Alphonsus (Phonse) J. Fagan, BSc., P.Geo., is a petroleum geophysicist with more than two decades experience in the oil and gas industry. In that time he has worked in the Calgary oilpatch for a major oil company (Amoco Canada), with the Goverment of Newfoundland and Labrador's Energy Branch and as a private consultant. In various capacities throughout his career he has become intimately knowledgeable of the Atlantic Canada petroleum industry, in terms of the public policy aspects, its history, and the geological prospectivity of the various sedimentary basins of Newfoundland and Labrador. In this regard he has authored and co-authored several reports, papers and magazine articles and has been a frequent presenter at local, national and international conferences to raise awareness of the Province's petroleum potential. Since August 2005 he has offered his services as a geophysical and policy/regulatory consultant. Mr. Fagan has also had an enduring interest in educating the public about the petroleum industry and has given numerous seminars over the years to audiences of all ages. In 2001 he established Petro-Ed to offer short courses relating to the petroleum industry in the Atlantic Canada market.