The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
August 31, 2018
I attended the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission (TSAC) stakeholders meeting for the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) on Thursday, August 30, 2018. The meeting was very well attended and 24 people (maybe ½ of those present) testified. The remaining people politely listened and listed their support for or against the TSAC staff report. The attendees represent geologists from environmental, oil and gas, and former government employees.
Only one person testified in favor of abolishing the TBPG, and I understand he always attends all of these meetings to recommend abolishment of all boards. He represents the Institute for Justice and I’d be happy to give his name but I’m afraid I’d very badly misspell it. He believes that all licenses represent a restraint of trade and should be abolished. He said that the fact that the number of licensed PGs in Texas has decreased since it’s inception simply proves his point. He didn’t seem to know that most of the people who gave up their licenses were in areas of geology that are exempt.
I believe the other 23 individuals did an excellent job representing their reasons for keeping the TBPG. Various TSAC board members asked questions and received good answers from the participants. Senator Hall seemed to be obsessed with abolishing the TBPG and replacing it with national certification by a private organization. He was told several times that certification holds no weight, legally. If you practice bad or unethical geology and lose your certification, you can still practice geology. With licensure, if you lose your license, you can’t. Senator Hall claimed that engineers must first be certified by a national organization before they can get their license. This is incorrect. The TBPG licensure program was set up similar to the engineering board.
If you want to make additional comments to the TSAC, you have until September 5, 2018. Over 460 comments have been received so far, and 87% are in favor of keeping the TBPG. The TSAC will present its recommendations November 14 or 15, 2018. In the meantime, there are several things you can do to help preserve the TBPG. Write your congressman, especially if he or she is on the TSAC board. You can also send a donation to the Texas Geoscience Council (www.txgeoscience.org). They’ve been working very hard to preserve and improve the TBPG and deserve your help.
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
8/31/2018