http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/2011/03/does_cuban_oil_drilling_put_fl_1.html
Bob Graham’s recommendation for a mutual US-Mexico-Cuba safety response plan makes good sense and should be pursued despite the Cuban embargo. DV
By William Gibson
March 17, 2011 11:13 AM
Cuba has contracted with Repsol, a Spanish company, to dig exploratory offshore oil wells along its north coast beginning this year, a prospect that alarms Florida environmentalists and some members of Congress.
Florida leaders for years have struggled to maintain a federal ban on drilling in U.S. waters near the state’s shores, though some Republicans more recently have proposed expanded offshore production to generate jobs, raise revenue and boost U.S. supplies of oil and natural gas.
The Cuban wells would explore the narrow Florida Straits only 50 miles from the fragile ecosystem of the Florida Keys. The rigs would be directly in the path of the Gulf Stream, a powerful current that carries water alongside the South Florida beaches and up the East Coast.
“We aim to drill in Cuba in the second half of this year,” company spokesman Kristian Rix said on Thursday.
“Regarding safety, we are confirdent that we have the right personnel and materials to drill safely and succesfully in the area,” he said.
Repsol, an energy giant, has long experience with offshore operations.
Nevertheless, environmentalists worry about the prospect of rigs so close to marine sanctuaries in the Keys. The Deepwater Horizon spill south of Louisiana last summer, which fouled the Gulf Coast and ruined its tourist season, demonstrated the risks of a big spill.
Former Florida Senator Bob Graham urged U.S. officials on Wednesday to form a pact with Cuba and Mexico to enforce safety standards and establish disaster-response plans in case of a spill.
“Potential sites are close enough to the United States that if an accident like the Deepwater Horizon spill occurs, fisheries, coastal tourism and other valuable U.S. natural resources could be put at great risk,” Graham and William Reilly, co-chairmen of a national commission on offshore drilling, told the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Graham, a Democrat from Miami Lakes, said he and Reilly plan to meet with Mexican officials next month to press for a regional agreement on drilling practices to guard against another disaster. He said that Mexico, which has closer ties to Cuba, could act as an intermediary for establishing a regional agreement.
“We have no comment on the agreement on standards,” said Rix, “other than that we operate to the highest international standards and will continue to do so, always respecting the legal framework.”
Special thanks to Richard Charter