DPA Council Meeting Page 1 of 9 November 18, 2006 Dallas, Texas

Transcription

1 Division of Professional Affairs Council Meeting November 18, 2006 Adams Mark Hotel Present: DPA Executive Committee Sue Cluff, Chair Councilors and Vice President Rich Green, President Tom Ewing, President Elect Craig Reynolds, Secretary Michael Canich, Treasurer Deborah Sacrey, Past President Councilors: Michael Canich, representative- Eastern Section Paul Britt, Gulf Coast Al Jasper, Gulf Coast Rick Ericksen,Gulf Coast alternate Marty Hewitt, International Region Jim Hill, Pacific Section Jeff Jones, Southwest Section Sirman Hollabaugh, Southwest Section Alternate Committee Chairs: George Bole, Chair, Membership & ad hoc Long Range Planning Rick Ericksen, State Registration & Licensing AAPG Staff Norma Newby, AAPG Division Manager Not Present: Peter MacKenzie, Eastern Mike Fogarty, Gulf Coast Jeff Lund, Gulf Coast Rick Nagy, Gulf Coast Bill Harrison, Mid-Continent Dan Reynolds, Mid-Continent Bill Goff, Rocky Mountain Robert Schalla, Rocky Mountain Bill Stephens, Southwest Section Royce Carr, Chair, Board of Certification Carl Smith, Chair, GAC Dan Reynolds, Chair, Continuing Education Bob Lindblom, Chair, Committee on Conventions Jim Drahovzal, Chair, ad hoc Public Outreach Bob Shoup, Chair, Publications DPA Council Meeting Page 1 of 9 November 18, 2006

2 Division of Professional Affairs Council Meeting November 18, 2006 MINUTES 1. Call to Order/Introductions/Announcements Sue Cluff, Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. Motion: Erickson moved/sacrey seconded; that George Bole be designated as an alternate representing the Gulf Coast Section for this meeting. Motion carried. 2. Approval of Minutes Corrections to the minutes of the April 8, 2006 meeting were presented as follows: a. Green submitted the following: Correct the spelling of Don Juckett s name from Junkett to Juckett under agenda item 4, President-Elect s Report. b. Erickson submitted the following: Correction to agenda item 8(f) State Registration Committee report. The minutes should change the value reported as $1000,000 to $100,000. c. Hewitt submitted corrections to the language under Items of Significance from Canada, Agenda Item 7(g), International Section, as follows: From: Canada is trying to broker an associate member of the APEGGA, the entity that licenses professional geologists, geophysicists and engineers in Canada To: Canada Region is trying to broker an arrangement with AAPG whereby current AAPG Associate members who qualify for Active membership status and are certified professional geologists in Alberta through provincial licensing board (APEGGA), can automatically convert to Active status without going through the formal AAPG approved process under number 7(g) International Section. Motion: Bole moved/jones seconded; that the minutes of the April 8, 2006 meeting be approved as corrected. Motion carried. 3. President s Report Rich Green reviewed his written report. DPA is financially strong and the largest of the AAPG divisions with over 3,000 members. The aging membership for the division is a concern for this and future years with over 60 percent of membership over 55 years of age. Green stated that the division is moving forward to address the demographic DPA Council Meeting Page 2 of 9 November 18, 2006

3 challenge and attract new members. The simplified membership forms developed by Mike Party are now in use. The web based system to track PDH/CEUs required for registration or for Board Level Certification should be available soon. GEO-DC Director, Don Juckett, followed nine pieces of legislation in Washington, D.C. that called for Windfall Profits Taxes. Similar bills were defeated in Alaska and California. The DPA, SPE and SPEE will meet in Washington, D.C. in June 2007 for a reserve accounting workshop in conjunction with the World Petroleum Council. The purpose of this meeting will be to inform them of the inter-society initiative for training reservoir evaluators and what they are doing to clean up reporting of reserves. Dr. Lee Gerhard, member of the Government Affairs Committee, and Don Juckett have prepared a White Paper on Global Climate Change as requested by AAPG. The report re-emphasized the importance of Congressional Visit Days in April to meet with Congressmen and staffers. Apathy driven by work commitments continues among DPA members. A way must be found to mobilize our members. 4. President-Elect Tom Ewing reviewed his written report. a. Currently working with Dan Reynolds, Continuing Education chair, on a list of short course topics to develop a short course bureau from which to select courses for section and national meetings. b. Will attend the section meetings and provide a presentation on ethics or professionalism. He has contacted all the general chairs for each section meeting for a place on the opening session agenda to discuss DPA. 5. Treasurer s Report Michael Canich, DPA Treasurer reviewed the DPA financials: Four areas of financial data reviewed. a. DPA Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2006 cash balance $92,191; total assets $925,772 for this same period; total liabilities are $101,910 with a fund balance of $823,862. b. DPA income and Expense statement for 6 mos. income of $152,617 c. DPA Investment- fair market value up to $70,256 from its beginning balance of $762,570 to $832,827. The FMV of the Investment Portfolio as of August 31, 2006 is $844,934. DPA Council Meeting Page 3 of 9 November 18, 2006

4 d. Canich presented the 2007 Budget, which was followed by extensive discussion. Motion: Canich moved, Jones seconded, to make the 2006 GEO-DC payment from the Cash account instead of from the DPA Portfolio. Motion: Jones moved, Sacrey seconded to reduce the miscellaneous funding for Legislator s CD s from $10,000 to $3,000 and reevaluate in 6 months in Long Beach; approved. Motion: Sacrey moved, Hill seconded to remove funding allocated for the ASBOG Petroleum module; approved. Motion: Sacrey moved, Jones seconded to increase funding for Congressional Visitation Day travel expenses up to a maximum of $10,000 to allow a larger contingent of DPA members to attend; approved. Motion: Sacrey moved, Hill seconded to increase the amount provided for the State Legislation Conference from $4,000 to $8,000 to cover booth expenses; approved. Motion: Bole moved, Jones seconded to allocate $2,000 to recognize the surviving first 500 members of the DPA with a pin and a certificate of recognition; approved. Canich then presented the updated budget with the above revisions. e. Approval of Treasurer s Report, including the Budget Motion: Canich moved, Jones seconded to accept the treasurer s report as written; approved. (Note: Voting on this motion was done at the end of the meeting.) 6. Council Reports a. Eastern Section No written report submitted. Canich reported that the DPA luncheon held during the 2006 Eastern Section meeting in Buffalo, N.Y. was a sell-out. Scott Tinker was the speaker. b. Gulf Coast Section Houston Paul Britt reviewed his written report. GCAGS awards received by DPA members at the 2006 meeting were as follows: Owen Hopkins, Distinguished Service; Rick Turner, Distinguished Service, and Paul Britt, Honorary Membership. Gulf Coast Section Mississippi Geological Society Rick Ericksen reviewed his written report. The DPA is co-sponsoring four seminars with the PTTC, Eastern Gulf Region, at the University of Alabama on November 9, 2006, January 17, February 20, and March 28, Gulf Coast Section East Texas Al Jasper reviewed his report. Jasper expressed concerns over the lack of interest from the East Texas members concerning certification and state licensure. He implied that a seminar or short course might encourage participation. c. Mid-Continent Section No representative was present, but a written report was available. There was a comment in the report concerning the Global Climate Change Card issue. The report stated that a commonly held perception was that the DPA should never have allowed the matter to go to the membership. DPA Council Meeting Page 4 of 9 November 18, 2006

5 d. Pacific Section Jim Hill reviewed his written report. Hill would like to see the DPA educate members on topics such as Global Warming, Alternative Energy Sources, Costs of Energy, and Political Issues relating to Energy. The DPA luncheon scheduled during the annual meeting in Long Beach will feature Robert Ryan, Vice President Global Exploration. e. Rocky Mountain Section - No representative attending. No written report provided. f. Southwest Section Written report was provided. A DPA luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2007 in association with the annual Southwest Section meeting in Wichita Falls. g. International Region - Canada Marty Hewitt reviewed his written report. 7. Committee Reports An update on DPA activities was presented at the Canada Region annual meeting in May. The 2007 annual convention, a joint convention with the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG), will be held May in Calgary. Hewitt reported that one of the Canada Region s five-year plan objectives is to work with the International Conference and Exhibitions Committee of the AAPG to hold the International Conference in Canada in the next five years. a. Board of Certification Royce Carr, chair, was unable to attend the meeting but provided a written report. Thirteen petroleum geologists and one petroleum geophysicist were certified between March 2006 through October Three applications are being circulated. The Division received and approved a total of 25 applications during FY Certification applications have decreased since the last reporting period. The Division needs to focus on retaining current members and recruiting new members. b. Continuing Education Committee Dan Reynolds, chair, was unable to attend the meeting but provided a written report. Ewing discussed short courses the committee would like to establish in addition to placing the course materials on CDs for international members. DPA Council Meeting Page 5 of 9 November 18, 2006

6 c. Governmental Affairs Committee Carl Smith, chair, was unable to attend the meeting but provided a written report. The GAC s program has been varied and consists of the following: Revising AAPG position papers on crucial issues. Three of the 14 AAPG- DPA-GAC position papers have been updated and have completed the GAClevel review. Dr. Jim Drahovzal has agreed to write a new position paper on C02 Sequestration. The AAPG Executive Committee is in the process of reviewing all AAPG position papers. Some will be referred back to the DPA for review. In the case of AAPG s position paper on Global Climate Change, a balanced committee will be appointed to request a Statement of Facts on the topic. The committee is working to encourage AAPG members to communicate with Congress and federal departments and agencies. Working to encourage AAPG members to communicate with Congress and federal departments and agencies. Preparing and providing testimony to Congress. Developing and carrying out informational meetings on critical energy issues for Congressional staff. Maintaining a booth at the National Conference of State Legislators. Support for the Washington, D.C. office. Web page changes. The GAC web page was out-of-date and has now been updated. d. Membership Committee George Bole, chair, reported that John Jordan (past Chair) has located 785 licensed Texas geoscientists who are members of the AAPG and are eligible to become members of the DPA. Discussion followed on how to attract them to the DPA. A letter, including a favor such as a DPA pen or key ring was suggested. Also suggested was ing them with links to The Correlator, DPA cocktail receptions, and a signed letter from the DPA president. e. Publications - Bob Shoup, The Correlator Editor, was unable to attend the meeting but provided a written report. The Energy CD has been published. Technical difficulties prevented distribution of the CD at the State Legislators Conference. The CDs have now been distributed. A number of copies have been requested following publication of this year s first issue of The Correlator. DPA Council Meeting Page 6 of 9 November 18, 2006

7 Shoup reported that he has two goals for The Correlator. The first is to revitalize it and make it a worthy newsletter. Two new sections have been added: Science Under Attack, and Professional Development. The second goal is to increase the number of issues from two to three per year. Shoup would like to have an Assistant Editor to work with him for two years. He is currently looking for authors. Shoup s report addressed the possibility of developing a special publication to serve as a Manual for Reserve Estimation. If approved, he will put together a committee and will submit a proposed table of contents prior to the annual meeting. f. State Registration Committee Rick Ericksen reviewed his written report. There have been no changes in the number of states with registration or licensure over the past year. Twenty-eight states and one territory have true practice regulation laws. The DPA continues to have an affiliation with the ASBOG organization. Erickson distributed a request for submitting questions for the petroleum module of the examination. g. Committee on Conventions Bob Lindblom, Vice-Chair, was unable to attend the meeting. Lindblom and Bob Countryman provided a written report. DPA events for the 2007 convention in Long Beach include a panel discussion on GEO-DC; a short course on How to be an Independent; an ethics luncheon course with Bob Shoup, a DPA luncheon, and the awards dinner. The co-chairs for the 2008 meeting in San Antonio will be Martha Guethle and Mark Norville. Questions from the committee: Policies for arrangements such as hotel, travel expenses, taxi service, registration, etc., need to be decided upon ahead of time and passed on to chairpersons. How is DPA discount to be handled at short courses when and if we cosponsor a course? Should the cost of gifts be limited to a certain amount? h. Ad hoc Long-Range Planning Committee: DPA Procedures Manual George Bole said this year the ad hoc Long-Range Planning Committee has dealt mainly with the Policies and Procedures Manual which was initially started by Pete Gray. The manual is on the DPA web site. Bole welcomed any changes, comments, etc. DPA Council Meeting Page 7 of 9 November 18, 2006

8 8. Old Business a. Status of GEO-DC office (Covered in President s report.) b. CD U.S. Prosperity and Fossil Fuels (Covered in Bob Shoup s report.) It was suggested that one copy of the CD be mailed to the president of all affiliated geological societies in the U.S. c. Status of Professional Development Hours form Norma Newby and Jeff Jones presented a demonstration regarding proposed revisions to the Professional Development Hours form. Newby said this form will allow an easier way to enter information and make changes on the web site. (Newby reported that the Beta testers determined that a text mistake could not be corrected and that the AAPG-IT office had changed the format that would allow corrections on the PDH link. AAPG-IT also created new drop down wizard boxes that simplifies the procedures.) Considerable discussion followed in reference to submitted questions by the testers, the evolution of the form as the AAPG and States receive verification of hours, making the form versatile for all states. Erickson reported that the State of Texas will conduct a 50% audit over a 2 year period. Once the format is approved, an announcement will be sent to the DPA members through an article in the Explorer, as well as . Newby asked for direction on how to proceed. A decision was made to complete changes before going online with the form. It is anticipated that the form would be up and running within the next thirty days. Professional Development Hours should appear at the top of the form. d. Application Form Board Certified Members The Board Certified level will not require additional dues or paperwork besides fulfilling the requirement for 20 performance development hours. Motion: Green moved/ Hill seconded; to approve the mock-up application form as presented with the exception of removing the requirement for a notary seal for the certification application; motion carried unanimously. 9. New Business Approval for laptop, docking station, wireless card for DPA Business Office. Motion: Green moved, Jasper seconded; to provide funding of up to $2,000 to purchase a portable laptop/docking station computer for the AAPG Division Manager for access away from headquarters; motion carried unanimously. 10. Executive Session The council went into Executive Session to consider reports from the Honors and Awards Committee and Nominating Committee. DPA Council Meeting Page 8 of 9 November 18, 2006

9 11. Additional Business Bole outlined an idea by Norma Newby regarding ways to recognize long-time members of DPA. Newby has suggested that a certificate and nice pen be sent to the 500 original members of DPA (living) who have paid their dues and been loyal and supportive members over the years. The cost would be approximately $1,200. Identifying these members will be accomplished through the use of certificate numbers. Also suggested was the possibility of a new award, which would recognize long-time service to DPA. No action was taken at this time. Motion: Sacrey moved/ Bole seconded; to allocate funds in the amount of up to $2,000 to cover the cost of recognizing the first 500 long-time DPA members as well as recognition of other long-term DPA members as appropriate. The cost involves purchase of certificates and pins, and the cost of mailing. Motion carried unanimously. 12. Approval of Budget There was a motion on the floor earlier in the meeting. Cluff called for a vote on the motion to approve the Treasurer s report including the budget as presented and the motion carried unanimously. 13. Announcement of Next Meeting Cluff reported that the next scheduled meeting of the DPA Council will be Saturday, March 31, 2007, in Long Beach, California from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. 14. Adjournment Sacrey moved/hill seconded; that there being no further business, the meeting be adjourned. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Craig Reynolds, Secretary Division of Professional Affairs CR/nn DPA Council Meeting Page 9 of 9 November 18, 2006