Santo Domingo.- Within the sage bushes and the mesquites of Higüerito, Azua (south) petroleum oozes out of entrails of the Earth while Dominican Republic imports nearly 50 million barrels each year.

It burbles and casts a strong smell less than 10 kilometers from the site know as Maleno, and lies more discretely beneath the waters of nearby Ocoa Bay.

It has also been reported in areas of San Juan, Barahona provinces, the vast Cibao basin and in the Sanate riverbed, in Higüey.

“In the last 100 years more than 70 exploratory wells have been drilled here. Some have produced petroleum and others have shown indications of the presence of the hydrocarbon,” said Victor Santos Suriel, geologist president of the exploratory company Geo-Research.

The specialist said the Spanish Navy boat Hesperion, headed by scientists of the Research and Innovation Ministry, found natural gas emanations in waters near San Pedro (east) in April, 2009, which indicated that in that marine spot a large concentration of “black gold” could also exist, adding that an adequate perforation would cost nearly US$20 million.

Evidence of crude in the country has spurred Mining director Octavio Lopez and the deputy Pelegrín Castillo to head the drive for more exploration.

Lopez affirms that the most important zones are leased to the local companies Murfin, Maleno and Once Once (Eleven Eleven), but noted that they haven’t conducted important explorations in the last seven years. He said they resort to legal “wrangling” to keep the permits but not make new investments.

For Castillo, Congress should legislate in a way which conciliates the need for crude and environmental conservation.