April 21st, 2017

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has proposed new rules for Mold Assessors and Remediators. The proposed new rules are necessary to implement the transition of the Mold Assessors and Remediators program from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) to TDLR.  Texas Senate Bill 202 proposed transferring Mold licensing from TDSHS to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) effective on November 1, 2017. The proposed rules are published in the April 21, 2017, issue of the Texas Register (42 TexReg 2057). The TDLR will accept comments on the proposal until May 22, 2017.  The proposed Read More »

April 8th, 2017

Oil spills consisting of crude oil or drilling “mud” are often found at oil and gas drilling sites.  Drilling fluids are captured during drilling in pits and held for later disposal. The frequency of spills and improper maintenance and disposal of drilling mud results in soil, surface water, and groundwater impacts.  Once the drilling field has been exhausted or abandoned due to economic reasons, the wells, drilling equipment, tanks, pits, gathering lines, and other equipment (as seen in the pictures above) are left behind for property owners to cleanup. Because there are no requirements in most states for property owners Read More »

April 5th, 2017

  Many people enjoy feeding bits of bread to hungry ducks and geese as their children laugh, squeal, and giggle feeling as if they are part of nature.  However, Texas Parks and Wildlife warns that feeding migratory ducks at local ponds and creeks can create problems for the birds and the environment.  These problems include: Malnutrition Dependency Disease Environmental Degradation Water Pollution Artificial feeding also attracts birds to human habitats such as parking lots, fast-food restaurants, and retention ponds where they are subject to injury or accidental death.  Waterfowl are protected by natural cover in wildlife areas that provide protection from bad Read More »

April 4th, 2017

SSCI participated in a fishing trip courtesy of Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) and Texas Legacy Outdoors. Captain Dwayne Green navigated the waters of Matagorda Harbor and Matagorda Bay resulting in a successful catch by Helen I. Hodges, President of SSCI.  Ms. Hodges with her catch, a Speckled Trout, is pictured with Captain Green on Matagorda Bay on March 18, 2017. ABNC located in Clear Lake, Texas stands out as one of the largest urban wilderness preserves in the United States, providing the community with exceptional educational, recreational, and health benefits of nearby nature.  ABNC is planning for the future Read More »

December 15th, 2015

Environmental Scientist Chrystal Fretwell has officially joined the SSCI Houston team this December.  Ms. Fretwell began her internship at SSCI in May of 2015 during her final year at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and continued to contribute as an Environmental Technician after the completion of her internship.  During her time at SSCI, she has become proficient in Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), Records Search with Risk Assessments (RSRAs) and natural resources and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance projects.  Ms. Fretwell has served as a key team member in various locally and federally funded projects.  She has assisted in the performance of Affected Read More »

October 8th, 2015

Throwback Thursday to SSCI’s barbecue where the SSCI Houston office celebrated Mr. Dan Tibbals’ recent achievement of passing the Professional Geoscientist exam and begun the planning of SSCI’s 30th birthday celebration.  SSCI employees and their families were invited to enjoy the beautiful summer day at the Hodges’ Ranch in Santa Fe, Texas on July 12, 2015.  “It was a great opportunity to meet each other’s spouses and children -those people we know so well from conversations with co-workers, but not in person,” said Ms. Jo Keim. Activities at the ranch included feeding and grooming horses, rounding up the cows, an Read More »