In international waters off the shore of the US and Cuba—but within the sovereign boundaries of neither— sits possible oil and gas reserves. You would have thought that the US would have tried to exploit this years ago, with rising fuel prices and increasingly scarce sources of new oil. It turns out that we haven’t because of the pressures of various interest groups. And Cuba is reaping the rewards from our inaction.
Cuba drills for oil off Florida; Deadlock hurts U.S. fuel effortsCuba is drilling for oil 60 miles off the coast of Florida with help from China, Canada and Spain even as Congress struggles to end years of deadlock over drilling for what could be a treasure trove of offshore oil and gas.
Republicans in Congress have tried repeatedly in the past decade to open up the outer continental shelf to exploration, and Florida’s waters hold some of the most promising prospects for major energy finds. Their efforts have been frustrated by opposition from Florida, California and environmental-minded legislators from both parties.
Why am I not surprised? It turns out that several interest groups have, as they regularly do, interferred with what is best for America on the grounds that their constituencies will be damaged.
Florida’s powerful tourism and booming real estate industries fear that oil spills could cost them business. Lawmakers from the state are so adamantly opposed to drilling that they have bid to extend the national ban on drilling activity from 100 miles to as far as 250 miles offshore, encompassing the island of Cuba.
The result of all this is that if oil is found in commercially viable quantities, Cuba could be transformed from an oil importer into another Venezuela.
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Comments to this entry
Kirk H. Sowell
August 1, 2006
2:30 pm
My view is that the U.S. should take whatever steps are necessary to prevent Communist Cuba from exploiting these resources. As far as the legal issue is concerned, the state certainly has no right to prevent federal action beyond its own territory. This is something which implicates the national interest, not merely the interest of certain special interests in Florida.
Yet the U.S. has a broader problem here that goes beyond Florida - take the fact that we have a shortage of refining capacty, yet we have not built a new refinery since 1977 as I recall. Modern technology being what it is, we ought to be able to deal adquately with legitimate environmental concerns. To the extent that there are environmentalists who oppose building any new refineries, this is an extreme position and this lobby should not prevent policymaking in the broader national interest.
sun bin
August 1, 2006
2:47 pm
what if oil is found in silicon valley?
remember under wilshire blvd, beverley hill through westwood, was oil field in 1920s. share we dig up oil from there again?
IJ
August 1, 2006
3:27 pm
Gollios
August 1, 2006
4:49 pm
However, even if the status quo remains, the fact that Canada and Spain are involved in the process may limit how much a potential oil weapon a la Venezuela could be used.
Mi-Hwa
August 1, 2006
4:50 pm
Demetrius
August 1, 2006
6:31 pm
The lack more new and modern refineries is just one NIMBY inspired self-inflicted wound Western countries endure. The moratorium on building more nuclear reactors is an old story (particulary in Ontario where I am: up to last year, lobbyists had forced the closing of our nuclear reactors, stopped the building of more, and were trying to close the coal generating plants at the SAME TIME. The result- power crunches and brown-outs on humid summer days- was predictable). Magnetohydrodynamic coal-powered elctricity generation was tested in the 1970's. It's closed cycle (minimizing environmental contamination, and twice as efficient as a conventional plant. There still don't seem to be any around. Wonder why.
mike
August 1, 2006
8:13 pm
Still the anti-growth faction just barely hold the balance of power in the Senate. A moderate crisis will topple that quickly.
Of course it's possible the market plus new tech will work around this self-imposed inefficiency, heading off any crisis.
In the meantime Americans seem willing to be poorer to indulge this new earth worship. Just look at the consumer recycling penance will inflict on ourselves. Let's just go back to beating ourselves with sticks: at least that's a more direct expression of the self-loathing inherent in the enviro movement.
Ah well, religion will always be a powerful motivator. You can only hope to limit its downside. Much worse has been done in the past in the name of religion. The enviros still are to blame for the suffering they cause due to the reduced economic growth and efficiency, but I guess it could be worse.
It is interesting how new religious movements spread. The enviros are still largely a phenomenon of the well-off. It's filled the void (for some) that's been left as traditional religions have declined. Further evidence that humanity evolved to be religious. Perhaps unfortunate, but clearly an inherent part of human nature.
Perhaps Gore can be America's Akenaton or Constatine. He'll sweep to power, raze the old temples, and show us all the one true faith which is Gaia. And people think we have a hyper-religious President now!
sun bin
August 1, 2006
9:34 pm
so lifting hte embargo may dissuade cuba from drilling and change its economic formula.
a note:
the oil is always there, drilling 50 years later may yield higher economic benefit (by then the technology may be a lot cleaner) as price may be higher then.
Demetrius
August 2, 2006
1:31 pm