GeoNews- Page 1 News of the ssion 2003 Winter...

GeoNews- News of the ssion 2003

Winter

Spring 2004 Contents Articles Dr Orrin Pilkey to speak on April 22 in

Raleigh.

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....................................................1 NC “Industries of The Future” becomes a Reality..............................4 Update on visit to PA Council of Professional Geologists .................6 South Carolina Registration Scare....5 Wallboard plant scheduled for Construction in Person County....12 A letter from Ole Olson, SCPG #1...23 More History of AEG Carolinas ........11 Columns and Regular Features GeoRamblings – Charles Welby ............9 News from the NCGS – Tyler Clark.....7 Section Stuff from the AEG Carolinas Chair.............3 Results of elect ons, 2004AIPG ........5 NC Geology Board activities..............10 AEG and OfficersAIPG . ........................4 Sponsors ................................................8 Sponsorship information ....................14 Announcements ....................................10 Job Opportunities................................11 Calendar of upcoming events.............17 Guide for authors .................................8 Deadlines ...............................................4

SAVE THE DATE! AEG Meeting April 22 in Raleigh,

featuring Dr. Orrin Pilkey DETAILS ON THIS PAGE

Be sure and use the LINKS on our Table of Contents – Makes it easy!

Dr. Orrin Pilkey to speak at April 22 AEG Meeting By Tami Idol

Dr. Orin Pilkey will be speaking at our next dinner meeting in Raleigh at the South End Brewery on April 22, 2004. Social hour begins at 6:00pm; dinner between 6:30 and 7:00 and Dr. Pilkey will begin speaking at 8:00 pm. There is a limit on the number of attendees. This will be based on a first response basis, so please respond early to reserve your spot. Look forward to seeing you there! ABSTRACT: Sea level is rising and most of the worlds shorelines are eroding. This occurs simultaneously with an unprecedented rush to the shore in the western world. When beachfront buildings are threatened we can build seawalls, nourish beaches or retreat. Nourishment is the choice of wealthy societies because construction of hard stabilization structures results in the loss of the beach. Nourishment brings with it a host of problems as well including loss of the entire ecosystem of the nearshore for at least 2 or 3 years. In addition, nourished beaches provide a sense of security that encourages increased density of development including high-rise construction. The engineering community in the form of the Corps of Engineers and individual consultants has proved to be quite insensitive to long-term problems created by shoreline stabilization. Yet, it is clear that in a time of sea level rise, our current approach to managing retreating shorelines will lead to wholesale loss of beaches in a few generations. BIO: Orrin Pilkey is a research professor, James B. Duke Professor emeritus of Earth & Ocean Sciences, and Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) within the Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University. (continued next page)

GeoNews Newsletter of the Association of Engineering Geologists and

American Institute of Professional Geologists, Carolina Sections

GeoNews- News of the Profession Winter 2003

Pilkey received his BS degree in Geology at Washington State College, his MS degree in Geology at the University of Montana and his PhD degree in Geology at Florida State University. From 1962 to 1965 he was an assistant research professor with the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Since 1965 he has been at Duke University with one year breaks with the Department of Marine Science at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaquez and with the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. His research career started with the study of shoreline/continental shelf sedimentation, progressed to the deep sea with emphasis on abyssal plain sediments and back to the nearshore with emphasis on coastal management. He has published more than 200 technical publications. Currently PSDS research focuses on beach nourishment, the impact of seawalls on beaches,

evaluation of the validity of mathematical models of beach behavior, and global principles of barrier island evolution. His research in recent years has been funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Geographic Society, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, and a variety of private foundations. Since 1996 he has collaborated with Batik artist, Mary Edna Fraser, in art exhibitions concerning barrier islands. In 1999 he received the Outstanding Public Service Award from FEMA. In 2000 he was awarded the Geological Society of America’s Public Service Award. The Priestly award was granted in 2003. Previously he was president of SEPM, the Society for Sedimentary Geology, president of the North Carolina Academy of Science, a member of the council of the Geological Society of America, and editor of the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology.

He is co-editor and sometimes co-author of the ongoing 22 volume, state specific Living with the Shore series published by the Duke Press, as well as two 1996 volumes: The Corps and the Shore (Island Press), Living by the Rules of the Sea (Duke Press) and A Celebration of the Worlds Barrier Islands (2003). He has also been featured in New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Oceans Magazine, The American Way, Fifty Plus, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. For more information, go to: http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/pilkey.html. DATE AND TIME: Thursday, April 22, 2004. Social starts at 6:00, dinner between 6:30 and 7:00, and the talk at 8:00. Complete information at the AEG Splash Page, http://www.aegweb.org/cgi-bin/section_detail.php?section=cCOST: $20 per person. Reservations may be made through Jason Murphy at [email protected] or by phone at 704-523-4726. Bring a friend. We are particularly interested in having students at our meetings. Accordingly, students are encouraged to attend at half price. DIRECTIONS and MAP: South End Brewery and Smokehouse is at 505 W. Jones St. Raleigh, NC, at the corner of West Jones and North West Streets. For directions from your place, please log on to www.MapQuest.com.

There will be a brief meeting of the AEG Board at around 5:00 pm, before the Speaker Meeting.

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From the AEG Carolinas Chair By Tami Idol What a strange winter this has been. I am looking so forward to Spring. Soon the flowers will begin to bloom and it will be time to head back to the beach fishing. I know I could really use a nice relaxing weekend on the beach without a computer or deadlines to worry about. I have been keeping very busy with several special projects, one of which is the Governance Committee (GC). The GC has been assembled as an ad-hoc committee reporting to the Association Board of Directors (BOD) charged with evaluation and reporting to the BOD as an advisor in the following respects: Review and summarize options for BOD and Executive Council (EC) structure, policy (By-Laws), and protocol; Provide training and monitor performance of BOD/EC relative to Association policy, and; Interact at regular intervals with BOD and associated committees including but not necessarily limited to the Strategic Planning and By-Laws Committees. As the GC continues working toward these goals and presents the findings to the BOD in May, I will keep you updated on the direction of the BOD based upon the GC findings. Another committee that is working simultaneously is the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC). I want to thank everyone who responded to the survey that was sent out by the SPC. If I am recalling the numbers properly, I believe they said that more than 40% of the total membership responded. The results of the survey are being utilized as a guide for strategic planning and it carries over to the GC goals. The SPC has provided a draft of the Committee’s goals. This document is printed below as it was provided. DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS Here are the eight goals which comprise AEG’s draft strategic plan, in prioritized order. The detailed plan includes a list of strategies for each goal, and specification steps necessary to achieve each of the strategies.

To develop guidelines, training opportunities, and programs to help our members succeed professionally.

To actively assist and support Sections and Chapters and their programs. To enhance AEG’s website as a vital source of communication and information. To strengthen the quality of Environmental and Engineering Geoscience (E&EG) Journal and expand its distribution. To strengthen membership involvement, recruitment, and retention. To advocate the value of the practice of environmental and engineering geology. To ensure that governance structure, policies, and fiscal responsibility serve the needs of the membership. To foster beneficial alliances with complementary organizations.

AEG deeply appreciates the quality of work achieved by the Strategic Planning Committee. The committee consists of David Bieber, Darrel Schmitz, and Terry West (your next three successive Presidents); Deborah Green and Robert Valentine (representing the Engineering Geology Foundation); Tania Gonzalez, Scott Ball, Matthew Morris, Ruth Wilmoth, and Allen Shaw (five members elected by the AEG Board); two members of the recently formed Governance Committee, Duane Kreuger and Bruce Hilton; and Andrew Apter, our facilitator, who patiently guided us through the process and edited this article. The work of these two committees will undoubtedly drive the future of the Association of Engineering Geologists. I continue to urge you to have input by way of responding to surveys or sending me an email if there are any particular items you feel strongly about. All of your input is much appreciated. As an officer of the Carolinas Section, I am representing the interests of our section membership. Plan to attend the 2004 AEG Annual Meeting - "at the Core of the Shores!" in Dearborn, Michigan, September 25 - October 3! For more information log on to www.aegweb.org I hope everyone has a great spring and is able to enjoy this beautiful weather.

Tami Idol

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GeoNews is a joint publication of the Carolina Section of AEG and the Carolinas Section of AIPG. There are four issues per year, with deadlines and issue publication dates listed below. We publish news of the profession (including business related news items), job openings, and positions wanted. Deadlines can be flexible depending on events.

Spring - deadline Mar 1, issue date Mar 21 Summer - deadline Jun 1, issue date Jun 21 Fall - deadline Sep 1, issue date Sep 21 Winter - deadline Dec 1, issue date Dec 21

Deadlines for submittals for the National AEG News

March 2004 Issue - January 31, 2004 June 2004 Issue - April 30, 2004 September 2004 Issue - July 31, 2004 December 2004 Issue - October 31, 2004

AEG Carolinas Section – Officers and Contacts Chair ......................................................... Tami Idol 919-733-4574

............................................................. [email protected] Vice Chair ............................ Jennifer Bryson Bauer 919-831-8006

............................................................. jbbauer@mactec.comSecretary.................................................Tyler Clark 919 733-2425 ...........................................................Tyler.Clark@ncmail.netTreasurer .......................................... Jason Murphy 704-523-4726 .............................................................jmurphy@smeinc.comMembership Chair....................... Charles W. Welby 919-787-7477

............................................................ [email protected] Section Chair ...................Doug Canavello 336-335-3174 x28

..........................................doug@pyramidenvironmental.comAdvisor .................................................Gary Rogers 336-274-9456

................................................... [email protected] AEG National: http://www.aegweb.org/indexf.html AIPG Carolina Section – Officers and Contacts President..........................Orus F. (Russ) Patterson 919-774-3770

............................................. [email protected] President-Elect..................................................................... VacantMembership Chair................. Macklin M. Armstrong 919-786-9603 ................................................. [email protected]/Treasurer ............................. Peter Evans 919-567-0725 AEG Carolinas and AIPG Carolina Newsletter Newsletter Co-Editor.................................. Jane Gill 336-883-0170 ................................................................... [email protected] Newsletter Co-Editor and Advertising Contact.......Doug Canavello ..........................................doug@pyramidenvironmental.com Emeritus Newsletter Editor .......Phil Winchester, Jr. 828-628-2119

...........................................................pwinchesterjr@aol.com AEG Carolina Section Website .http://www.aegweb.org/cgi-bin/section_detail.php?section=c

North Carolina “Industries of the Future” Program Becomes a Reality By Robert Mensah-Biney, Ph.D Under the tutelage of Dr. Bruce Tippin, NCSU Minerals Research Laboratory (NRL) Director, the North Carolina Industries of the Future Program has become a reality. This concept was

initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on a national level, first receiving funding in 1998/1999, which has continued through 2003-2004. Dr. Tippin, working with contacts in the west, was instrumental in obtaining funds for mining research. Support from North Carolina was solicited through North Carolina State University to the state's federal representatives in Washington, D.C. As a result of the success at the federal level, the DOE initiated the same type of program at the state level. Several states already have an ongoing mining program, including Kentucky, West Virginia. Utah, Missouri, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Other states are in the process of forming their own programs. With the help of numerous mining companies, federal research laboratories, the National Mining Association (NMA), and the DOE, funds were allotted to mining for fiscal year 2000/2001 through 2003/2004. Given the demise of the US Bureau of Mines, this was a major victory for our industry. In 2000, Dr. Tippin began working with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to investigate the possibility of instituting a program for North Carolina. In 2000/2001, the NC State Energy Office submitted a proposal to the DOE for a state grant to develop an Industry of the Future program for North Carolina. Three industries were selected to participate, including mining (MRL), forestry (NCSU), and chemical (NC AT&T). Since that time two more industries have been added, agriculture and glassmaking. The DOE grant was approved for funding at $200,000. In addition, the Industrial Extension Service of NC State University received another $200,000, and the SEO provided an additional $125,000. From the three money sources, a total of $550,000 was available. From this funding, the MRL was awarded a $140,000 sub-contract for a mining program, with additional funding available from the SEO in the future. The program is managed by the NCSU Industrial Extension Service. The North Carolina Industries of the Future program works with North Carolina’s traditional industries to increase energy efficiency and reduce waste, resulting in more competitive industries. NC-IOF’s objectives are accomplished through partnership with and among North Carolina

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companies. The first NC-IOF Mining Workshop was held on Friday, February 13, 2004 at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University. For further information, visit the NC-IOF web site at: www.nciof.org. Dr. R. Bruce Tippin, Director, NCSU Minerals Research Laboratory, 180 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, N.C. 28801, Telephone: 828.251.6155 ext. 222 Mr. Vince Throop, State Energy Office, NC Department of Administration, 1830A Tillery Place, Raleigh, N.C. 27604, Telephone: 919.733.1895 Mr. David Godfrey, U.S. Department of Energy, Atlanta Regional Office (Suite 200), 75 Spring Street SW, Atlanta Georgia, 30303, http://www.oit.doe.gov, Telephone: 404.562.0568 About the Author: Dr. Mensah-Biney is a Senior Mineral Processing Engineer with NCSU Minerals Research Laboratory in Asheville where he is involved with process design and development for industrial minerals. He received a Masters degree in Mineral engineering from Columbia University, NY, and PhD degree from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Dr. Mensah-Biney has over twenty-five years of experience in mineral and chemical industry research and development. Before joining MRL in March 1994, Dr. Mensah-Biney worked as Assistant Metallurgical Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. AIPG Carolinas Officers, 2004 By Macklin Armstrong Ballots for Officers for the year 2004 were sent to all 85 AIPG Carolinas Section members. Thirty ballots were returned by the deadline of February 11, 2004. The results of the election are as follows:

President - Russ Patterson, CPG 2707: 30 votes Secretary/Treasurer - Pete Evans, CPG 3823: 30 votes Membership Chairman - Macklin Armstrong, CPG 7485: 30 votes

Since no one was running for the position of President-Elect there were four write-in votes. Jim

Bales, Jim Narkunus, Henry Singletary, and Macklin Armstrong all received one vote. Therefore, the position of President-Elect will remain open. Anyone wanting to serve as President-Elect please contact Russ Patterson. Anyone wishing to join AIPG contact Macklin Armstrong at [email protected]. South Carolina Registration Scare By Jane H. Gill, PG (NC, CA) We have most certainly had an adrenaline-charged couple of weeks! South Carolina came within a hair’s breadth of losing licensure for geologists, an important safeguard to the ethical and competent practice of geology for the safety, health and well being of the people of the state. Governor Mark Sanford, apparently under pressure to reduce the state’s budget deficit, proposed in January to eliminate the SC Geology Board as part of the Executive Budget submitted to the General Assembly. The following statement was buried on page 206, and unearthed by a very persistent professional geologist: "Nearly every board at the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation was established to protect and preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The Geology Board does not satisfy this fundamental requirement for the existence of a regulatory agency. In our view, there is no continued need for this Board. Whoa there! The Geology Board does not protect and preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the public? I can’t think of a more important occupation than a professional geologist. Everything we build, live in, drive on, store large bodies of water on, take off from, and land on is built on the earth. This substrate is unimaginably complex, with varying strength and solidity, and changes constantly through time. Registration is a rigorous process by which only qualified individuals may hold the title, Professional Geologist. Just the same, on March 2 the House Ways and Means Committee submitted Appropriations Bill 4925 to the House of Representatives floor for consideration. In Part IB Proviso of the Appropriations Bill, Section 50.14

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proviso was considered: (LLR: Geologists Registration Board) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation is directed to suspend operation of the Geologists Registration Board for the current fiscal year. In addition, there was another Bill, H 4911, introduced by Representative Kirsh to repeal Chapter 77, Title 40, Code of Laws of South Carolina, relating to the creation of the State Board of Registration for Geologists. Between March 5 and March 10, when the Appropriations Bill was to be debated on the House floor, and for a few days afterwards, the electronic airwaves were hot. Norman K. (Ole) Olson, (who incidentally was the first Chairman of the SC Geology Board), James Ferguson, Mark Harrington, L. Blake Burgess, Jr., and many, many other professional geologists sent hundreds of emails, wrote letters, and phoned legislators urging them to remove proviso 50.14, and to contact Governor Mark Sanford with our concerns regarding the elimination of the SC Geology Board. Mr. Olson’s letter to SC Geologists is attached to this newsletter. Follow-up phone calls and emails indicate that the fast action of these vigilant professional geologists was successful. South Carolina Geologists, and any that are interested, are encouraged to follow up on the final disposition of H4911 (see above), as it has not been assigned to a subcommittee yet. If this bill is to die, it must not be reported out of committee by the end of the current session, in June. Current legislation is at http://www.myscgov.com. If you want to keep appraised of the current situation and future legislation concerning Geology Registration issues, submit your email address to [email protected]. Needless to say, after this scare, we are fully awake. There is a Hydro conference at Clemson April 1-3 (talks are on April 2) http://www.ces.clemson.edu/geology/. Could this be the time to get an RPG society organized? Stay tuned…..

News from the AIPG By Macklin Armstrong During his recent trip to attend the AIPG Executive Committee Meeting in Tucson, Arizona, Macklin Armstrong, the AIPG Carolinas Section

Membership Chairman attended David Abbott's AIPG short course Practical Geoscience Ethics: Elements and Examples. Refer to the last issue of the GeoNews for a description of the course. The ethics course was given on Thursday, February 12, 2004 and cosponsored by the AIPG Arizona Section and the Arizona Hydrological Society. Twenty five people attended the course - one attendee from North Carolina, one attendee from California, 7 attendees from Phoenix, and 16 from Tucson. Mr. Abbott spent the first half of the morning talking about the connection between general and professional ethics, the difference between moral rules and moral ideals, and exceptions to the rules. For the second half of the morning and the afternoon portion of the course, he discussed case histories with the class. During the case history part of the class, virtually all the attendees contributed to the class discussion. This course was well developed, well presented, and well worth the time. The AIPG Carolinas Section is having David Abbott give this same ethics course on April 15, 2004 at the Ramada Inn Blue Ridge in Raleigh, North Carolina (see information below). We already have people enrolled in the course who are coming from Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Georgia. Contact Pete Evans at 919 567-0725 or Russ Patterson at 919 774-3770 for a Registration Form. Following the course, the AIPG will conduct a business meeting at the Ramada Inn. As Membership Chairman, I encourage anyone who is not an AIPG member to consider joining AIPG. AIPG Membership Applications will be available at the meeting. All section members and prospective members are urged to attend.

AIPG Short Course on Ethics By Macklin Armstrong AIPG is sponsoring a short course, “Practical Geoscience Ethics: Elements and Examples” on Thursday, April 15, 2004, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m at the Ramada In/Blue Ridge, 1520 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. The course is approved for 7 PDHs by the SC Geology Board and the NC Engineering Board. Cost is $125 Per Registrant.

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This one-day course uses actual professional practice examples and provides a review of fundamental moral principles, demonstrating how these principles relate to common professional ethical statements. Course participants are expected to contribute to discussions of case histories and contribute their own case histories for analysis. David M. Abbott, Jr., who is responsible for the course content, handouts, leading the class, and evaluating the examination at the end of the course, will be the instructor. Mr. Abbott's first paper on professional geoscience ethics was presented and published in 1989. Since then, he has presented a number of papers and talks on the subject. For more information, contact Macklin Armstrong at ARMSTRONG Environmental, P.C. at 919 838-9933.

Update on visit to PA Council of Professional Geologists By Macklin Armstrong On December 4, 2003, I attended the Pennsylvania Council of Professional Geologists (PCPG) Annual Meeting in Middletown, Pennsylvania at the invitation of PCPG Board Member Richard Wright (refer to the Winter 2003 issue of GeoNews for a description of the activities of the PCPG). The PCPG is the premier professional organization representing the professional, ethical, and commercial interests of practicing geologists, and I was impressed with the PCPG's active tracking of legislative issues that may affect practicing geologists. With the recent developments in South Carolina regarding geologists registration and the more recent development in Mississippi regarding new legislation that states that the definition of engineering includes "chemical, geotechnical, including geology and geohydrology incidental to the practice of engineering, environmental," there is a strong need to form a North Carolina Council of Professional Geologists. I have also been in contact with Jane Gill who is associated with the California Council of Geoscience Organizations, and Rose Jeffries of the PCPG, for assistance in the formation of a North Carolina Council of Professional Geologists. Look for an announcement in the coming weeks about an

initial meeting of geologists and/or geological companies to discuss a proposed North Carolina Council of Professional Geologists. (Editor’s note – see article on page 5)

News from the North Carolina Geological Survey By Tyler Clark, Chief Geologist Exciting changes are taking place at the NCGS this year. We are currently in the process of interviewing for a Geologist II position. This position will not only conduct geologic research, but will also serve as our Publications Editor and Public Relations Officer. We hope to have this position filled by early April. In addition we are sad to report the resignation of Mark Carter in our Asheville office. Mark has accepted a Senior Geologist position with the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources. Mark’s last day will be March 26th. We wish Mark the best of luck. Mark’s Geologist II position will be advertised in late March or early April. Interested applicants should check the DENR job vacancies web site often: http://www.enr.state.nc.us/html/jobs.html The NCGS will be participating in large numbers at the combined Northeast/Southeast Section meeting of the Geological Society of America held March 24-27th in Tyson’s Corner, VA. The NCGS will have oral and poster presentations by eight different authors during the four-day event. Topics include geologic mapping

Please contact us for further information

at (864) 288-1986. Thank you!

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in the Asheville area, geologic hazards, land use planning in the Raleigh area, geologic map distribution via the internet, and using LIDAR and GIS to map Coastal Plain units and floodplains. Our newest publication will be available in late March. Geonote 8 is titled “Mineralogy and History of the Ray Mica Mine, Yancey County, North Carolina,” by J. William Miller and Curtis W. Allen (UNC-Asheville). This 8-page report highlights one of the more famous mineral collecting sites in western North Carolina. The Ray mine (near Burnsville) was operated intermittently from 1867 to 1944 as a producer of mica with some gem beryl. The focus of this study was to synthesize previous work and characterize Ray mine minerals using modern methods such as X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and gamma spectroscopy, as well as hand specimen identification. The Ray mine contains typical felsic pegmatite minerals and lesser amounts of rare earth minerals, beryl, tourmaline, and others. Previously unreported minerals found during this study include elbaite, ferberite, goethite, sphalerite, pyrite, spessartine, zircon var. hafnon, torbernite, and hyalite opal. Interested parties should contact Paula Maynor of the NCGS sales office at 919/715-9718 and ask for Geonote 8.

Thank You!! To our

CAROLINA SECTION AEG SPONSORS

PLATINUM Enviro-Equipment, Inc., 888-274-8929 www.enviro-equipment.comEnviro-Equipment is a leading supplier of environmental monitoring equipment and disposablsampling products. (see our ad, p. 21)Trigon Engineering, Inc. www.trigoneng.com(see our ad p. 15) SILVER AE Drilling Services, Inc. www.aedrilling.comA.E. Drilling Services, Inc. has been performing environmental, Geotechnical and mineral exploration drilling since 1969. Well installations and abandonments, auger drilling, and split spoon sampling. (see our ad, p. 6)Ameridrill Debra Meatyard, [email protected] are a woman owned business working primarilyin the geotechnical area of drilling. Our drillers are certified in both North and South Carolina. Parratt-Wolff, Inc. 800 627-7920 [email protected] Monitoring, and Subsurface Exploration (see our ad, p. 11)Schnabel Engineering www.schnabel-eng.comSchnabel provides geophysical surveys, dam designand rehabilitation, geotechnical engineering, and environmental services (see our ad, p. 13)SAEDACCO www.saedacco.comSAEDACCO is a southeast regional environmental services company headquartered in Fort Mill, SC. (see our ad on p. 13)

If you would like to be a sponsor for AEG Carolinas, please contact our co-editor, Doug Canavello

at 336-335-3174 ext. 28 or by email at [email protected]

The sponsorship form is on page 14.

Guide for Authors – GeoNews Submissions of articles for GeoNews should conform to the following guidelines to facilitate trouble-free publication. • All text must be saved in Microsoft Word, text only. • Formatting in Word with bold and italicized fonts,

subscript and superscripts, indents and tabs, and bullets or numbering are acceptable.

• All headlines and titles should be set in caps and lower case, not all caps.

• Any photos, charts, graphs, figures should be saved as tiffs, or jpeg files and submitted separately, not embedded into the story.

• In the hardcopy version, all photos and charts will be printed in grayscale, not in color.

• Every effort should be made to submit high-resolution photos (300 dpi).

Submissions should include the author’s full name,

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GEORAMBLINGS By Charles W. Welby

Almost 30 years ago I participated in a field trip on the Yucatan Peninsula preceding an Annual Meeting of the GSA in Miami. More recently, I was there, in Cancun specifically, between snowstorms in the Piedmont. The emphasis of the 1974 field trip was on the groundwater resources of the northeastern part of the Yucatan peninsula. Visits were made to the “classic” tourist places of Uxmal, Tulum, and Chichen Itza (where most of us climbed the pyramids and observed in the carvings at the ball field the depiction of the beheading of a losing player or coach. What about that ACC fans?). We derived some understanding of the groundwater occurrences on the peninsula and how the Mayans developed their water supply. A thin lens of fresh water lies within the uppermost part of the Paleogene and Neogene limestones and the overlying Holocene deposits. Management of water and recognition of the water year were important developments of the Mayan Civilization. Mayan calendars recorded the beginning and end of the rainy season. (You can buy a T-shirt with a Mayan calendar on it in gift shops in Cancun and offshore islands. The Mayans developed some of the cenotes, (sinkholes) into water reservoirs, lining local watersheds and configuring them to drain into the cenotes. In other places they simply acquired their water from ground water exposed in the cenote. (Incidentally, there are cenote-like features in the coastal plain of North Carolina.) One of the field trip stops was on Isla Cancun, then a simple island with few people living on it. It faces the Caribbean Sea and is backed by a lagoon. The conversion of this strip of wind-blown sand into a popular resort had just commenced. Water for the resort was to be piped from the mainland where it was to be produced from relatively shallow wells. Springs reportedly discharged into the lagoon along its western edge. Extending about 7 nautical miles from Punta Nisuc on the south to Punta Cancun on the north, Isla Cancun was built of Holocene and Pleistocene dunes. Much of the beach was composed of oolitic sand, and before construction of the resort complex the white oolitic sand was blown into dunes, which formed a

veneer on the older dunes. Some evidence reported at the time of the field trip suggested that the older, lithified dune ridges had formed on the order of 2700 years BP. Thirty years ago the beaches were wide and unaffected by any construction. Today seawalls are prominent along much of the Caribbean shoreline and on the eastern shore of the lagoon behind (to the west of) the island. In places, no beach exists, or where one does, the high tide line reaches almost to the base of the seawall. A few groins made of sand-filled nylon bags may be found, creating small pocket beaches. People who live and work in the Cancun resort complex report that the beaches were wide until a hurricane in 1988 destroyed them. One cannot help but wonder if perhaps some of the beach-narrowing may not have already begun prior to the advent of the hurricane. You can’t see much of the geology that was evident thirty years ago, except in a broad context, and cannot help but wonder how long the beaches that are wide enough for some “sun worship” will last, and about the “sustainability” of the water supply for the resort development on Isla Cancun. Because of the karstic nature of the groundwater reservoir, there is a rapid response between rainfall and the accumulation of the water underground. Saltwater intrusion is an ever-present hazard. The history of many parts of the world records the results of an inadequate supply of water for the civilization. Drought years created problems for the Mayans. Will they do the same for Cancun? Regarding the impact of development on fragile beach environment, the next AEG meeting in Raleigh, scheduled for April 22, will feature Dr. Orrin Pilkey, who will talk about sea-level rising, beach erosion, and the impact of beach development. (See article on page 1)

Charles W. Welby

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NC Geology Board Activities By Macklin Armstrong Recent activities of the North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists (NC Geology Board) include the preparation of a letter of support for the South Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists and the continued investigation of complaints stemming from a suit by the State Attorney General regarding alleged price fixing. The NC Geology Board has also been working closely with the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors on two issues: Are Soil Scientists by education and experience qualified to perform aquifer tests? Should Certified Well Contractors be the only persons allowed to hand auger borings for the purpose of obtaining ground water levels and ground water samples? Look for more information on the above issues in the NC Geology Board newsletter due in April 2004.

Announcements The 12th Annual David S. Snipes/ Clemson Hydrogeology Symposium April 1-3, 2004 - Call for Abstracts and Meeting Announcement Details and registration forms can be found at: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/hydro/symposium/ Oral and poster presentations will take place on April 2, with field trips to the Jocassee Gorges on April 1 and 3. The goal of the symposium is to offer a wide range of topics from industry and academia. We encourage everybody to submit an abstract (due March 6) and give a presentation of his or her work. Our featured speaker this year is Allen M. Shapiro, the 2004 Darcy Lecturer and a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, Virginia. His research has focused on characterizing ground-water flow and chemical transport in fractured rock. This meeting is approved for up to eight continuing education hours for SC Professional Geologists. The cost of registration for the April 2 event is $85 for professionals and $25 for students. This includes lunch, with refreshments in the morning

and afternoon. Pre-registrations will be accepted up to March 25. The late registration fee is $100. You may register at the event, but advance notice is greatly appreciated. As an added incentive to encourage presentations, presenters are entitled to a discounted registration rate of $40. Contact Scott Brame at [email protected] or at 864-656-7167 if you need assistance. (Ed: see also article on SC Registration, Page 5 Geo3T2 Conference April 15-16 in Charlotte By Mohammed A. Mulla, P.E., CPM "The First Annual Geo3 T2 (Geotechnical, Geophysical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Technology Transfer Conference and Expo) will be held at the Marriott Executive Park in Charlotte, North Carolina, during April 15-16, 2004. The primary objective of Geo3 T2 is to explore the cutting edge of the technology transfer activities in the field of geo-engineering. The conference will provide an opportunity for the geotechnical, foundation, geoenvironmental, geophysical, structural, and materials engineers throughout the southeastern United States region to share their designs, construction practices, and accomplishments; thus, to keep abreast of state-of-the art techniques in highway design and construction. The conference will include several sessions for presentation and discussion of papers covering various geotechnical topics. However, the focal points will be recent advances and technology transfer in the following areas: • Soil Exploration (New Techniques and

Interpretation) • Laboratory Testing (Nondestructive Testing of

Soil) • Shallow & Deep Foundations (Recent

Developments in Design of Augered Cast-In-Place Piles (ACIP)

• Soil Improvement (Stone Column, GeoPiers, and Controlled Modulus Columns)

• Geophysical Engineering (Instrumentation of Geosynthetics) and

• Geo-Environmental Engineering At the conclusion of each presentation there will be a question-and-answer session. Breaks will be designed to allow in-depth discussions with

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speakers and for opportunities to ascertain information and design ideas from industry representatives. The registration fee is 95.00. The fee will cover conference expenditures: breakfast, coffee breaks, and Thursday lunch. Registration will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, 2004. The conference will conclude on Friday, April 16, 2004. A block of rooms has been reserved at a conference rate (available through March 24, 2004) of $55.00 per night plus room services and tax of 13.5%. Please see the conference official website for more information: www.ncdot.org/~geo3t2/

Positions Wanted No listings this issue. Job Opportunities MACTEC is looking for a full time staff level geologist to work in the field classifying soil and rock during drilling projects starting in April or May. MACTEC is also looking for an intern to work during the summer doing similar work. They should contact Steve Criscenzo in the Raleigh office at 919-831-8047. Job Opportunities and Positions Wanted postings are welcome in this newsletter and on our website. Please contact Doug Canavello, Pyramid Environmental & Engineering, P.C., at 336-335-3174 x28 or by email at [email protected] SOME MORE HISTORY of AEG-CAROLINAS By Charles W. Welby Here are a few more tidbits about the history of the Carolina Section AEG. Donald J. Hathaway, Editor of the Newsletter of the Carolina Section of AEG in 1988, reported in the fall issue that the business meeting held on June 17, 1988, in Greenville, NC was presided over by Phil Winchester, Section President. The following people were elected as officers for 1989: Charles A. “Al” Slagle, Chairman; Henning F. “Fritz” Koch, Vice-=Chairman; Donald J. “Don” Hathaway, Treasurer, and James A. “Jay” Bennett, Secretary. The Newsletter contained the following “Other News” taken from the Fayetteville Observer

of May 19, 1988. Entitled the “BEST, WORST JOBS RANKED,” the article ranked various jobs based on salary, stress, work environment, outlook, security, and physical demands. The article ranked Geologist #46, one slot below Philosophers, and 78 slots ahead of podiatrists (a very stressful occupation), and the geologist’s job is more healthful than the actuary’s, the #1 job in all the world, because actuaries never get out of their offices. Don editorializes with, “As any fool can plainly see, we’uns has really got the best job in the world.

The Carolina Section AEG News of June 15, 1987, reported that W. David Bingham, State Engineering Geologist, was spending a large portion of his time as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Super-Conductor, Super-Collider Site Proposal for the U.S. Department of Energy. The NC site was in Granville, Durham, and Person counties. A lot of coring was done in a seismically inactive area of granitic and metamorphic rocks. Later a site was chosen in Texas, and subsequently Congress removed funding for the whole project. So, Texas now has a big tunnel with no place to go.

Volume 28, No. 3 of AEG Newsletter (July 1985) has an article describing a massive rockslide in March 1985 on Interstate 40 approximately 4 miles from the NC-TN State Line. Phil W.

Parratt-Wolff, Inc. Groundwater Monitoring,

Subsurface Exploration

East Syracuse, NY 13057 Fisher Road, Box 56

Phone 800-782-7260 or 315 437-1429 Fax 315-437-1770, e-mail [email protected]

Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 501 Millstone Drive

Phone 800 627-7920 or 919-644-2814 Fax 919-644-2817

Groundwater Monitoring Wells Rock CorRecovery Wells Geotechnical Test BoriSparging Wells Direct Push/Geopr

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http://www.ncdot.org/~geo3t2/




Winchester, Jr., Editor Emeritus of GEONEWS, and then Vice Chairman of the Carolina Section was the author. The rock slide occurred fortuitously just before the 1985 Annual Meeting of AEG in Winston-Salem, NC. So a field trip was quickly put into the final program for the meeting. The cover of the Newsletter has two interesting photographs, one a “before” and the second an “after” photograph. From the January 1988 issue of the AEG Newsletter (V. 31, No.1) we learn that William L. “Bill” Moore, III, of the Raleigh office of the NCDOT is working with Dr. Phil Lamb of NC State University on a method to determine strength parameters in residual soils or weathered rock which are too hard/dense for sampling with Shelby tubes. In addition, this issue of AEG Newsletter contained a description of the efforts of Phil W. Winchester, Jr. of the NCDOT to determine how best to handle the highly sulfidic rock and weathered rock that will be moved in excavation of a highway cut in Swain Co. NC.

$100 million Gypsum plant planned for Person County By Jane Gill-Shaler

Environmental engineers may be interested to know that another way to boost the economy and protect the environment at the same time is progressing right here in North Carolina. Gov. Mike Easley, Progress Energy and BPB, a British maker of wallboard, all announced recently that BPB has plans to build a $100 million plant in Person County. The plant is estimated to be able to produce nearly 700 million square feet of gypsum wallboard annually from synthetic gypsum produced as a by-product of anti-pollution devices installed in coal-fired power plants in North Carolina. According to simultaneous press releases by Easley, Progress, and BPB, the plant is to be constructed on a site next to Progress Energy’s Roxboro plant at Hyco Lake. BPB was founded in the United Kingdom in 1915 as British Plaster Board, and incorporated in 1917. The company went public in the UK in 1932, and has since grown to be a worldwide entity. Progress Energy’s proposed anti-pollution devices will be installed in each of their eleven coal-powered generation facilities, as required by the recently enacted NC Clean Smokestacks Act. Sulfur dioxide, which is produced from burning coal in the generation of electricity, is a potent pollutant, and is one of the culprits in the generation of acid rain. The pollutant is removed by the devices (commonly called scrubbers) by passing the gases through a tall tower into which a mixture of limestone and water is sprayed. The chemical reaction of the sulfur dioxide (SO2) with water (H2O) and limestone (CaCO3) forms synthetic gypsum (CaSO4+2H2O), which is chemically identical to the naturally formed product. Building supply manufacturers in the US consume 1.5 million tons of this synthetic gypsum in the production of wallboard for home and commercial building construction purposes.

SAEDACCO is a southeast regional

environmental services company headquartered in Fort Mill, SC.

SAEDACCO is structured to provide turnkey environmental services including geoprobe, drilling, UST removals, remediation system

installations and remediation system fabrication.

Visit our website at www.saedacco.com for

more information on our services.

Production at the plant is scheduled to coincide with the installation of the anti-pollution devices and is planned for 2005. Recently scheduled highway improvements will facilitate transportation of the wallboard product to market. Further information may be found at: http://www.ncgov.com/asp/subpages/news_release_view.asp?nrid=1286

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http://www.ncgov.com/asp/subpages/news_release_view.asp?nrid=1286


GeoNews- Page 13 News of the Profession Winter 2003

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SPONSORS SOUGHT FOR AEG CAROLINAS SECTION The Carolina Section of AEG supports many of its activities with financial assistance provided by our sponsors. Our activities include quarterly meetings, periodic field trips and seminars, a quarterly newsletter, and email announcements about our meetings and geoscience related activities. Our sponsors provide financial support that allows us to have reasonably priced dinner meetings, host seminars, provide discounted dinner meeting costs for students, underwrites the cost of newsletters and web site, and supports science education in our schools. We offer several levels of sponsorship, but they all have one goal: to keep the sponsor’s name in front of our members and to bring you business. We have a real commitment to connecting our sponsors to potential buyers and will do all we can to help you build your business. Most of our members are practicing professionals with responsibility for selecting subcontractors, so our group is a great place to find new customers and to catch up with existing customers in an informal setting. Carolina Section Sponsorship Levels and Benefits Silver Sponsor ($250): • GeoNews Newsletter: Business card size ad (2” high x 3-1/2”

wide), four times per year. • Meetings: Listing on a Sponsor Poster, located at sign-in table.

Name, contact information and a paragraph about services listed on the back of meeting abstracts handed out at each meeting. Verbal acknowledgement by name in Chairman’s introductory comments.

• Meeting Exhibits: Space for tabletop display at one meeting. Cost of meeting waived for one person on the exhibit date.

• Email Announcements: Listing of your company name on each AEG - Carolina Section email announcement (our email list is currently over 1,000 people)

• Web Page: Acknowledgement on the Carolina Section Web Page

Gold Sponsor ($375): • GeoNews Newsletter: Quarter-Page ad (4-1/2” high x 3-1/2”

wide), four times per year. • Meetings: Listing on a Sponsor Poster, located at sig

Name, contact information and a paragraph about seron the back of meeting abstracts handed out at each meeting. Verbal acknowledgement by name in Chairman’s introductory comments.

n in table. vices listed

• Meeting Exhibits: Space for tabletop display at two meetings. Cost of meeting waived for one person on the exhibit date.

• Email Announcements: Listing of your company name on each AEG - Carolina Section email announcement

• Web Page: Acknowledgement on the Carolina Section Splash Page

Platinum Sponsor ($500): • GeoNews Newsletter: Half-page ad (4-1/2” high x 7” wide),

four times per year. • Meetings: Listing on a Sponsor Poster, located at sign in table.

Name, contact information and a paragraph about services listed on the back of meeting abstracts handed out at each meeting. Verbal acknowledgement by name in Chairman’s introductory comments.

• Meeting Exhibit: Space for tabletop display at three meetings. Cost of meeting waived for one person on the exhibit date.

• Email Announcements: Listing of your company name on each AEG - Carolina Section email announcement

• Web Page: Acknowledgement on the Carolina Section Splash Page

All costs listed above are per year and begin on the date that your payment is received. GeoNews Newsletter Sponsorship Only

Businesses or individuals can also advertise in the GeoNews without being a full sponsor. The annual rates for advertising in the GeoNews only are: Business Card $ 40 Quarter Page $ 60 Half Page $100 Full Page $200 Please complete the form below and mail to Jason Murphy, AEG Carolina Section Treasurer. Please call if you have any questions (contact information below). AEG Carolina Section Sponsorship Form Please begin our sponsorship of the Carolina Section of the Association of Engineering Geologists. Our level of sponsorship is: ________ Platinum Section Sponsorship, $500/year ________ Gold Section Sponsorship, $375/year ________ Silver Section Sponsorship, $250/year

________ GeoNews Newsletter Sponsor Only Level: $__________)

Sponsor Name: ___________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ _______________________________________________

Phone: _________________Fax: ____________________ Contact Person: __________________________________ Email: _________________________________________ Website URL: ___________________________________ Date of Payment: _________________________________ Please enclose a business card or camera-ready advertisement. If digital files of the advertisements are available please provide them in jpg, pdf, or doc (MSWord) format. Send form and payment to: Jason Murphy, AEG Treasurer, S&ME 9751 Southern Pine Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28273 Voice: 704-523-4726 ; Fax: (704) 525-3953; Email: [email protected]


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Trigon Engineering Consultants, Inc. Established 1983

Geotechnical, Environmental, Industrial, Air Quality, Health & Safety, Hydrology/Hydrogeology, Construction Materials Testing & Inspection, Drilling

CORPORATE AND BRANCH OFFICE 313 Gallimore Dairy Road • Greensboro, North Carolina 27409

336.668.0093 • Fax 336.668.3868

BRANCH OFFICES 6200 Harris Technology Boulevard • Charlotte, North Carolina 28269

704.598.1049 • Fax 704.598.1050

700 Blue Ridge Road, Suite 101 • Raleigh, North Carolina 27606 919.755.5011 • Fax 919.755.1414

153 Brozzini Court, Suite C • Greenville, South Carolina 29615

864.297.3557 • Fax 864.297.4225

http://www.trigoneng.com


CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2004 GEOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND GEOTECHNICAL EVENTS IN THE CAROLINAS

COURTESY OF AEG CAROLINA SECTION – WWW.AEGWEB.ORG LAST UPDATED FEBRUARY 4, 2004 SEND UPDATES/CORRECTIONS TO [email protected]

POSTED ON THE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.GEOLOGY.ENR.STATE.NC.US/CALENDAR.HTMMEETING DATE/TIME/LOCATION ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE – PLEASE VERIFY PRIOR TO THE MEETING

DATE (TBA: TO BE

ANNOUNCED)

EVENT LOCATION TIME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ESTIMATEDPDH

April 1 -3, 2004

Clemson Hydogeological Symposium and Joccassee Gorges Field Trip

Clemson University

All Day Events

Scott Brames, 864-656-7167 Email: [email protected]: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/geology/Talks on April 2; Field Trip on April 1 and 3

8+

April 15, 2004 (Thurs)

Short Course Practical Geoscience Ethics: Elements and Examples

Ramada Inn, 1520 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

American Institute of Professional Geologists – Carolinas Section Mac Armstrong 919-838-9933 Pete Evans, Secretary/Treasurer 919-567-0725

7

April 15-16, 2004

NCDOT Conference

Charlotte All DayEvents

Geotechnical, Geophysical, and Geoenvironmental Engineering Technology Transfer Conference and Exposition http://www.doh.dot.state.nc.us/preconstruct/highway/geotech/geo3t2/

8+

April 22, 2004 (3rd Thurs)

Joint AEG and AIPG Meeting Dr. Orrin Pilkey

Southend Brewery and Smokehouse 505 W. Jones St., Raleigh

6:00 – 9:00 PM

Association of Engineering Geologists – Carolina SectionTami Idol, Carolina Section Chair Phone: (919) 733-4574; Email: [email protected]: http://www.aegweb.org/cgi-bin/section_detail.php?section=cAmerican Institute of Professional GeologistsRuss Patterson, , Carolina Section President Phone: (919) 774-3770; Email: [email protected]: http://www.aipg.org

1

April 22, 2004 (4th Thursday,

Jan to Oct)

SCAEP Monthly Meeting

USC Main Campus, 1st floor Faculty Lounge, Swearingen Engineering Building

6:30 PM South Carolina Association of Environmental ProfessionalsGreg Simones, President 803-896-4081 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.geocities.com/scaep/

1


http://www.aipg.org


http://www.aipg.org

Gary Rogers

Last chedk Sep 3 by: CSRA NCAEP

http://www.aegweb.org/


http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/Calendar.htm



http://www.doh.dot.state.nc.us/preconstruct/highway/geotech/geo3t2/





http://www.aipg.org/



http://www.aipg.org/

http://www.geocities.com/scaep/








DATE (TBA: TO BE

ANNOUNCED)

EVENT LOCATION TIME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ESTIMATED PDH

April 27, 2004 (Last Tuesday)

CSRAGS Monthly Meeting

USC Aiken Campus, Room 327, Science Building

7:00 PM Central Savannah River Area Geological SocietyJim Cook, President, 803-725-5802 Email: [email protected] Website: http://csrageo.aiken.net/

1

May 5, 2004

NC Section of ASCE- Spring Technical Seminar

UNC Charlotte All Day Event

NC Section of American Society of Civil Engineers Spring Technical Seminar Website: http://sections.asce.org/n_carolina/

May 25, 2004 (Last Tuesday)




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May 27, 2004 (4th Thursday,

Jan to Oct)




1

June 2004 (TBA)

GWPNC Quarterly Meeting

Southern Pines, Golf Tournament

Th: 6 - 9 Fri: All day

Ground Water Professionals of North CarolinaKenn Webb, President Phone: 336- 855-7925 Email: [email protected]: http://www.gwpnc.org/

1

http://csrageo.aiken.net/


http://www.gwpnc.org/

Gary Rogers

last Tuesday of the months August through May, except that November and December are combined in the first Tuesday of December to avoid the holiday rush





http://sections.asce.org/n_carolina/










mailto: [email protected]







DATE (TBA: TO BE

ANNOUNCED)


June 24, 2004 (4th Thursday,

Jan to Oct)




1

July 22, 2004 (4th Thursday,

Jan to Oct)




1

August 26, 2004 (4th Thursday,

Jan to Oct)




1

August 31, 2004 (Last Tuesday)




1






















DATE (TBA: TO BE

ANNOUNCED)


September 30, 2004 (Last Thursday)


Charlotte 6:00 –9:00 PM


1

September 23, 2004 (4th Thursday,

Jan to Oct)




1

Sept 25 – Oct 3, 2004

47th Annual National AEG Meeting

Dearborn, Michigan

All Day Events

Association of Engineering GeologistsTechnical Sessions on Sept 29 – Oct 1 (Wed to Fri) Field Trips before and After Technical Sessions Website: http://www.aegweb.org/indexf.html

8+

September 28, 2004, (Last Tuesday)




1

October 21, 2004 (3rd Thurs)

AEG Meeting Greensboro 6:00 – 9:00 PM

Association of Engineering Geologists – Carolina SectionTami Idol, Carolina Section Chair Phone: (919) 733-4574 Email: [email protected]: http://www.aegweb.org/cgi-bin/section_detail.php?section=c

1





Gary Rogers
























DATE (TBA: TO BE

ANNOUNCED)


October 25, 2004, (Last Tuesday)




1

October 28, 2004 (4th Thursday,

Jan to Oct)




1

November, 2004

Rock Give-Away

Annual NCSTA Conference

Koury Convention Center Greensboro, NC

NC Science Teachers Association Bi-Annual Rock Give Away coordinated by NC Aggregates Assoc. To volunteer contact Fred Allen, Executive Director, NCAA; 919/782-7055; [email protected] Website: http://www.ncsta.org/conference/index.html

November (TBA) (Sat _Sun)

CGS Annual Field Trip

Fri Eve Carolina Geological Society Sat – All Day Sun AM onlys

Duncan Heron, Secretary-Treasurer Email: [email protected] Website: www.carolinageologicalsociety.org

8 +/-

December 2004 (TBA)


Raleigh 6:00 –9:00 PM


1



Gary Rogers











http://www.ncsta.org/conference/index.html









GeoNews- Page 22 News of the Profession Winter 2003

Contact Information: Norman K. (Ole’) Olson Direct Correspondence to: Post Office Box 11315 Voice: 910-653-2396 Columbia, SC 29211-1315 Fax: 910-653-6107

NORMAN K. OLSON, P. G. INDEPENDENT GEOLOGICAL CONSULTANT

February 12, 2004 Dear South Carolina Professional Geologist: As many of you may already know, the Governor’s office, as proposed in the Executive Budget for the fiscal year 2004 – 2005, has identified professional geologist registration as unnecessary in South Carolina. As of today, this is still only a proposal. Before professional registration can end, legislation must be introduced in the General Assembly to repeal the Geologist Practice Act, Section 40-77-10, et seq. of the 1976 South Carolina Code of Laws (Geologist Practice Act for short). The House and the Senate must approve the proposed legislation and the Governor must sign the legislation before establishing the repeal of the Geologist Practice Act as law. As professional geologists, we know professional registration’s primary purpose is to ensure the ethical and competent practice of geology for the safety, health and well being of South Carolina citizens. To continue to provide this service to South Carolina’s citizens, we must monitor the SC General Assembly for the introduction of any legislation that would repeal or alter the Geologist Practice Act. Furthermore, if and when legislation is introduced, we, as a profession, must be prepared to provide key legislators with information on the importance of geologist registration both in writing and in personal testimony before legislative sub-committees. By this letter, I am inviting you to help track any potential legislation and to become part of a network. First, if you don’t already know, legislation in the SC General Assembly can be tracked through the following Web links. Second, I am also proposing to collect e-mail addresses at a central location. This would provide a capability to “broadcast” information via e-mail to you and others on any pending legislative actions. This will be important if a legislative sub-committee plans to hold hearings. Tracking Legislation by Internet SC Legislature On Line -- http://www.scstatehouse.net/index.html Under this home page you can click on to the “Standard Report” in the third bullet to search for legislation. Once in the Standard Report page, click on “Subject” and the next page will provide a list of subjects. Scroll down to “Geology and Geologist” and click. This will pull up any legislation indexed to that subject. A second method to locate legislation is by searching for key words. On the SC Legislature On Line home page you can use the key word search by inserting “Geologists” in the Search For: space located in the upper right corner of the page. The search engine will locate legislation that contains the word “Geologist”. Other methods for tracking legislation are listed in the Standard Report. For example, once you have a Bill, Act or Rat(ification) Number, you are able to be more precise in locating specific legislation. Additionally, under the SC Legislature On Line home page, you are able to check the House and Senate Committees’ agendas. Click on “Meetings” and the next page will provide the schedule and agenda for the upcoming committee meetings.


Geologist Information Network If you wish to be notified of pending legislation, please provide an e-mail address to the following address:

[email protected]

Your address will not be used for any other purposes other than notifying you of legislative actions related to attempts to repeal the Geologist Practice Act. Status of Current Situation As stated earlier, a Bill has NOT yet been introduced to repeal the Geologist Practice Act. Consequently, any letters to legislators or to the Governor’s Office at this time would be fruitless. What can be done now? At the present time, the most productive use of our time could be spent in the following ways. • First and most important is to organize. That is the purpose of this letter. This letter is to provide you

with information so you can inform yourself as to how to track legislation. Second is to set up a means to broadcast information to everyone in the most efficient and timely manner.

• Second, if you have a personal relationship with a legislator; i.e., if you are on a first name basis, you can take the time to call him or her and begin discussing the importance of geologist registration.

If a Bill is introduced to repeal the Geologist Practice Act, you will be notified if we have your e-mail address. Additionally, you may be asked to do any of the following:

• Contact legislators that represent you in your District. • Attend sub-committee hearings. I would expect key persons to testify at hearings; however, numbers

of interested persons attending these hearings does have an impact, so your presence is vital. • Letters to the legislative committee and sub-committee members would be appropriate at this time.

Attached to this letter are some of the benefits to geologist registration that could be conveyed to legislators.

Thank you for the time to read this letter. While I am no longer a resident of South Carolina, I spent

most of my career in South Carolina as the State Geologist. I also worked in the 1980s along with others to inform legislators and Governor Riley on the importance of Geology and how the professional registration of geologist would protect South Carolina’s citizens. I had the honor and privilege of serving as the first Geology Board Chairman. With your help, we will work with the General Assembly to maintain professional registration for geologist in South Carolina. Sincerely,

Ole’ Olson Norman K. (Ole`) Olson, SC PG#1 Independent Geological Consultant


Key Benefits of the Geologist Practice Act 1. Ensures that geologists who practice in South Carolina are qualified and meet ethical standards to

protect citizens of South Carolina. 2. Protects the citizens of South Carolina from potentially high remediation costs from improperly

conducted geological studies. 3. Board is a mechanism for evaluation and recourse for incompetence for geological studies conducted

in South Carolina. 4. While the primary purpose of geologist registration is to safeguard life, health and property and to

promote the public welfare, state agencies and corporations in South Carolina hire registered professional geologists because they have proven they meet competency standards by passing national examinations, meeting minimum work experience criteria, and subject themselves to continuing education.

5. South Carolina licensing requires continuing education to help ensure individuals who practice to

keep up with new technology and requirements. 6. The cost of registering geologist and monitoring the public practice of geology is supported by

licensing fees paid for by registrants and does not place a burden on the taxpayer. However, the costs of repealing the Geologist Practice Act could end up being, in the long run, more expensive to the taxpayer.

7. Maintaining the Geologist Practice Act ensures South Carolina has the ability to examine geologists

for competency through the registration process and to participate on the national level in setting standards for technical proficiency and the ethical practice of the profession to ultimately protect public health, environment and property.

National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) The National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) is a national organization that links the individual state boards of geologists' registration. ASBOG provides national competency examinations, advice, coordinates uniform registration procedure and is involved with protecting the public in matters of geological practice. South Carolina is a charter member of ASBOG with the executive headquarters located in Columbia. To continue membership in ASBOG and for South Carolina to have a voice in setting national standards for the public practice of geologists, South Carolina must maintain its professional geologist registration process. Currently, 28 states and Puerto Rico require professional registration of geologists and are members of ASBOG. Consequently, the majority of the states’ legislative bodies have come to recognize the role geologic knowledge plays in our nation’s complex environmental and public health protection system. The registration process ensures there is a pool of competent geologic professionals that have the ability to apply their knowledge in a manner that protects the health and safety of their citizens. Repeal of the Geologist Practice Act and ceasing to require geologists to be registered to conduct the public practice of geology would adversely impact the State’s ability to protect our citizens.

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