The nine-member board that licenses Texas geologists meets Friday to decide whether sixteen people may hold that license without passing the exam state law normally requires. Six of the nine have to vote yes for any one of them.
A licensed professional geoscientist is the only person who may take responsible charge of geoscience work that a city ordinance, a state rule or a federal regulation calls for — the groundwater studies, the soil and foundation reports, the environmental assessments that get filed before a project moves. Texas has licensed the profession since 2003. To qualify, an applicant needs a geoscience degree, five years of documented work in the field and a passing score on an exam covering the fundamentals and practice of the discipline.
The exam is the piece the board can set aside. State law lets it waive any licensing requirement except the fee when an applicant asks in writing and shows good cause, and the board’s own waiver policy turns that into a hard count: six yes votes out of nine appointed seats, no matter how many members are in the room. Each waiver granted and the reason for it go into the applicant’s file and the board’s own record. Thirteen of the sixteen requests ask to skip the national geology exam that most states use; three ask to skip the Texas geophysics exam. Seven of the applicants are listed on the agenda with doctorates.
The same meeting opens six proposed rule changes, among them the rule that sets the exam requirement and the rule on what education counts. Three others touch the board’s general powers, its definitions and what a registered firm must do. A staff working group on the Texas geophysics exam reports as well. Nothing is final Friday — proposals go out for public comment first, and the notice sets no deadline.
Also on the agenda: applications for emeritus status, a discussion of emerging technology and new outreach plans. The board last met May 8, according to the minutes it takes up Friday. The question worth watching is whether the rewrite narrows the gap that keeps bringing the board these requests one name at a time.
Meeting at a glance
- When
- 9:00 a.m. CT Friday, August 14, 2026. The notice was filed August 4.
- Where
- 1801 Congress Ave., Conference Room 7.101, Austin.
- Governing body & chair
- Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists — nine governor-appointed members, six of them licensed geoscientists and three public members. Mark N. Varhaug of Dallas chairs.
- Format
- In person with a Zoom link on the notice; the presiding officer attends in person. To speak, email licensing@tbpg.texas.gov ahead of time. Comments are capped at five minutes; written comments are due 24 hours before.
- Live video
- Zoom. The agency warns the link can change and asks the public to confirm it on its website a day ahead. A recording is available within ten business days on request.
- Full agenda
- Secretary of State Open Meeting Viewer · Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists
Board members
- Mark N. Varhaug, Dallas — chair; independent geologist, licensed in Texas.
- Steven Fleming, Shavano Park — vice chair; geoscientist at CPS Energy.
- Rusty Branch, Fort Worth — secretary; senior geoscientist at Gehrig, Inc.
- Eric Anderson, Hallsville — president of Mitigation Resources of North America.
- Bereket Derie, Georgetown — principal geophysicist, Round Rock Geophysics.
- Danielle “Danny” Kingham, Houston — senior hydrogeologist at GSI Environmental.
- Jeremy Ransom, Georgetown — public member; Bluespring Wealth Partners.
- LaFawn Thompson, New Braunfels — public member; Heldenfels Enterprises.
- Tycom “Ty” Wright, Bedford — public member; mediator and arbitrator.
Hometowns, biographies and term dates are on the board’s own Board Members page. Terms run to February 1 of 2027, 2029 or 2031. The six-and-three split between licensed geoscientists and public members is set by Occupations Code §1002.051. Staff contact for this meeting: Katie Colby, (512) 936-4428.