vittorio, Jr., PG (EarthRes Group, Pipersville) and President-Elect Jennifer O'Reilly, PG (GES, Exton) in their new executive roles.

Networking & Prizes

PCPG would also like to heartily thank ALS Environmental, Eichelbergers, and TestAmerica for sponsoring the networking reception that followed the Annual Meeting.  The reception commenced with an exciting raffle, including a grand prize of an Apple iPad 2, and we are pleased to announce the following winners:

  • iPad 2 -- Brian Beckfield (Dawood Engineering)
  • PCPG Courses -- Rich Hazenstab (York County Solid Waste Authority), Doug McKee (ATC Associates), and Angela Reed (student)
Thank you to all who made PCPG's Annual Meeting a success.  We look forward to seeing you at future PCPG events.

 

PCPG Testifies in Support of Water Well Construction Standards

Posted January 11, 2012: The Chair of PCPG's Government Affairs Committee, Donald R. Wagner, PG, provided testimony to the House Consumer Affairs Committee on January 10, 2012 in support of House Bill 1855 (Miller-R), concerning water well construction standards.

PCPG has long recognized the need for private water well construction regulations to protect human health and safety and Pennsylvania’s valuable water resources, and accordingly, PCPG recommends that House Bill 1855 apply to all water wells drilled or constructed in the Commonwealth, excluding those water wells for which well construction standards are already established under the authority of existing legislation (such as the Oil and Gas Act or the Safe Drinking Water Act).

As part of its testimony, PCPG offered five general comments regarding the proposed legislative text:

1)  PCPG recommends that the scope of HB 1855 cover all private water wells, the construction or decommissioning of which are not otherwise regulated under the authority of existing legislation.

2)  HB 1855 currently defines a “water well owner” as the person who owns the land on which the water well is located.  PCPG notes that in some circumstances, such as off-site monitoring or remediation wells, the well owner may not be the owner of the land on which the well is located, and the owner of the well would more reasonably be the person responsible for the investigation and/or remediation.

3)  PCPG recommends that HB 1855 include a provision that the private well construction standards should be generally consistent with construction standards recommended by the National Ground Water Association.

4)  To the extent that HB 1855 requires or involves the “practice of geology,” PCPG recommends that the legislation or regulations require that any such activities be performed under the responsible charge of, and as applicable, documents and/or reports be sealed by, a professional geologist licensed and registered in this Commonwealth.

5)  Consideration should be given as to the effect of HB 1855 on existing local government ordinances, at least to the extent any such ordinances are inconsistent with regulations ultimately promulgated under Section 3304 of the bill.

Please download and review the complete testimony and recommendations: PCPG HB1855 Testimony.

 

 

Courses & Events

February 02, 2012 7:30 AM • Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North, 910 Sheraton Dr., Mars, PA
March 07, 2012 8:00 AM • Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North, 910 Sheraton Dr., Mars, PA

PCPG Newsletter

Posted December 22, 2011:  Download the latest quarterly PCPG Newsletter - Our 4th Quarter 2011 issue includes:

  • An update from our Government Affairs Committee
  • A recap of our first Shale Gas Seminar Series event held in Pittsburgh on October 19th
  • An overview on when to use your seal

  • A preview of what's planned for our Annual Meeting on January 19th

  • A report on apps available as useful tools for geologists
  • And more!

All recent issues of the PCPG Newsletter can be downloaded from the Newsletters page.

 

PCPG Photo Contest

Posted December 22, 2011:  Entries are now being accepted for PCPG's first-ever Photo Contest!  The deadline for entry is January 19, 2011 EXTENDED TO JANUARY 31, 2012.  More details about the contest, including categories of entry and prizes, can be found on the Photo Contest page of our website.

 

PCPG Announces New Annual Scholarship Program

Posted November 20, 2011: In order to foster and support geology students in Pennsylvania, PCPG has developed a new Annual Scholarship Program for students pursuing geology or related earth resource degrees. PCPG will present two scholarship awards each year, with the first place recipient receiving a $1,000 scholarship and the second place recipient receiving a $400 scholarship.

The recipients will be determined based on an essay written by the student applicant.  The essay will be a maximum of 500 words addressing the topic of “Why I want to be a geologist or earth resource professional.”  The essay should be submitted in pdf or Microsoft Word format.

The college applicant must maintain an active student membership in PCPG.  Annual student dues are only $25.  To learn more about the benefits of PCPG membership and to become a member, please review our website content, attend one of our courses, seminars, or networking events, or contact one of our board members (Board of Directors).  Applicants must be full time undergraduate or postgraduate majors in geology or related majors (such as Environmental Science or Environmental Engineering).  No relatives of the selection committee will be eligible to submit an essay.

The deadline for submitting your essay application is February 1, 2012, and essays should be submitted to the attention of Rose Jeffries via email.  Questions regarding eligibility or content should be directed via email to Jeff Leberfinger, PG.  The scholarships will be awarded at PCPG’s April 2012 meeting in Reading, PA.

 

Upcoming Shale Gas Seminar!

Our next event in the Shale Gas series will be "Basic Tools for Shale Gas Exploration" presented by Lindell Bridges.  Mr. Bridges is a highly regarded shale exploration geologist with over 30 years experience in the oil and gas industry.  He is the Vice President of Exploration at Realm Energy International Corporation.  The seminar is scheduled for March 7, 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA.  Further information on the event will be provided in the near future.  Be sure to bookmark PCPG's homepage and check back for additional details and registration information.

 

PCPG Marcellus Shale Gas Position Statement

PCPG supports the responsible development of Pennsylvania's natural resources and has prepared a statement to provide a balanced review and discussion of Marcellus shale gas development issues.  You can review and download PCPG's position statement on our Shale Gas page.

Also available on the Shale Gas page is a copy of Gas Shale Occurrence & Impacts in the Delaware River Basin: A Geologic Perspective.  This presentation was prepared and given by PCPG board members Dan Billman, P.G. and Valerie Holliday, P.G. to the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin in October 2010 and to PCPG membership in January 2011 during our Annual Meeting.

 

DRBC Posts Revised Draft Natural Gas Development Regulations; Postpones November 21, 2011 Special Meeting

On November 8, 2011, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) posted revised Draft Natural Gas Development Regulations on its website at http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/notice_naturalgas-draftregs.htm.  This revised draft addresses extensive testimony and public comments to the draft regulations that were proposed in December 2010.  As stated by DRBC, “The revised draft regulations apply to all ‘natural gas development projects’, …including the construction and operation of all natural gas wells in the basin, regardless of the target geologic formation, whether a well is for production or exploration, and whether high-volume or low-volume hydraulic fracturing is contemplated.  Appurtenant infrastructure is also addressed.”

DRBC announced on November 18th that the meeting previously scheduled for November 21, 2011 has been postponed to allow further review of the draft regulations by the five commission members.  A new date has not yet been announced for the special meeting.  Look for future PCPG news blasts and/or point your browser to www.drbc.net for updates as they become available.

 

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