"If there was indication of any significant and economically viable oil reserves down that way (which the spook community would know about long before most oil & gas professionals, let alone the general public)"
How?
Does the CIA have its own seismic boats and drillships that operate in a cloak of invisibility?
I doubt any secret service could afford the costs of running an oil operation
Watch AIM announcements instead - the oil companies publish detailed updates all the time