GeoSpectrum

The National Ground Water Association (NGWA), the nation’s leading authority on the use and protection of ground water, announces its annual Ground Water Awareness Week. The event, which spotlights ground water as a valuable and renewable resource, will be held the week of March 8-14, 2009. This year NGWA is promoting the importance of well maintenance, and urges well owners to have their wells serviced annually. According to the NGWA, annual checkups of wells by certified experts are the best way to ensure uninterrupted service of water and consistent water quality. The NGWA also stresses that good well maintenance can prolong the life of a well and associated equipment, and preventative maintenance is often times less expensive than emergency repair of a well.

More information on wells can be found at the NGWA’s Web site for well owners at: http://www.wellowner.org

In addition, more information on the NGWA’s 2009 Ground Water Awareness Week can be found at: http://www.ngwa.org/public/awarenessweek/index.aspx

The Stimulus Bill could change the face of energy and education, according to some experts.  Whether those changes will be good or bad, and where there may be opportunities (and hidden dangers) will be discussed by a panel in an upcoming web symposium.  Stimulus Bill funding provisions and strategic implications will be the focus of the AAPG’s inaugural hour-long interactive web symposium, “What the stimulus Bill Contains for Energy, Environment, Education, infrastructure Funding” to be held March 19, 2009. The web symposium will cover the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Slated to begin at 2 pm CDT, and to contain an hour of presentations and discussions with a panel of experts, the web symposium will allow audience members to check their knowledge, ask questions, and get information about the steps needed to participated in the government programs. Perhaps most importantly, presenters and participants will probe the long-term strategic implications of policy and spending decisions. The fact that the web symposium will be live and interactive means that participants can weigh in from any computer with a high-speed internet connection, and they can respond to questions, online polls and more. Further, participants can text message and email each other as the presenters review specific information about the bill’s provisions in the areas of energy, environment, infrastructure, and education.

Energy-related provisions will be covered, and presenters will delineate and discuss the items of the bill, which will include oil and gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Presenters will discuss specific provisions, include the more than $40 billion that will be available in the following areas: energy efficiency using green technology, modernized electric grid, energy efficiency and renewable energy research, batteries systems, alternative fuel vehicles, fossil energy grants, and more. The presenters will also discuss the bill as it relates to carbon sequestration, unconventional energy resources, clean coal, wind energy, geothermal, and more.

Environment-related discussions will cover the more than $15 billion for Environmental Clean-Up, and approximately $30 billion of programs that relate to infrastructure and energy.

Infrastructure-related discussions will encompass the more than $100 billion to be available in the following areas:  broadband access and usage in unserved and underserved areas; Homeland Security services expansion; Corp of Engineers projects;  VA hospital and medical facility construction; repair and restoration of public facilities on tribal lands; modernization of defense and health facilities; low-income housing; block grants; clean reliable drinking water facilities for areas affected by drought; transportation (highway, public transportation, air transportation, rail transportation); and public housing (energy efficiency, updates, repairs, green investment in HUD housing and repurposed buildings).

Education-related discussions will cover the more than $100 billion in education, science education, and educational infrastructure projects.

Presenters include Theresa Coffman, who teaches courses on infrastructure and environmental issues at the University of Oklahoma; David Curtiss, government affairs, and Director of AAPG’s Washington, DC office; and Dr. Susan Nash, education, technology, and economic development, and Director of Education and Professional Development for the AAPG.

The cost for the event is $95, and registration is available at
http://www.aapg.org/education/online/details.cfm?ID=47