1. Unstable slopes, clear cutting and mudslides -Where did the geologist fit in? Read on. Monday, December 17, 2007 Mudslide photo spurs look at logging practices By Hal Bernton Seattle Times staff reporter Nearly 3 ½ years ago, Weyerhaeuser asked state officials for approval to clear-cut 106 acres on a steep mountain slope fronting on Stillman Creek in Lewis County. This was a slide-prone drainage. But a Weyerhaeuser geologist found "no potentially unstable areas" in the area to be harvested and the state approved the logging.

2. Up, Up, Up Gold January 14, 2008. Gold jumps above $900 again. The precious metal hits a closing high of $903.40. Economic uncertainty, global demand and inflation fears have been pushing the metal higher. $1,000 an ounce may not be far off.

3. Housing Meltdown? A different take. How housing relates to geology in Hawaii. Sunday, January 13, 2008 Development soars in risky Hawaii lava zones By Kevin Dayton HILO, Hawai'i — Fifteen years ago the state launched a program to provide homeowners' insurance to residents on thousands of acres on the Big Island that are most at risk for lava inundation. The result, depending on whom you ask, was an economic boon for the island or a disaster waiting to happen. The program, called the Hawaii Property Insurance Association, now provides more than 2,400 policies to homes that private insurers won't cover in the highest risk lava zones of Puna and Ka'u, filling a critical need for residents who generally can't buy homeowners' insurance elsewhere. Advertiser Big Island Bureau

3b. Living between lava flows and I don't think he is even a geologist! Check out this local news video. KGMB9.com January 31, 2008
Lava Can't Chase Royal Gardens Resident The lava flow that entered the Royal Gardens subdivision on the Big Island Tuesday has stalled. It is good news for the few people who still have homes there. Jack Thompson is a full-time resident who, despite the ever present threat from the volcano, refuses to leave.Thompson loves living in Royal Gardens. He calls it paradise. But he is well aware of Pele's power. Thompson has watched over the past 25 years as the volcano has wiped out almost all of his neighborhood, including his father's home. The current eruption at Kilauea Volcano began with fountain of fire Jan. 3, 1983. Fingers of hot molten lava cut a path toward the ocean below.

4. New Year, New Price for oil! Wednesday, 2 January 2008 Oil price at record $100 a barrel Oil prices have doubled from $50 a barrel in January 2007 Oil has traded at $100 a barrel for the first time. Violence in Nigeria, Algeria and Pakistan, the weak US dollar and the threat of cold weather have all raised prices after the new year break. Light sweet crude rose $4.02 to $100 a barrel in New York, prompting a drop in shares and a surge in gold prices.

5. Great Lakes hit by deadly quakes
Hundreds were injured as the earthquake struck At least 39 people have been killed and more than 300 hurt in a series of quakes in Africa's Great Lakes region. The two most powerful occurred hours apart in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, with magnitudes of 6.0 and 5.0 respectively. Officials in Rwanda said 34 people had died in the country's west, including 10 killed when a church collapsed. Across the border in eastern DR Congo, the mayor of the town of Bukavu said five people had died there.

6. BBC News Friday, 1 February 2008, 22:42 GMT Exxon Mobil reports record profit The world's largest publically listed company, the oil giant Exxon Mobil, has reported $40.6bn (£20.4bn) net profits during 2007, a record for a US company. Net profits surged to $11.66bn during the October to December quarter, also a record, up from $10.7bn a year earlier. The profits were buoyed by soaring global oil prices which briefly hit $100 a barrel in December.

By Steve Usher, P.Geo. and Mary Jane Conboy, P.Geo.

On January 30, the APGO Environment Committee hosted a seminar at the MOE Resources Road Auditorium dealing with the recent amendments to Regulation 903 on water wells. In 2003 the regulation was amended to include test holes and monitoring wells. The fall 2007 amendments were intended to clarify the regulation in place. The APGO participated in the stakeholder consultation, and while not all our requests were granted, many changes came about due to our direct involvement. The current changes came into effect on January 1, 2008. The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the new amendments from the perspective of the professional geoscience community.

The speakers included several knowledgeable people from the MOE, including Cynthia Carr (Water Policy Branch), John Mayes, P.Geo. (Director of the Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch (EMRB), Tim Nassif (EMRB), Warren Lusk, P.Geo., (Technical Support, Kingston) and Maura Dales (Drinking Water Programs Branch, Drinking Water Management Division). Mary Jane Conboy, P.Geo., the director of the Well Wise Resource Centre and chair of the APGO Environment Committee also spoke to the 60 or so members who attended. Steven Usher, P.Geo. and APGO President, acted as moderator. Prior to the seminar, APGO was in receipt of 20 questions or scenarios from our members. These were given to the MOE speakers beforehand, so that speakers could tailor their talks to answer as many of the questions as possible and to understand the areas of greatest interest to this audience.