Texas Geoscientist Board to Vote on Dropping an Upper-Level Coursework Rule

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists will meet Nov. 13 in Austin and vote on six rule changes, one of which would strike the requirement that most of a license applicant’s geoscience coursework be upper-level.

The rule now says an applicant needs 30 semester hours of geoscience, of which at least 20 must be upper-level work in the discipline. The version published Oct. 2 deletes the words “upper-level,” leaving 20 hours that must simply be college coursework in the discipline. If adopted as written, that widens who can qualify on education. The board has said in its newsletters that it wants to lower barriers to licensure, and the comment period, which closed Nov. 1, drew no public response the board has reported. But the notice describes all six amendments the same way — as clarifying language, with no cost to anyone regulated — and this one does more than clarify.

The other five are lighter. Two would spell out in the rulebook that a person practicing geoscience for the public must hold a license, and a firm offering it must be registered, citing the exemptions by statute rather than in general terms. One adds hydrology and sedimentology to the list of things that count as geology. One clarifies that a student needs only the education requirement, not the five years of experience, to sit for the national fundamentals exam. One fixes a hyphen. All six were proposed in August and filed with the state in September.

Also on the agenda: eight applicants asking the board to waive an exam, which is this board’s highest-volume business — it granted every such request unanimously at each of its last three meetings — and a first look at soil science degree programs in Texas. Soil science is the smallest of the three disciplines the board licenses, with one new licensee last summer against thirty in geology. The item appears on no committee agenda and the board has published nothing explaining it. The statute requires six of the nine members to be licensed geoscientists but sets no split among the three disciplines, and no soil scientist currently sits on the board.

Three of the nine seats expire Feb. 1, 2027, a few weeks into Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa’s term.

Meeting at a glance

Board members

• Mark N. Varhaug — chair; Dallas; independent geologist.
• Steven Fleming — vice chair; Shavano Park; CPS Energy, San Antonio.
• Rusty Branch — secretary; Fort Worth; senior geoscientist, Gehrig Inc.
• Eric Anderson — Hallsville; president, Mitigation Resources of North America.
• Bereket Derie — Georgetown; principal geophysicist, Round Rock Geophysics.
• Danielle “Danny” Kingham — Houston; senior hydrogeologist, GSI Environmental.
• Jeremy Ransom — Georgetown; Bluespring Wealth Partners; public member.
• LaFawn Thompson — New Braunfels; Heldenfels Enterprises; public member.
• Tycom “Ty” Wright — Bedford; mediator and arbitrator; public member.

All nine seats are filled, six licensed geoscientists and three public members, as the statute requires. Names, cities and terms are from the board’s roster page, checked November 6, and match the governor’s releases. Occupations differ between the two sources for three members, the roster page being the more current, and the board’s own 2026-27 budget request still names a former chair. Wright was appointed in March to the unexpired term of Samuel McGee, whose departure the board has not explained. The terms of Fleming, Derie and Thompson expire February 1, 2027.