AIPG - Texas

Professional Associations, Institutes & Societies

Date posted: 08/12/09

The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), founded in 1963, is the largest association dedicated to promoting geology as a profession. AIPG presently has more than 7,800 members in the U.S. and abroad, organized into 36 regional Sections. The Institute adheres to the principles of professional responsibility and public service and is the only international organization that certifies the competence and ethical conduct of geological scientists in all branches of the science with members employed in industry, government, and academia. AIPG emphasizes competence, integrity and ethics. AIPG is an advocate for the profession and communicates regularly to federal and state legislators and agencies on matters pertaining to the geosciences. The Texas Section of the AIPG represents some 500 geoscientists. Abundant natural resources (with abundant oil and gas, sulfur, significant uranium, coal, lignite, abundant groundwater, and other natural resources) have allowed Texas to develop a diversified range of technology-driven petrochemical, heavy industry, mining, and associated industries, as well as a sound agricultural base, all with environmental awareness and effective regulations. Texas is geologically and structurally complex in some places, others rather simple, from plains to mountains in the southwest. Rainfall varies from 56 inches per year in the easternmost Texas near sea level to less than 8 inches per year on the High Plains and desert of westernmost Texas, over a distance of more than 800 road miles. It has natural resources in greater abundance and an economy larger than many countries. Texas has four large cities. It also has two nuclear power plants and a number of lignite-fired power plants, the latter of which are to be replaced with additional nuclear plants in the 2020s. It also has large wind farms in western Texas.