Arbusto Energy (sometimes referred to as Arbusto Oil), was a petroleum and energy company formed in Midland, Texas, in 1977, by George Walker Bush and a group of investors which included Dorothy Bush, Lewis Lehrman, William Henry Draper III, Bill Gammell, and James R. Bath. Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Look up company in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nickname: The Tall City Location within the state of Texas County Midland County Mayor Mike Cannon Area    - City 173. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... Dorothy Bush Koch (born August 18, 1959), sometimes called Doro, is the younger sister and youngest sibling of George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States. ... Lewis E. Lew Lehrman is a former executive of Rite Aid and conservative activist. ... William Henry Draper III is a prominent American businessman, son of William Henry Draper Jr. ... Born December 29, 1952 in Edinburgh, Bill Gammell won five caps on the wing for Scotland as a tall, rangy winger. ... James Reynolds Bath was a former director of Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), and part owner of Arbusto Energy with George W. Bush, with whom Bath served as a member of the Texas Air National Guard. ...

The word arbusto is Spanish for "bush". // Look up bush in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

It was later revealed that Bath made an investment of $50,000 while representing Salem bin Laden of the Saudi Binladin Group. This fact became controversial after the September 11, 2001 attacks due to Salem bin Laden being an older, half-brother of Osama bin Laden, who was the primary suspect in the planning and financing of the attacks and alleged conspirators. The Bush family's business dealings with the bin Laden family were criticized by many; a small group allege that the Bush/bin Laden business relationship led to Osama bin Laden being groomed as a CIA asset. [1] Salem M. bin Laden (1946 - May 29, 1988) was a Saudi Arabian investor. ... Saudi Binladin group offices, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. ... The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly targeting civilians, carried out on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. ... A half-brother is a male sibling with one shared parent. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957 [1]), most commonly known as Osama bin Laden is a militant Islamist and one of the founders of al-Qaeda. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Government. ...

Upon Salem bin Laden's death in a 1988 airplane crash, his interest in Arbusto (along with other Binadin Group assets), passed to Khalid bin Mahfouz. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Khalid bin Mahfouz (Arabic: خالد بن محفوظ) is a wealthy Saudi Arabian businessman who is suspected of having links to terrorism. ...

In 1982, Arbusto became known as Bush Exploration, a year after George H. W. Bush became Vice President. A friend of the Bush family, Philip Uzielli, invested $1 million in 1982 in exchange for a 10% stake in the company, at a time when the whole company was valued at less than $400,000. As it neared financial collapse again in September 1984, Bush Exploration merged with Spectrum 7 Energy Corp., a company owned by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. Bush became Chairman and CEO of Spectrum 7. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) is the former 41st President of the United States of America serving from 1989 to 1993. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Spectrum 7 was an oil company started by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. ... Mercer Merce Reynolds III (born 17 June 1945) is an American businessman. ...

In 1985 Spectrum 7 reported a net loss of $1.5 million and was bought in 1986 for $2.2 million by Harken Energy, with Bush joining the Harken board of directors and finance audit committee. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Harken Energy Corporation is an American oil and gas company, having its headquarters in Southlake, Texas. ...

In 1987 the Saudi investor Abdullah Taha Bakhsh bought most of Union Bank of Switzerland's shares in Harken becoming its third largest investor owning 17% of the company. He was represented on the board by Talat M. Othman. Another investor was Ghaith R. Pharaon who would later be involved in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International scandal. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Union Bank of Switzerland was located in Switzerland. ... Talat M. Othman was born in Betunia, Palestine. ... BCCI in London was closed by the Bank of England in 1991 after evidence emerged of fraud and money laundering. ...

In January 1990 with the company in the same state as its previous incarnations, it was awarded a contract to drill for crude oil off the coast of Bahrain, a move that shocked industry insiders as Harken had no previous experience outside of the US or of drilling offshore. This article is about the year. ...

In June 1990 Bush sold most shares in Harken to a Los Angeles broker named Ralph D. Smith. One week later Harken announced an overall loss of $23.2 million triggering an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission into the sale. This article is about the year. ... The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, commonly referred to as the SEC, is the United States governing body which has primary responsibility for overseeing the regulation of the securities industry. ...

References

• Beaty, Jonathan & Gwynne, S.C. (1993). The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI. Random House Inc. ISBN 0-679-41384-7.
• Hatfield, J. H. (2002). Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President (3rd ed.). Soft Skull Press. ISBN 1-887128-84-0.

External links

• Bush Name Helps Fuel Oil Dealings - a Washington Post article discussing Bush's oil ventures
• The United States of oil - a Salon.com article on Bush's ties to "big oil"
• The George W. Bush Success Story - a Harper's Magazine article on the investors in Bush's companies
• Trust Agreement between James R. Bath and Salem Bin Laden

• DOE Petroleum Price Chart (Sheet# CRUDE(T))