We celebrate the values of rural life and invest heavily in the future of agriculture...Our Youth.
Annual Convention held Oct. 1At our annual convention, we voted on policies (all passed) and had a panel of experts relate information concerning oil, gas, mineral mining and water issues. It was very informative and well attended. Included below are photos and information from the meeting.
The panel was videotaped. DVDs of the discussion were produced and are available at the DCFB office at $5 per DVD.
MINERAL MINING IN DEWITT COUNTY
PURPOSE : To provide educational and timely information to FB members of DeWitt County about the Science, Regulation, Monitoring and leasing of the mineral and natural resources.
FILMING – FRANCES VAUGHN, CUERO ISD
TIME KEEPER – TOM BATTS
MODERATOR - BILLY HOWEBILLY HOWE CAME TO TEXAS FARM BUREAU AS AN ASSOCIATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR IN SEPTEMBER 1999. BEFORE COMING TO TEXAS FARM BUREAU, HE WORKED IN THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM 1993-1999 AS A LEGISLATIVE AIDE AND CHIEF COMMITTEE CLERK. HOWE WAS PROMOTED TO STATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR TEXAS FARM BUREAU IN MAY 2002.
HOWE MONITORS ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, PROPERTY RIGHTS, AND WATER POLICY ISSUES FOR TEXAS FARM BUREAU. HE ALSO SUPERVISES THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGISLATIVE STAFF AT THE STATE LEGISLATIVE OFFICE IN AUSTIN .
HOWE GREW UP IN THE FARMING COMMUNITY OF ITASCA , TEXAS, WHERE HE WORKED FOR LOCAL FARMERS AND RANCHERS. HE GRADUATED FROM ITASCA HIGH SCHOOL IN 1988, AND THEN SPENT TWO YEARS AT HILL COLLEGE IN HILLSBORO, TEXAS. HOWE EARNED HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE FROM LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY IN 1993.
HOWE AND HIS WIFE, COURTNEY HAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN–A DAUGHTER, PEYTON, AND A SON, WILLIAM.
PANEL MEMBERS:
TCEQ STAFF MEMBER DAVID HENRY IS A GEOLOGIST ASSIGNED TO THE UNDERGROUND INJECTION (UIC) TEAM OF THE INDUSTRIAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE PERMITS SECTION OF THE WASTE PERMITS DIVISION. DAVID REVIEWS AND EVALUATES TECHNICAL DATA SUBMITTED WITH PERMIT APPLICATIONS FOR UNDERGROUND INJECTION WELL FACILITIES AUTHORIZED UNDER THE SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT, WRITES DRAFT AND FINAL PERMIT DOCUMENTS, AND RESPONDS TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES CONCERNING REGULATORY MATTERS. PRIOR TO BEING ASSIGNED TO THE UIC TEAM IN 2004, DAVID WORKED AS A PERMIT WRITER IN THE SAME SECTION REVIEWING PERMIT APPLICATIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES REGULATED UNDER THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ACT. DAVID ALSO SERVES AS A TECHNICAL ADVISOR ON GEOLOGY AND STATISTICS TO THE INDUSTRIAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE PERMITS SECTION.
PREVIOUS TO JOINING THE TNRCC IN 1992, DAVID WORKED 14 ½ YEARS AS AN EXPLORATION GEOLOGIST IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY, INCLUDING EXPLORATION FOR URANIUM, BASE AND PRECIOUS METALS, AND INDUSTRIAL MINERALS THROUGHOUT THE WESTERN U.S. AND TRANS-PECOS TEXAS, AND FOR OIL AND GAS IN ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE ALASKA, OFFSHORE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE MISSISSIPPI SALT BASIN, THE TEXAS GULF COAST ONSHORE, AND THE GULF OF MEXICO.
DAVID WAS BORN AND RAISED IN EL PASO, TEXAS. UPON GRADUATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN 1968, HE ENLISTED IN THE MARINE CORPS AND SERVED FOR THREE YEARS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA . HE THEN ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO , WHERE HE EARNED BACCALAUREATE (1976) AND MASTER OF SCIENCE (1979) DEGREES IN GEOLOGY. HE AND HIS WIFE AND TWO DAUGHTERS CURRENTLY LIVE IN ROUND ROCK, TEXAS .
DAVID IS A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST (#1374) WITH THE TEXAS BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS.
RAILROAD COMMISSIONER OF TEXAS JOHN E. CAUDLE, FROM NOVEMBER 1983 TO PRESENT, WORKED FOR THE RAILROAD COMMISSION OF TEXAS, SURFACE MINING AND RECLAMATION DIVISION IN AUSTIN, TEXAS . SINCE SEPTEMBER 1990, HE IS THE MANAGER OF THE APPLICATIONS AND PERMITS SECTION. HE SUPERVISES STAFF OF APPLICATIONS AND PERMITS SECTION. THE SECTION STAFF CONSISTS OF 17 TECHNICAL PROFESSIONALS IN THE ENGINEERING, SOILS AND WILDLIFE/VEGETATION, AND GEOLOGY/GROUND WATER SUBSECTIONS, AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERALL TECHNICAL REVIEW AND PROCESSING OF COAL MINE PERMIT APPLICATIONS, URANIUM EXPLORATION PERMIT APPLICATIONS AND URANIUM SURFACE MINING PERMIT APPLICATIONS. HE GRADUATED IN MAY 1983 FROM THE NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY, SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO WITH A B.S., MINING ENGINEERING. HIS PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION IS REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER, LICENSE NO. 68790, STATE OF TEXAS .
ATTORNEY AT LAW ERROL JOHN DIETZE IS A GRADUATE FROM ST. MARY'S SCHOOL OF BUSINESS WITH A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS DEGREE IN 1962, GRADUATE FROM ST. MARY'S SCHOOL OF LAW IN 1965, A PRACTICING ATTORNEY IN CUERO, DEWITT COUNTY , TEXAS SINCE SEPTEMBER, 1965 AND A SENIOR PARTNER OF THE LAW FIRM OF DIETZE AND REESE.
HE IS A DIRECTOR OF THE DEWITT GONZALES RIVER ASSOCIATION; ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ORGANIZERS OF THE ASSOCIATION, MEMBER OF THE TRANS-TEXAS WATER PROGRAM, WEST CENTRAL STUDY REGION, “INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLANNING COMMITTEE 1997-1998”, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD FOR TEXAS PECAN PRODUCERS BOARD; ELECTED BY TEXAS PECAN PRODUCERS FOR 2-YEAR TERM, 1998-2000. CHAIRMAN OF PECAN VALLEY WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT, MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION, MEMBER OF TEXAS LAWYERS ASSOCIATION, MEMBER OF THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS, LIFETIME COMMITTEE MEMBER OF HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO, MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR CUERO LIFESTOCK SHOW FOR PAST 18 YEARS, MEMBER OF BOARD OF TEXAS PECAN MARKETING BOARD.
PETROLEUM GEOLOGIST MR. LANE DIXON IS A NATIVE OF CARTHAGE, TEXAS . HE IS A GRADUATE OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN PETROLEUM GEOLOGY. WHILE AT A&M HE WAS HONORED FOR HIS SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT BY TWICE BEING SELECTED TO RECEIVE THE GEOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT'S GEORGE P. MITCHELL AWARD. HE SPENT HIS EARLY PROFESSIONAL CAREER ENGAGED IN OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION FOR TEXAS EASTERN, SIGNAL OIL, AND OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM. FOR MANY YEARS HE HAS BEEN A SELF EMPLOYED GEOLOGIST WORKING WITH BOTH INDEPENDENT COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS. HE IS RECOGNIZED AS A CERTIFIED PETROLEUM GEOLOGIST BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS AND IS A MEMBER OF THE SAN ANTONIO GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. HE ALSO HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN LIGNITE EXPLORATION. LANE IS MARRIED TO THE FORMER KAYE GODARD OF CUERO. THEY ARE PRESENTLY BUILDING A HOME IN CUERO AND WILL BE MOVING FROM SAN ANTONIO IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
QUESTIONS
SCIENCE- PETROLEUM GEOLOGIST - MR. LANE DIXON
WHY IS DEWITT COUNTY A PRIME SOURCE FOR OIL AND GAS, URANIUM, WATER, AND OTHER DESIRABLE MINERALS? WHAT IS NEW IN TECHNOLOGY THAT LAND OWNER AND MINERAL OWNERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF? HOW ARE WELL LOCATIONS DETERMINED? HOW DOES 3-D SEISMIC WORK AND WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES? DISCUSS OAKVILLE , GOLIAD, AND WILCOX SANDS AND WHAT THEY MEAN AS FAR AS EXPLORATION. WHY THE DIFFERENT DRILLING DEPTHS?
REGULATION- RAILROAD COMMISSION - MR. JOHN CAUDLE
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE RAILROAD COMMISSION IN PROTECTING, MONITORING, AND REGULATING THE PRODUCTION OF MINERALS? AS A LAND OWNER, WHAT ASSURANCE DO WE HAVE THAT THE PRODUCTION COMPANIES ARE DOING WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO? HOW DOES THE INFORMAL COMPLAINT SYSTEM WORK WITH THE RAILROAD COMMISSION? HOW IS THE RAILROAD COMMISSION ORGANIZED AND HOW ARE THE REGULATIONS ESTABLISHED? HOW DOES THE RR COMMISSION REGULATE IN SITU (SOLUTION) MINING OF URANIUM?
LEASING- ATTORNEY AT LAW- MR. ERROL JOHN DIETZE
WATER-PRESIDENT PECAN VALLEY WATER DISTRICT- ERROL JOHN DIETZE
WHAT APPROPRIATE PROTECTION SHOULD THE LAND OWNER AND/OR MINERAL OWNER SEEK WHEN ENTERING INTO A LEASE AGREEMENT? DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT LEASE RAMIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MINERALS OR RESOURCES BEING SOUGHT AFTER? AS CHAIRMAN OF PECAN VALLEY WATER DISTRICT, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUES FACING DEWITT COUNTY RESIDENTS WITH THEIR WATER WELLS AND WATER RIGHTS?
MONITORING- TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT QUALITY
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF TCEQ IN MONITORING, PROTECTING AND REMEDIATION OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES NOW FACING TCEQ IN THIS AREA AND HOW CAN THE PUBLIC MAKE GOOD SOUND CHOICES IN PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES. HOW IS THE TCEQ ORGANIZED AND HOW ARE THE REGULATIONS ESTABLISHED AND ENFORCED? HOW DOES THE PUBLIC CONTACT TCEQ WHEN THEY THINK INFRACTIONS HAVE OCCURRED?
Commodities in
DeWitt County
Beef Cattle
Feed Grains
Forage/Hay
Horses
Nursery and
Greenhouse
Peanuts
Sheep/Goats
Swine
Wheat
Wildlife