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aquifer, Charles Couch, clean water, climate, Couch oil, Couch Oil and Gas Inc, drilling for oil and gas, environment, Haiti, Paret Petroleum, Port-au-Prince, risks of oil and gas drilling, science
New readers please see the original two posts. An injunction is urgently needed against mining, as well as oil and gas drilling in Haiti, until the environmental impacts are properly evaluated and discussed by the Haitian people. Please do not invest in Paret Petroleum or in any of the companies mentioned below, which are currently involved with them.
The Paret Petroleum Co (P/P) web site states that they intend to drill 6 oil wells in “Port-au-Prince-(Cul de Sac)” and that this is a 40 million dollar project. They do not tell us exactly where the drilling and oil wells will be. One thing for certain is that it will be over the Cul de Sac Aquifer, which is the primary aquifer (under) ground water) and water source for the Port au Prince area, as well as for the important agricultural area of Plaine de Cul du Sac east of Port-au-Prince, where sugar cane, bananas and fruit trees are grown and irrigation systems have recently been repaired.
With oil or gas drilling comes risk of pollution of the water in the aquifer. The level of risk to the aquifer depends on the care taken in the drilling prcoess (casing, cementing, etc), the geology, the type of drilling, and if drilling is through the aquifer. They are drilling at 18,000 ft. or 5,550 meters meaning that they will drill through the aquifer.
The geology, which is largely characterized by limestone with karst and possibly salt formations, makes the risk of contamination almost certain and poses other problems, as well. Karst means, in fact, that the underground resembles Swiss (Emmentaler) cheese: a complex combination of ever-changing caves, sinkholes and underground cavities. Some especially dramatic worst case scenarios could occur if they decide to drill in Etang Saumatre (Lac Azuei) or other karst lakes and possibly if they drill in the Port-au-Prince Bay.
La Gonave and Hinche, where Paret Petroleum also intend to drill, have similarly risky geologies. Some caves in Hinche have
pre-Columbian cave drawings, which could be placed in danger.
The Plaine du Cul de Sac is bordered by the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden Fault Zone (EPGFZ), responsible for historic earthquakes and initially believed responsible for the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake. Now, it is believed that the stresses along the EPGFZ continue to build. Historic quakes caused liquefaction of soil in this area.
Additionally, any wastewater injection, associated with drilling, would not only contaminate the aquifer, but also could trigger small earthquakes (e.g. Magnitude 4), according to US Geological Survey research.
The Plaine du Cul de Sac is low-lying and prone to flooding, which
creates additional risks of surface and subsurface water pollution (and potential damage to equipment). The oil and gas wells would require storm chokes or similar devices and other precautions.
Furthermore, we seriously doubt that Haiti has the Emergency Management infrastructure or personnel needed to deal with oil or gas well emergencies such as fires, explosions, oil spills, blowouts, nor with the lost circulation issues which are sure to accompany its geology. The risks to human life and the environment in the short and long term are high.
So, where exactly do they mean when they say “Port-au-Prince (Cul du Sac)? Plaine de Cul de Sac runs from the Port au Prince Bay through the City of Port of Prince and on eastward to the Dominican Border. We believe a most likely candidate to be the location, about 23.5 km (14.6 miles) from Cite Soleil/Bay of Port au Prince which you find if you type “Commune Cul de Sac, Haiti” into google maps. On this same map you can see a huge white space lacking all vegetation. However, one web site discusses a neighborhood next to Cite Soleil which calls itself “Plaine de Cul de Sac” and has a population of a little over 800. Wherever the location Paret Petroleum will invade with its “2,000 horsepower moveable land rig for drilling.”
As there are to be 6 oil wells any combination of locations can be possible. There is an online video showing what is supposed to be one of Paret Petroleum’s oil wells in Haiti. It is a small pumpjack, surrounded by a small fence and greenery. You can search Paret Petroleum on youtube or click link It is also on the Paret Petroleum web site.
We have heard that (a) Dutch company (ies) is/are involved with Paret Petroleum. Considering the long history of the Dutch in the oil industry and in the Caribbean their presence in Haiti seems logical. However, we have yet to confirm any links with Paret Petroleum. Nonetheless, when researching Haiti, there always seems to be another layer hidden behind.
There are 11 directors of Paret Petroleum named on their website. link They are the expected mix of Haitian Expatriots (“diaspora”) and Americans (Haitian Expatriots and Canadians seem to predominate for gold mining). The Florida Secretary of State (see link) has only three individuals listed: Emmanuel F. Paret, CEO; Reginald Mathieu, COO; Fritz Paret, Sr., CFO. According to the Paret Petroleum website, engineering and drill work are to be done by American Fabrication (apparently replacing Northstar Falcon discussed on an earlier website: link ) and Wolverine Enterprises.
The directors listed on their website are as follows. Information from the website appears in quotes.
1) Emmanuel Paret, CEO. The website calls him “Founder, CEO” … “Investor, Entrepreneur”. Emmanuel Fritz Paret was born in 1989 and is about 23 years old. He attended the Miami Dade Community College, which offers a 2 year degree, from 2007 to 2010.
2) Fritz (D.) Paret Sr, CFO., called “Investor, Chief Auditer-Chase Manhattan Bank, Investment Banker, BS, MBA” on their web site.
We are unable to confirm Fritz Paret, Sr.’s affiliation with Chase Manhattan. (NB: Auditer is Paret Petroleum’s misspelling.)
3) (Dennis) Fritz Paret Jr, is listed on the webite as “C.O.O”, “Investor, CEO Finding Paradise LLC”. Finding Paradise is inactive since 2007, according to the Florida Secretary of State at link. Fritz Paret, Jr. is not listed by the Florida Secretary of State as C.O.O. of Paret Petroleum
4) Reginald Mathieu, “co-C.O.O.”, is described as “Investor, Service Finance Company- Senior Marketing Analyst, Founder & CEO First Committee Funding Group Inc”. His First Committe Funding Group, Inc. is declared inactive by the Florida Secretary of State. He is listed as C.O.O. of Paret Petroleum by the Florida Secretary of State. We can not confirm his association with Service Finance. He appears related to the Paret family; is believed to be the 38 years old, i.e. the Reginald Paret born ca 1973. Perhaps a grandson of Fritz Paret, Sr.? Or a nephew? More information on the Paret family appears below this list.
5) “Charles Couch, Senior Advisor”, said to have “45 years of experience in experience oil and gas Industry; “CEO and Founder of Couch oil and gas”. At link Couch says “My purpose is simple: drill low-cost, high yield wells to maximize the efforts and investments of myself and my partners”. This is worrisome in the context of Haiti and its special geological needs. The complexity of the geology means that even he may pay dearly for low returns, although not as high a price as Haiti and its people.
6) Bill Stephens, “Senior Advisor” with “35 years experience oil and gas operator, Petroleum Investor, Oil Rig Manufacturer”; “CEO of American Fabrication” in Liberty Texas. The following link says that American Fabrication and Machines was founded in 2012! He is requesting investment monies. Don’t give any him or these other people your money if you love the earth and probably not if you love your money! See: link
7) Tim Sharp “Technical Director” “40 years experience oil & gas industry-President of Gulfstar Energy”. He is listed as President and Treasurer of Gulfstar Energy Group LLC by the Mississippi Secretary of State. Either Gulfstar did not file the 3/30/2012 status report or it is not online (see link)
8) Wes Becker named as “co-Technical Director”; “30 years experience Oil industry business management-Vice President of Gulfstar Energy”.
[Feb. 14, 2014 update: Wes Becker of Stanford Illinois was fined $1,250 for selling at least one ATNG stock (unfortunately we don’t know how many) to an Illinois resident in 2001, when he was not registered to sell stock and the stock itself was not registered in the state of Illinois. The above Wes Becker also lives or has lived in Stanford Illinois. See links and more details at the very end of the comments section.]
9) Peter Mora is “Chief of Security” and “CEO of American Security”. It is doubtful that this means the much-needed geological security but rather security against Haitians.
10) C.G. Haley “Chief Geologist” with “35 years experience –oil & gas evaluations” He is listed online as “Haley energy” in Kentucky.
11) John Durkke “Chief Petroleum Engineer” with “35 years experience oil gas evaluations”. We think that this is probably John Durkee of Tulsa, Oklahoma though he claims “over 20 years experience”.
According to various online sources CEO Emmanuel Fritz Paret, born in 1989, is 23 years old and is related to and probably the son of (Dennis) Fritz Paret, Jr (b. 1959/53 yrs old). He is almost certainly the grandson or the son of Fritz (Den(n)is) Paret, Sr., born ca 1938. COO Reginald Mathieu appears kin to the Parets.
Fritz Paret, Sr. is most likely the same who graduated from the Military Academy in Haiti in the class of “Capois la Mort (1956-57)” and who was apparently a military instructor at the Academy when Haitian Dictator General Prosper Avril was a student from 1958 to 1959. This would appear to be all and the same Fritz Paret, MP Officer, who trained from Sept. 8 to Dec. 9, 1959, at the School of the Americas, often nicknamed School of the Assassins due to Latin American death squad members trained there through the years. Few Haitians trained at the School of the Americas (see: link link2 link3).
On their web site Paret Petroleum (P/P) calls itself a “United States oil and gas exploration company.” They state they are interested in “drilling for oil and gas in Haiti” and that “prospect areas are Port-au-Prince, Hinche, Mare Criton and la Gonave ” and that “As of November 2010” they “have decided to begin exploration in Port-au-Prince- (Cul-de-sac) Haiti.” Their stated “Plan is to drill 6 successful oil wells at 18 thousand feet in Cul-de-sac”…”estimated [each] to produce between 1000-3000 BPD” [Barrels per Day]. Interestingly enough they have a picture entitled “Haiti Pipeline”. It shows a group of 14 pipes elevated off the ground. It is unclear what pipeline this is. Paret Petroleum also states “In addition to drilling for hydrocarbons Paret Petroleum will locate and exploit fresh water thousands of feet beneath the surface of Haiti.” They say all the good things that “Clean fresh water” will do without discussing the fact that the location of the aquifer is known and that they may pollute that same water.
Their physical mailing address is listed as
13846 Atlantic Blvd/Miami, FL 32225/ suite 204
Their phone numbers are (631)647-0486 and (954)662-2788
Their email address is: ParetPetroleum@gmail.com
However, the mailing address registered with the Florida Sec. of State April 19, 2012 is (Fritz Paret, Sr., CFO); 17954 SW 35th St./Miramar FL 33029 and current principal place of businesss is (Emmanuel F. Paret, CEO and registered agent) 17944 SW 35th St. Miramar, FL 33029. The address of Reginald Mathieu, COO, is 2020 NE 135 St.,
Miami, FL, 33181.
In July of last year (2011) Paret Petroleum claimed to be in the process of acquiring oil and gas leases in Afghanistan, Kurdistan and Yemen: link
REFERENCES AND FURTHER INFORMATION:
(NB: short descriptions are not the article titles)
Neighborhood near Cite Soleil called “Plaine de Cul du Sac” link (English)
US Army Corps of Engineers map of Aquifer depth in Haiti (English and French) link ; USACE study about Haiti’s water resources (English) link
General Study on Haiti water resources (French)
see page 13 regarding importance of karst in Haiti link
Geology and Flooding in Haiti (French) link
Plaine de Cul du Sac Aquifer:
National Laboratory of Construction and Public Works web site (French)
link and publication on Pernier, including details on geology and hydrogeology link
On risk of drilling through aquifers even assuming everything is
done properly. One important term here for further research is lost circulation (English) link
General risks of drilling (English) link link2
On risk of oil drilling in flood plains (English) link
On relation of oil and gas drilling and earthquakes link
Information about the 2010 and historic Haiti earthquakes
and relevant geological features (and tsunami potential) link link2
Risks in Plaine de Cul du Sac and interactive map link
Explanation of limestone karst, which characterizes this region and most of Haiti (English) link
Short article/good images explaining karst features: caves, sinkholes, lakes, in the context of Michigan (English) link
Good article explaining karst, its springs and geology and especially the complexities of water contamination and sink holes in karst environments in Kentucky (English) link
Oil drilling and risk in Karst regions (English) link
Drilling in Karst terrain poses additional risk of aquifer contamination (English) link
Drilling and special surface and subsurface mitigation measures needed in karst terrains (English) link
Risks of drilling through salt formations (English) link link2 see p. 6 pdf, p. 79 document “Dynamics of Drilling Thru Salt”
Example of a major catastrophe, involving “lost circulation”, which occurred because of mathematical error. This was in the context of drilling in a lake above a known salt mine. However, something similar could occur if there is drilling in a karst lake like Etang Saumatre in Haiti, IF there is a cave under the lake. Depending on the geology, something similar could theoretically happen drilling offshore in the Bay of Port-au-Prince. Note that these are extreme and alarmist examples. However, in 1980, when this incident occurred there had been over 100 years experience drilling in Louisiana and of its geology, whereas there is no real experience in Haiti. “Lost circulation” does not have to be so dramatic but can still cause aquifer pollution and other environmental problems.
See youtube “Lost Circulation Drains Lake”: link
Also “Update: LA has a history of sinkhole disasters” link
Agricultural sector in Haiti (French) link
Minister of Agriculture (French) link
Plaine de Cul de Sac irrigation system (English) link
US AID agricultural projects mentions risk of flooding (English) link
Florida Judgement won against Prosper Avril under the Alien Torts Act for human rights abuses when he ruled Haiti (English) link
Meeting between General Prosper Avril and current Haitian president Martelly last Oct. 2011 (video Creole and French)
see youtube: Rencontre President Michel Martelly et Prosper Avril link
Mining Awareness + 
This has got to be the most complete, condensed summary on the topic ever written. Thank you for the many hours dedicated to sharing this informatio. It will certainly be used to spread the message to our colleagues of interest
Thanks for your positive feedback, help and encouragement.
Wow, Please consider putting this on Wikipedia. It is a valuable resource to share across more people. Can I link it to my Environmental Action blog?
Thanks Zak. Please link, circulate, whatever you can do to help people learn about what is being done to Haiti. That is the point of the blog.
ok great we will do that. Haiti has very little exposure in media and news so we will give it some more exposure.
What you say is very true: Haiti lacks both adequate and accurate media exposure. Thanks for your help!
I just want to tell you that this is important because many people do not know this information and my politics in Columbia do not care about the environment and we had a big problem here because about this mining pollution. I thank you for this because this is the same here in near Bogota Columbia and I will use this information as example from Haiti to the same as Columbia to our government people. Thank you. Lucia
Thank you Lucia. And, thank you for letting us know what is going on in Columbia.
I am putting two links below for those who see your comments and want to know more. The first, a study from Nov. 2011, states that 40% of Colombia is under license or solicited for license by mining or oil companies. The second is about people being expropriated for a mine.
Click to access 111203_mining_in_colombia_web.pdf
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5436/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10884
This link http://www.derechos.org/soa/ha5662.html is the most important because it shows all the criminals that were trained to continue the oppression. Please everyone send this link to everyone out there to find and track these people.
Hello, Just to let you know that we finally did find someone to organize the tree planting in Haiti. When we have some more information we will let you know. Bless. Jane
C. G. Haley
Cartographer/Professional Geologist, KY#188
No matter how good your intentions there is always some stick in the mud that don’t like what you are trying to do and always willing to see some environmental problem you are going to cause.
“Drilling for Oil in Port-au-Prince! Poisoning its Main Water Supply?”
Not if you use drilling mud, the cement and casing any fool would require!!!!
I have produced oil wells for 45 years and not one time have I intentionally put at risk the environment.
Nobody in his right mind would intentionally destroy any drinking water no matter the monetary benefit. Why can you not see the noble objective of helping one of the poorest countries in the world with oil and gas revenue?
South Central Kentucky like Haiti is Karst cave county and they have been drilling and producing oil and gas since 1910. If you use wise modern oil field practices all caves are easily cased off. Number two reason no contamination happens, we drill all surface by air rotaries thus no contamination when penetrating aquifers and caves.
Dear Sir. Thank you for your comment. We are happy to hear that if you are involved in drilling for oil in Haiti that you will do your best to do things right. We suggest that this might not be enough. With almost 49 years of familiarity with the oil and gas business, I too have trouble accepting that there are risks associated with it, even as they stare us in the face. We live and learn. This article was actually written upon a request by someone concerned about oil drilling in Haiti. Our major concern is loss of trees to strip mining. However, I am sure that fisherman in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, or those folks living up near Lake Conway in Arkansas recall the risks of the oil and gas industry, better than you and I do.
If you truly believe that no one in their right mind would destroy drinking water it speaks to your essential human decency, more than it speaks to the truth, especially for Haiti. The elites buy bottled water or have water filtration systems, so they really would not care about the aquifers, although there are hopefully some exceptions. They and many are also near-sighted.
That being said, accidents do happen…accidents which Haiti is not able to handle – not just the potential for contaminated aquifers, but potential for fires and explosions. Nothing seals 100% and, as we have noted, the risks in karst terrain are especially high, (compared to sandstone, for instance). Cement also does not last forever and karst essentially melts. That’s why limestone isn’t used for tombstones much anymore and the basis of molding things from plaster of Paris (gypsum). Years ago, I spent time researching karst terrain, in the context of risk management. For that reason, I would avoid living on karst land, never mind drilling for oil in it!
We hope that you and our readers will read the below article. If you are as sincere as you appear you may find that even old dogs can learn new tricks. You may conclude that you will sleep better if you opt out of dealing with Paret Petroleum or maybe you will be more committed to trying to make sure they do things the best possible, if they are to be done. We have included some information from the article below. More details of the science behind the concerns appear in the article itself. There is also a lot in our reference section.
Since West Virginia is your neck of the woods you must surely be familiar with their new laws regarding drilling in karst terrain. See “Caves create long-term water contamination concerns” by Gayathri Vaidyanathan E&E reporter, Tuesday, September 11, 2012 http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059969729
“BLM [US Bureau of Land Management] updated its well casing requirements, keeping in mind the potential for contamination. In critical karst areas, the agency requires three casing strings — four including the conductor pipe — of a high grade of steel cemented externally all the way to the surface. Operators also are required to perform pressure tests yearly to ensure there are no casing failures or leaks…. And under controversial rules proposed by the Interior Department for drilling on federal land, operators would have to get officials to sign off on cement bond logs, which contain records of the quality of the cement jobs. Requirements for abandoning older wells were also tightened. But karstic terrains are different because the water quickly flows through large conduits and channels, said Lewis Land, a cave and karst hydrologist at the National Cave and Karst Research Institute. If there are contaminants, they get transported to distant wells without any kind of natural filtering…….if you are drilling in a karstic area, there’s always a greater potential for contamination; you have to proceed with much more caution when you are drilling”…..”The West Virginia Legislature also recently updated its drilling laws, suggesting additional well casings may be needed in karst areas… ‘Even if you did triple casing, if those fail for some reason, if they weren’t properly installed, for example, they could fail and you may have the same situation,’ Parsons said. ‘If a truck hauling frack fluid or any kind of chemical wrecks on the road and spills its contents into a sink that goes into the underground water system, then we’ve got a problem.”
REGARDING ECONOMICS
We do take issue that any benefits will accrue to the Haitian people. Even what the landowner gets in the US is a pittance. And, for the investor it is not without risk. I personally know a professional oil and gas man who bet on investing in an oil well a few years ago. Yes, the well produces but not as much as he put into it. And, he has had to go back to work just to pay for the well. This was over the last number of years when the price of oil has gone constantly up.
Louisiana is an oil rich state but where does it rank for wealth? Louisiana and Mississippi are constantly fighting it out for poverty. The oil pipelines have been destroying the fragile ecosystem marshland, which protects them from hurricanes. The BP oil spill destroyed their fishing industry and will likely finish off that fragile ecosystem protecting them from hurricanes. Back in the day, under Huey Long, they got free schools and free textbooks from the oil monies – a revolutionary concept at that time. Now they fight it out with Mississippi for the worst schools. Some Louisiana schools lack running water. We have heard that Texas invested oil money back into a school trust fund. It is not a given, however, especially for a country as socially stratified and corrupt as Haiti. Kentucky is not the richest state around either. The damage done to it by coal mining is well known and if in recent years coal miners have been well-paid, their poverty was legendary, as recalled in such songs as “Sixteen Tons”: “Sixteen tons and what do you get, another day older and deeper in debt, St. Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go, I owe my soul to the company store”.
If there proves to be onshore oil in Haiti, and all of the evidence we have seen shows that there is not, and they do drill for oil, we hope that they hire someone as hard-working and serious minded as your email suggests you to be. However, trying your best in an unfavorable environment may not be enough: The road to hell can be paved with good intentions. Perhaps it is no accident that this expression occurs in many languages.
Triple casing seems a good idea and any company worth its salt will bring spill clean up and prevention crews and equipment with them. Besides the stupid things BP did not do right they are paying dearly for their mistakes, and they should. They are without excuse. For decades many of the companies have been producing large off shore and on shore wells safely and this is as it should be. Bond logs are a given.
If I have anything to do with where the money goes I will see some of it goes to helping the economy in Haiti. There is a way to produce oil and gas safely in Karst and I have been doing it for decades. Bond logs are a given.
Until we find a good way for us to have large sources of renewable energy we are stuck with oil and gas for now. That is the reality of the situation.
Thank you. I am sure that you are “worth your salt” but have some doubts about the Parets and some of your other colleagues. I wonder if your capacity is strictly advisory or if you will or have been down there supervising hands on to make sure that things are done the best possible? Did you work with some of the earlier exploration teams? Have you been down there at all? Have they consulted yet with you or just have you on call? Do you know where exactly they are exploring, drilling in Cul de Sac or elsewhere? The descriptions have been very vague and the Cul de Sac area large.
I appreciate your concern for Haiti and hope that you will be able to make the many other board members see things your way. An investment banker-Haitian military man like Fritz Paret seems a poor candidate for love of his fellow man, but you trying is certainly better than no one trying. Where there is life, there is hope. It is important to recall that oil and other mineral rights do belong to the Haitian State-people and not the property owner.
Drilling for water would be more valuable and potentially more lucrative than drilling for oil, especially in Haiti. I think that water there sells for more than diesel. It has been said for some time that the wars of the future will be over water rather than oil.
We really hope that you will encourage Paret Petroleum to make information available on their web site so that people can understand where the exploration or drilling is going on and the current status. You know that people tend to assume the worst where there is no information. While it should be the government’s job, it seems to have fallen on the backs of the companies to exercise transparency. Your feedback seems the most information that anyone has given on the topic. Anything you are willing or able to send our way is very much appreciated. However, it really needs to be on their web site, as well.
The role of the Parets seems to be financing and presumably political ties. They are not oil men. It is important to know, however, that Haitian political ties are constantly shifting. If they lose their apparent inline, and if a proper bidding process takes place, perhaps you will consider going in with your own company as a neutral player. If there really is commercially exploitable amounts of oil, then you surely can find a Kentucky banker to invest.
Although I have no statistics handy, I believe that you are right that given the quantity of onshore and offshore drilling that the track record was probably very good. However, the failures that have been have proved very damaging. There was also this spill which I ran across awhile back. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I_oil_spill I think that there were recent spills in the Amazon, too.
Additionally in the aftermath of the recent BP spill it came to light that there are constant small leaks, at least for the pipes. The question then becomes how much it matters diluted into the ocean. The problem of dilution is greater for an aquifer, than for the ocean. One problem of concern, however, for at least 25 years was the impact of the pipes bringing the oil onshore on the wetlands that protect Louisiana from hurricanes by absorbing some of the impact. This had already started to impact the shrimp, and I think oyster industry.
I am sure that we all agree that oil and gas is better than nuclear, if we have to pick and choose. This is our current point of focus — the dangers of open pit uranium mining in South America.
Western Kentucky University has a cave and Karst study research department. Dr. Ron Dilamarter did a study on drilling and completing oil wells in Warren County’s Karst region. I know because I helped him make the report many years ago.
Dear Mr. Haley,
Thank you very much for your kindness in providing all of the additional feedback and information. Sorry for the delay in posting and reply. We have been having extreme technical difficulties. I found some of the studies by Dr. Dilamarter regarding coal mining but was unable to find that one. If you find the link I am sure that we and everyone will appreciate looking at it. Many of the people here are students just trying to get general information on these sorts of things. Haiti Mining Awareness
You need to so some more research on Google. There was a report as early as 1925 that emphatically said Haiti should have commercial oil under it. Contact Mr. Paret and he will put you in touch with a geologist in Florida that thinks there is a very good chance there is commercial oil and gas on and around Haiti.
I will agree that removing the top of a mountain in West Virginia is a bad way to mine coal. But hey we could always freeze in the dark?
Dear Mr. Haley,
It has been some months since we researched this topic. Our resources have tended to be the USGS, the Haitian Bureau of Mines, and sometimes the French Geological Service. I will have to go through and review how many exploration teams have gone down there. I agree absolutely that at least as early as 1925, and perhaps earlier they said that Haiti SHOULD have commercial oil under it. I really think there may have been exploration even earlier than that, but will have to go back through notes. Surprisingly, many companies (I think 5 to 8) went down there and reported that they found nothing worthwhile. This was from official summaries. There is also a humorous unofficial story about Dodi Fayed’s father having gone down there and thought he had found oil and it was old molasses and he had to run for his life because Duvalier got mad at him. I can’t tell you if that is true but it is a pretty funny story to read. While I imagine you will know, I don’t expect to know this side of the grave exactly how to explain why it was constantly said that nothing was found and now they say there is some. It could be that they didn’t want to tell people and just drilled it out already; could be there is nothing worth drilling; could be that they didn’t tell people because they were saving it for another day. I personally believe that any worthwhile resources in Haiti were removed under all of the various dictatorships. So, I fear they may have fracking up their sleeve. The one thing which has been apparent to me for 12 years is that one would think that there would be some oil offshore, since Cuba has some and the Gulf of Mexico has a lot. But, this is apparently far offshore and might not even be in Haitian waters. The near-shore explorations is also said to have turned up nothing. When I can I will put all of the companies that went there exploring. It is pretty amazing. I think that 1925 was Standard Oil. Or, perhaps they were earlier.
This oil exploration topic is just one of the many mysteries of Haiti. While they said in the past there was no oil and now are saying there is, the mining is the opposite. They reported better quantities historically than the exploration shows currently. How can this be explained? If you deal with Haiti much you will learn that it is full of mysteries.
Speaking of mysteries, maybe you can tell us about the little Paret Petroleum oil well that is on youtube?
Thank you for your help and feedback. It’s been a pleasure. We hope to hear from you again.
We too are obviously against mountaintop removal. From our understanding most of that coal is going to China.
Plenty of people grew up and lived full lives without heat, air or electric lights. Some still live without.
There are plenty of things which could be done for house construction, solar panels, etc. which would make this not much of an issue. Some people don’t even need heat — I doubt Haitians do. Some people already heat with canola oil, run buses off of kitchen wastes, cars off of old cooking oil, and even have used outhouses to fuel electric lights and stoves. There are all sorts of things which can be done, but this takes will and it takes time to transition over.
However, what I had in mind is the way coal miners were treated in the old days, when there were company towns and company stores and things were bought at the company store on high interest credit. That situation most closely resembles the situation for many of the poorer countries today.
Additionally, we recently looked at the high cost of reclamation for abandoned mines in Kentucky and lack of adequate environmental bonding. Although underground mining seems preferable, there has been trouble with subsidence due to old mines. Once again, there could and should be people to monitor these things, like there is for the Paris France region with the Inspector General of Mines. But, someone has to be willing to pay for these things. And, even with excellent geologists monitoring the karst and old quarries under Paris, they have been unable to totally prevent catastrophic sinkholes.
“wes becker” securities violation Google and an Illinois document will come up.
Thanks for this lead-information. The address for your Wes Becker is Stanford IL, the same as Wes Becker, VP of GulfStar Energy Group. So, unless they are father and son, they are the same. The link is also on the Illinois gov site with hearing on February 13, 2009, exactly five years ago! However, we were unable to open the documents to see either the charges or if he was found guilty or not. We will check again later. We took screen shots of what is visible so they can at least be updated for the record, if we can’t get the whole document. Thanks again.
The short of this case is that Wes Becker of Stanford Illinois was fined $1,250 for selling at least one ATNG stock (unfortunately we don’t know how many) to an Illinois resident when he was not registered to sell stock and the stock itself was not registered in the state of Illinois.
Some excerpts from the ruling:
“…
WHEREAS, the Respondent has acknowledged, while neither admitting or denying the truth thereof, that the allegations contained in paragraph seven (7) of the Stipulation shall be adopted as the Secretary of State’s Findings of Fact as follows:
1. That Respondent, Wes Becker, is an individual with a last known address of 8220 East 850 North Road, Stanford, I l l i n o i s ;
2. That on or about April 27, 2001, Wes Becker, offered and/or sold to at least one (1) I l l i n o i s resident, shares of ATNG, Inc. stock;
3. That the above-referenced shares of ATNG, Inc. stock is a security as that term is defined pursuant to Section 2.1. of the I l l i n o i s Securities Law of 1953 [815 ILCS 5/1 et seq. ] (the “Act”);
…
7. That Section 12. C of the Act states, inter alia, that i t shall be a violation of the Act for any person to act as a dealer or salesperson unless registered as such, where such registration is required; ” http://www.ilsos.gov/adminactionssearch/adminactionssearch?command=viewPDF&itemId=92%203%20ICM7%20PRODCMZ13%20SE_AA_MgtView59%2026%20A1001001A13C07A95829D4114118%20A13C07A95829D411411%2014%201051
The security being illegally traded is ATNG. This is one of many interesting things found online about ATNG. In Tennessee:
“Case ID: CT-005924-01 – CONAWAY BROWN, INC. VS ATNG, INC. -Non-jury Trial
Filing Date: Tuesday , September 25th, 2001
Type: BC – BREACH OF CONTRACT
Status: CBSATISFY – COST BILL SATISFIED”
http://circuitdata.shelbycountytn.gov/crweb/ck_public_qry_doct.cp_dktrpt_docket_report?backto=D&case_id=CT-005924-01&begin_date=&end_date=
There is a lot more about ATNG online. Its low value and concerns of online investors looks a bit like Majescor. However, to our knowledge, Majescor has done nothing illegal, although their constant devaluation of stock has amounted to robbery of investors. But, they are legally allowed to do this. If we recall correctly, one of the now-deceased people involved with FCDH (First City Development Haiti), also in Illinois was involved in selling its shares illegally in Illinois. They were being called out on this when they died.
We cannot really tell anyone what, if anything, this indicates. But, we encourage those interested to continue to dig deeper. We do believe that Haiti has been, is being or will be fracked for oil. It could be that the fracking was done historically, like much of the gold mining.