With gasoline and diesel prices at the pumps rising to BZ$10.71 per gallon, the government of Belize Forestry Department in conjunction with Texas based U.S. Capital Energy, Inc. would like to begin seismic testing in the Toledo District’s Sarstoon Temash National Park. The park has some 500,000 acres and is home to Garifuna and Maya indigenous peoples. US Capital Energy would like to explore less than 10% of the total park, roughly 41,000 acres.

However the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) filed an injunction to prohibit the exploration. On June 8, 2006, Justice Sam Awich delivered a preliminary decision in the case siding with SATIM versus the Forestry Department and U.S. Capital Energy. Judge Awich ruled that the permission for petroleum exploration the Belize government granted violates the national parks act as well as the environmental protection act.

Greg Cho’c, SATIIM’s Executive Director, when asked for his opinion following the court’s ruling proclaimed, "We believe that today's ruling is a victory for the environment and development in Belize. I think it demonstrates the maturity of a nation where the need to balance development and safeguard those assets, environmental assets, that many of our rural people depend on. So I think SATIIM is leading the way towards this, I am very proud and want to commend my staff, my Board, and the people who have stood with us during these challenging times and we look forward to continued support over the next three or four months."

Alistair King, U.S. Capital Energy’s local representative and the owner of numerous gas stations throughout Belize countered, "Yeah this is a blow to us, we wanted to get on with this job and its also going to be a blow to the district because all these jobs are not going to be forthcoming right now."

Support and opposition for the exploration is a divisive issue in the local communities mostly affected in the Toledo District. Beatriz Canelo, a chairperson of the village of Crique Sarco and a SATIIM board member in an interview with Channel 5 News argues that Greg Cho’c does not speak for the villages of Crique Sarco, Conejo, Sundaywood, Midway and Barranco. According to Ms. Canelo who presented petitions signed by villagers who openly support oil exploration Mr. Cho’c does not represent the villages. In her own words, “ He only want for himself and the people don’t like that. They don’t like what he’s doing. Who he for doing that? He’s not a leader of the village. He’s in Punta Gorda Town, he’s okay with this big house that he have but the five villages, and we need job. We need jobs in our villages so there is where we don’t like what he did.”