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What is Geoscience
Why be a Licensed "PG"
(Professional Geoscientist)
It’s An Exciting Time for
Geoscientists in the State of
Texas!
After many years of work by
several groups and individuals
to earn the respect of our
peers, we have finally gotten an
opportunity to make a difference
in Texas. There has been an
overwhelming response to
this excellent opportunity for
geoscientists’ licensure in
Texas. The Texas Board of
Professional Geoscientists (TBPG)
to date has licensed over 6,700
geoscientists! The TBPG has
been working diligently to
promote and enhance licensure of
geoscientists in Texas.
However, in the last two years
since the P.G. licensure passed,
we’ve come close to losing our
professional status through
other legislation that would
have abolished the Texas Board
of Professional Geoscientists
and lumped P.G. licensing under
a “general” non-professional,
state licensing department.
Through nick-of-time efforts and
by dedicated individuals within
several geo-organizations, this
setback was narrowly avoided.
Additionally, it has come to our
attention that this effort to
abolish the TBPG remains an
ongoing effort. This is a
wake up call for those who
thought P.G. licensing
legislation would be a one-time,
good-forever accomplishment.
If we want to preserve our
hard-won professional status and
prosper, then continual
vigilance and active promotion
of issues important to Texas
P.G.s is absolutely critical.
The above stated concerns bring
us to the Texas Association
of Professional Geoscientists (TAPG).
Until now, TAPG’s overriding
objective was the passage of P.G.
licensing legislation. TAPG
worked tirelessly in that
effort, sometimes independently
but often closely with leaders
of the traditional geological,
geophysical and soil science
organizations. Only at the end
of this long journey, when
members of all the different
geoscience organizations pulled
together in unison, were we
successful as a profession. Let
us learn from this valuable
teamwork lesson and build on
that success, consolidate our
gains and insure that we
continue to speak with a unified
political voice. Now is the
time for TAPG to fully become
the service organization
that all geoscientists in Texas
need, and we need your help to
accomplish this goal. In unity
is our strength!
TAPG is a non-profit Texas
corporation, chartered and
operated as a political interest
group. The TAPG is an
organization comprised of
geoscientists with a common
sense approach to the
furtherance of our primary
mission, to promote the
professional practice of the
geosciences in Texas and to
maintain the highest standard of
care for the profession. This
is an expensive and
time-consuming task, and as a
professional geoscientist, your
membership support in the TAPG
is greatly needed right now.
Dues are now $80.00 annually,
less than 22 cents per day. All
dues will stay in Texas to
support licensing of
geoscientists in this great
state. So, for a very small
expenditure, you will have a
voice and advocate in Austin and
at other public forums and
interest to geoscientists. Now
is the time to join TAPG so that
your political voice and
opinions regarding the future of
our profession are heard with
strength at the Capitol. Please
support our profession as
geoscientists in Texas by
joining the TAPG today.
The TAPG is now headquartered at
the Austin-based company of
Association & Society
Management, Inc. (ASMI) in order
to better manage TAPG
legislative initiatives in the
most efficient manner possible
at this critical period in time
for Texas P.G’s. ASMI is able
to provide lobbyists, public
relations support, mass mailing
services and many other
association necessities. ASMI
has over 35 years experience in
providing effective management
and administrative services to
professional and trade
organizations like ours and they
come well recommended. Also, we
are teaming up with Paragon
Insurance Service to provide
TAPG members with a number of
professional services, including
Errors &
Omissions/Professional/General
and Pollution Insurance, as well
as Workers Compensation, Payroll
Services, Group Health Insurance
and other useful products such
as Environmental Cleanup Cost
Cap Insurance.
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