A new 1:100,000-scale map by Edward W. Collins shows a growing area of Central Texas: Geologic Map of the West Half of the Taylor, Texas, 30x60 Minute Quadrangle: Central Texas Urban Corridor, Encompassing Round Rock, Georgetown, Salado, Briggs, Liberty Hill, and Leander (Miscellaneous Map No. 43).

Also new is Report of Investigations No. 271, Play Analysis and Digital Portfolio of Major Oil Reservoirs in the Permian Basin, by S. P. Dutton and others, a CD-ROM containing text, 32 play maps in PDF format, shapefiles, and a reservoir database. Both are available through the Bureau's Publication Sales Office—a good place to start your 2006 wish list. 12/22/05

Bureau Director and State Geologist Scott Tinker was the keynote lunch speaker December 14 at the Future of Coal Energy Conference, held in Austin and hosted by Governor Rick Perry, Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams,

the Clean Coal Technology Foundation of Texas, and the Gulf Coast Carbon Center. Scott spoke on “The Role of Coal in the Global Energy Future,” explaining the shift in focus to unconventional resources to meet future energy demands. [Abstract] The Bureau was asked by Governor Perry and Commissioner Williams to lead the Texas response to bring the Department of Energy's near-zero-emissions power plant of the future to Texas. Scott is heading the effort to make Texas home of the proposed $1 billion Federal FutureGen experimental facility: “We are pursuing a strategy that will secure FutureGen in Texas and see many FutureGen-like facilities—coal-gasified power and hydrogen facilities in which the CO₂ emissions are captured and stored deep in the Earth—built in Texas and our neighboring states in the coming decades. It is an energy-economy-environment triple crown.” 12/16/05

Dr. George B. Asquith, Texas Tech University, was the Friday, December 16, speaker. Dr. Asquith holds the Joe Pevehouse Chair in the Department of Geosciences and is Professor of Petroleum Geology and Carbonate Petrology. He also is part of the Center for Applied Petrophysical and Reservoir Studies there at Texas Tech. Dr. Asquith spoke on “Application of Petrography to the Analysis of Carbonate Reservoirs” [Abstract] 12/14/05

Co-principal investigators of the Bureau's Deep-Shelf Gas project, Bob Loucks and Shirley Dutton, gave a presentation at 1:30 p.m. December 15 at the Houston Research Center (HRC) to promote research on deep-shelf (below 15,000 feet) gas plays in Texas State Waters. The Bureau's program, sponsored by industrial associates, is beginning its second year in January. The research is focused on analyzing reservoir quality in deep to ultradeep sandstones and mapping the stratigraphic architecture and structural styles from 3-D seismic data. Click here for directions to HRC. 12/13/05

The Bureau, the Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC), and the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) Texas Region co-sponsored a workshop December 13 at the Houston Research Center titled Reserve Growth Potential from CO₂ Enhanced Oil Recovery

along the Gulf Coast. More than 40 Gulf Coast oil operators and other guests were expected to attend. Bill Ambrose and Mark Holtz described the Bureau's GCCC research in CO₂ EOR and discussed the potential of Gulf Coast reservoirs. Mike Moore, of Falcon Environmental Services, made a case for a CO₂ EOR market, and Joseph Lundeen, Trimeric Corporation, described field operations of a CO₂ flood. 12/13/05

The Center for Energy Economics (CEE), jointly with the Houston World Affairs Council, hosted a briefing December 7 by Jonathan Stern titled after his book The Future of Russian Gas and Gazprom, recently published by the Oxford University Press. Mr. Stern is Director of Gas Research at Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, UK. The briefing was followed by a reception and holiday open house. 12/12/05

Friday's seminar (December 9) featured Douglas B. Swift, petroleum consultant from Midland. Doug's presentation was on A New Meme for the Hydrocarbon/Energy Industry. [Abstract] 12/7/05

Several Bureau scientists are joining some 10,000 geophysicists from around the world December 5–9 in San Francisco to give talks at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Jerry Bellian, Roberto Gutierrez, Jeffrey Paine, Robert Reedy, Shinichi Sakurai, and Bridget Scanlon

are delivering talks and presenting posters at the meeting, which covers topics in all areas of Earth and space sciences. See our Presentations page for a full list of Bureau titles and abstracts.12/5/05

A Web module developed by Bureau staff on the Geologic Wonders of Texas is one of the featured sites of the University's UTOPIA online learning resource. The module gives geologic information on four popular topics in Texas: Franklin Mountains, Dinosaur

Footprints, Central Texas, and Galveston Island. Each topic is illustrated with photos and graphics that tell a story about these geologic treasures of Texas. FAQ's and lesson plans make the site easy to use as an educational tool. Sylvia Jennette coordinated the Bureau's effort, and Paula Beard designed the module. Contributing authors are John Andrews, Sigrid Clift, James Gibeaut, Susan Hovorka, David Jordan, Bob Loucks, and Jay Raney. 12/2/05