8TH ANNUAL CCGO SACRAMENTO DRIVE-IN A SUCCESS

The Eighth Annual California Council of Geoscience Organizations (CCGO) Sacramento Drive-In was held on March 15, 2007. CCGO is a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation formed in 1997 to advocate the use of sound geologic knowledge and practice by proposing, reviewing, and monitoring statutes, regulations and public policies. CCGO is a leader of recognized integrity in advancing programs and legislation that take into consideration California’s diverse geologic conditions, advocating knowledgeable use of resources, and working to reduce the impact of geologic hazards.

The CCGO delegates included current CCGO President, Charles Nestle (AEG, Southern California Section), Marcia Kiesse (AEG, Sacramento), Betsy Mathieson (AEG, San Francisco) and Jim Jacobs (AIPG, California Section). The first meeting was with David Beeby, representing the State Mining and Geology Board (SMGB). Of interest was the fact that many urban areas in California, including the Bay Area and Los Angeles, Fresno and other cities have only about a decade or so of aggregate left available, and permitting new gravel quarries takes 5 to 10 years. As the supplies are depleted, significant increases in the cost of cement and aggregate-related raw materials will occur as transportation costs increase. We discussed that these costs will not only increase the base price of residential construction, but the Governor’s approved major infrastructure improvement projects (bridges and highways) will likely see an escalation of costs that were not planned in the original budget items.

The CCGO delegation later met with Dr. John Parrish, State Geologist with the California Geological Survey (CGS). He showed the delegation some recently produced maps, mostly related to hazard mapping projects. He noted that although the CGS is known throughout the world for its state-of-the-art hazard mapping staff, facilities and projects, the state funding has not kept up with the needs of the CGS to provide this important information to the people of California.

Later the CCGO delegates met with George Dunfield and Rick Rempel (recently hired Executive Officer) of the Board for Geologists and Geophysicists (BGG). The delegates heard of the improvements and updates that are occurring at the BGG to make the agency more efficient and modern.

After lunch the CCGO delegation met with Andrew Medina (legislative aide to Assembly member Mike Eng) regarding professional and business issues for geologists and the upcoming BGG Sunset Review. We met with consultant Caroll Mortensen, chief consultant for the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials under Assembly member Jared Huffman. As Mr. Huffman is proposing carbon sequestration, we discussed some potential side effects that should be evaluated prior to injecting large volumes of carbon dioxide into the ground. G.V. Ayers and Bill Gage of the Business & Professions Committee (Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas) discussed the upcoming Sunset Review Process for the BGG.

The CCGO delegation met briefly with Christine Robertson, an aide for Assembly member Sam Blakeslee (former geoscientist – PhD - Geophysics), to discuss BGG status, and funding for the SMGB and CGS; and then with Sonia Diaz, an assistant with Senator Sheila Kuehl to discuss SB 68, the Senator’s proposal to clean up language governing the SMGB. Later in the day, we met with Antonette Sorrick, Governor’s Appointments Secretary (Deputy Director of Board Relations) to discuss the recent and future appointments to the BGG. The Governor appoints geologists to various state boards, including the SMGB, BGG and the Hospital Building Safety Board.

In all, the 8th Annual CCGO Sacramento Drive-In was a great success. We established and renewed our contacts with key legislators associated with the professional and business committees (BGG issues), as well as environmental and funding issues (CGS and SMGB issues). We listened to their concerns and in turn explained what geologists do and how our profession helps with a variety of important aspects to modern life, including human health & safety, natural resources, environmental protection, infrastructure, and teaching.

Submitted by:
Jim Jacobs, P.G., C.H.G.
CCGO Past President