Preamble PDF
WHEREAS, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists has, since 1917, provided a structure dedicated to the establishment and maintenance of high scientific standards for petroleum geoscientists and shall continue to provide such structure; and,
WHEREAS, the House of Delegates of the Association has indicated support for the concept that basic environmental issues be addressed from a geological point of view, thereby transferring the profession’s understanding of geological, geochemical, geophysical, and hydrogeological principles and methodologies to the solutions of environmental problems;
IT IS, THEREFORE, prudent to establish a Division of Environmental Geosciences of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. This Division will provide the Association with the structure needed to accomplish the purposes outlined in the Division Bylaws, utilizing the processes outlined in the Division’s Manual of Policy and Procedure.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I. Name
This Technical Division of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (herein sometimes referred to as the Association) shall be known as the Division of Environmental Geosciences.
ARTICLE II. Purposes
The purposes of this Division are to:
- Educate the membership of the Association and the general public about important environmental, hydrogeologic, and resource conservation issues associated with petroleum/ energy minerals exploration, production, transportation, and storage.
- Communicate to the general public and government agencies the Association’s commitment to protect the environment while developing the world’s natural resources in a responsible manner.
- Support and encourage research into the effects of petroleum/energy minerals exploration, production, transportation, and storage on the environment, and make available to concerned agencies, companies and individuals the results of this research.
- Aid our membership in the application of multidisciplinary expertise to the petroleum/energy minerals industries for the purpose of resolving environmental issues.
- Promote environmental self-regulation within the petroleum/energy minerals industries.
- Establish a liaison between and among the Association, other professional societies and environmental organizations for the purpose of constructive dialogue and defining mutually attainable goals.
- Provide relevant educational opportunities and services for professional development of the AAPG membership through seminars and conferences in environmental geoscience, hydrogeology and related fields.
ARTICLE III. Headquarters
The official headquarters of the Division of Environmental Geosciences of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists shall be located at the headquarters of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1444 South Boulder Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119.
ARTICLE IV. Membership
Individuals from all classes of membership in the Association are eligible for membership in the Division of Environmental Geosciences and may become members of the Division by completing a membership form and transmitting this form to the Executive Director of the Division at AAPG Headquarters along with such dues and/or fees as may be established from time to time by the Division.
ARTICLE V. Officers and Executive Director
SECTION 1. Designation
The officers of the Division shall be President, Vice President, President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Editor, and Immediate Past President. The Vice President and President-Elect shall be elected annually. The Secretary-Treasurer and Editor shall be elected bi-annually. The officers must be Active Members of the Association and members of the Division. Terms of office shall commence on July 1 of each election year.
SECTION 2. President
The President shall serve for one (1) year. The President shall be the Chief Executive of this Division; shall be spokesman for the Division on all matters pertaining to the environment; shall appoint the members of all committees except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, and shall serve as Chairman of the Division Executive Committee. The President shall also serve on the Advisory Council of the Association as provided for in the Association’s Bylaws.
SECTION 3. Vice President
The Vice President shall serve for one (1) year and perform the duties of the President in the absence or inability to serve of the President. The Vice President shall assume the office of President in case of vacancy for any cause in the office and shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President. The Vice President shall serve as an ad hoc member of the Division Advisory Board, with full voting privileges, and shall serve as liaison between the Advisory Board and the Executive Committee.
SECTION 4. President-Elect
The President-Elect shall serve for one (1) year as such and in the following year shall assume the office of President. The President-Elect shall have no administrative authority except as a member of the Division Executive Committee; shall become acquainted with all the details of the office of the President; shall develop an annual budget plan for the Division in cooperation with the Secretary-Treasurer; and shall generally become prepared to serve as President.
SECTION 5. Secretary-Treasurer
The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for two (2) years; shall be responsible for recording the actions of the Division Executive Committee; shall develop an annual budget plan for the Division in cooperation with the President-Elect; shall supervise the receipt of all funds, and shall perform other duties as may be directed by the Division’s Executive Committee.
SECTION 6. Editor
The Editor shall serve for two (2) years and have general supervision and final authority in soliciting, accepting, and rejecting all material on technical subjects for publication in any serial and/or special publications. With the approval of the Division Executive Committee, the Editor shall appoint, replace, or reappoint such volunteer associate editors from among the membership of the Division as may be required to accomplish the publication activities of the Division. The Editor shall submit an annual report of activities to the Division Executive Committee.
SECTION 7. Immediate Past President
The Immediate Past President shall serve for one (1) year and have the responsibility of helping ensure continuity within the Division Executive Committee, with full voting privileges. The Immediate Past President shall commence his/her offi
SECTION 8. Election of Officers
The Division Nominating Committee shall recommend a slate of nominations for officers to the Executive Committee of the Division for approval. Upon approval by the Division Executive Committee, the slate shall be submitted to the Executive Committee of the Association for final approval. If the slate of officer candidates submitted to the Executive Committee of the Association provides for any candidate for election to any office to be unopposed, any such unopposed candidate shall be deemed elected upon the approval of that slate by the Executive Committee of the Association. If the slate of officer candidates submitted to, and approved by, the Executive Committee of the Association provides for more than one candidate for election to any office or offices, the Division Executive Committee shall then prepare a printed ballot, listing the candidates for each office, and one (1) ballot shall be mailed to each member of the Division on or before February 1. Marked ballots returned to, and received by, the Division after March 15, shall not be counted. The Ballot Committee shall count the ballots promptly after March 15 and report the results to the President of the Division. The candidate for each office receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected. In case of a tie vote, the Division Executive Committee shall cast one (1) additional deciding vote.
SECTION 9. Vacancies
A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice-President who will assume the title and duties of President for the unexpired term. Vacancies in other executive offices, except for the position of the Immediate Past President, shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the President of the Division subject to approval of the Executive Committee of the Division and the President of the Association.
SECTION 10. Executive Director
The Executive Director of the Association is designated Executive Director of the Division of Environmental Geosciences. The repository of all documents of the Division shall be at the headquarters under the physical custody of the Executive Director. Such documents shall include implementing definitive guidelines and procedures for the processing of all applications for membership.
All publications, announcements, newsletters, meeting records, and/or written documentation associated with the operations of the Division shall be copied and placed in open repository located at the AAPG Headquarters. Said repository shall serve as a historical file for Division activity and be available to all members of the Division.
The Executive Director shall be the chief administrative official of the Division, shall not be an officer of the Division, and shall not be a member of the Division Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VI. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SECTION 1. Authority
The executive authority of the Division is vested in the officers of the Division, who shall be known collectively as the Executive Committee of the Division of Environmental Geosciences.
SECTION 2. Meetings
The Division Executive Committee shall meet during the Association’s annual convention and at other times at the call of the President. Robert’s Rules of Order shall apply at all meetings. Notice of at least seven (7) days shall be given to members of the Division's Executive Committee prior to meetings, unless waived in writing by all members of the Division's Executive Committee. A quorum shall consist of three (3) members. No proxy votes shall be allowed and no alternates may be appointed for absent members.
ARTICLE VII. ADVISORY BOARD
SECTION 1. Jurisdiction, Composition and Terms of Office
The Advisory Board shall advise the Division’s Executive Committee regarding Division affairs. The Board shall be composed of one (1) member from each Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Division Vice President, and four (4) members at-large. The President shall appoint the chairman of the Advisory Board annually from among these members, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The chairman shall have full voting privileges. Each Section Advisory Board member will be selected by recommendation by the DEG President and majority approval by the DEG Executive Committee and shall be a member of the Section so represented. The members-at-large shall be appointed by the Division Executive Committee. At least one (1) member-at-large may be an international member, residing outside of the United States. With the exception of the Vice President, Advisory Board members shall serve terms of three (3) years, staggered in such a manner that approximately one-third (1/3) of the members are appointed annually. The Advisory Board shall have no executive or legislative authority.
SECTION 2. Meetings
Prior to the annual meeting, an Advisory Board meeting shall be held for the purpose of advancing the professional interests of geologists involved in the application of the earth sciences to the resolution of environmental issues and to discuss the affairs of the Division. Interim meetings, as called by the Advisory Board Chairman, may be held in conjunction with regional meetings of the Association. The Chairman may call other meetings as deemed necessary. Notice of at least seven (7) days shall be given for these other meetings. Six (6) members shall be considered a quorum at any meeting.
SECTION 3. Vacancies
Vacancies on the Advisory Board shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the President of the Division with approval of the Executive Committee of the Division.
SECTION 4. Honors & Awards
The Advisory Board shall recommend recipients for all honors and awards that may be established by the Division Executive Committee. There shall be a Best Paper Award given at the annual meeting.
ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES
SECTION 1. Standing Committees
- The Executive Committee of the Division shall have authority to establish, maintain, and dissolve Standing Committees of the Division with the exception of those Standing Committees described in subsection 1.b. of this article. In like manner, the charge to any Standing Committee may be modified. A list of Standing Committees, the charge to each, and the names of the chairmen, vice-chairman, and other committee members shall be published annually.
- Standing committees of the Division shall include:
- Annual Meeting Committee;
- Publication Committee with the Division Editor as Chairman;
- Nominating Committee consisting of five (5) members of whom two are the most immediate Division past-Presidents and three (3) are appointed by the Executive Committee of the Division. The appointees of the Division Executive Committee shall serve for staggered terms of three (3) years
SECTION 2. Appointments and Tenures
- The Division President shall appoint all committee chairmen, vice-chairmen, and other committee members, and fill vacancies whenever they occur, except where otherwise specified in these Bylaws. Committee chairmen must be active members of the Association and all committee members must be voting members of the Division.
- The Division Executive Committee shall determine the number of members of each Standing Committee, with the exception of the Nominating Committee.
- Except where otherwise provided for in these Bylaws:
- Committee chairmen and vice-chairmen shall be appointed annually by the Division President.
- Terms of committee members shall be for three (3) years beginning July 1.
- The Division President, with the approval of the Division Executive Committee, may remove from office any committee chairman or vicechairman and may dismiss any member from membership on a committee.
SECTION 3. Ad Hoc Committees and Delegations
The Division President may appoint annually such Ad Hoc Committees and delegations as the Division Executive Committee may authorize. Members of an Ad Hoc Committee or delegation shall be appointed for a term of one (1) year and the President shall designate its Chairman from among its members.
ARTICLE IX. Administrative and Fiscal Years
The administrative and fiscal years of the Division shall conform to those of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
ARTICLE X. Dues
The Division Executive Committee shall set annual dues at its discretion as it determines are needed to operate the Division, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the Association.
ARTICLE XI. AAPG Bylaws
In the event of a conflict between the provisions of these Bylaws and the provisions of the Constitution or Bylaws of the Association, the provisions of the Constitution and the Bylaws of the Association shall govern.
ARTICLE XII. Amendments
These Bylaws may only be amended, by amendment, proposed by the Advisory Board, approved by the Division Executive Committee, approved by the Executive Committee of the Association, and thereafter approved by a two-thirds majority of the voting membership of the Division returning their ballots in a vote by mail upon the amendment.
ARTICLE XIII. Requirements
Significant actions of the Division of Environmental Geosciences shall be subject to review and approval by the Executive Committee of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists prior to implementation by the Division.