Touched by oil, and hope; newest exporter of black liquid

SPANISH LOOKOUT, Belize — Near this small Mennonite town carved out of the thick jungle, a farmer dug a shallow water well a few years ago and found a viscous black liquid seeping into the water.

Given Belize’s disappointing record of oil exploration, stretching back to its years under British rule, nearly everyone shrugged at the story except a stubborn Denver geologist.

Now Belize is the newest exporter of oil to the United States, a development that is starting to upend this small country of 280,000 people. A roughneck crew, backed by investors from Ireland and Colorado, struck oil in its first drilling attempt last year.

Their wells, dotting the dairy farms of German-speaking Mennonites who moved here a half-century ago from Canada and Mexico, are producing 2,000 barrels a day of oil similar in quality to the prized low-sulfur crude from the oil fields of West Texas.

Midland Reporter-Telegram