China-Cuba oil drilling is a myth, says Sen. Martinez; pro-drilling GOP leaders keep peddling the story as true

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Florida, took to the Senate floor today to try to put the kibosh on a growing myth on Capitol Hill, being spread by members of his own party: That China is drilling for oil and gas just 60 miles off Key West, closer to Florida than American companies can drill.

"China is not drilling off the coast of Cuba," Martinez said. "Reports to the contrary are simply false. They're rumors, akin to urban legend."

The China argument is a favorite of pro-drilling forces on Capitol Hill who don't like federal restrictions on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. With gas prices over $4 per gallon, Republicans again are trying to open up more of nation's coasts to drilling.

The House Republican leader, John Boehner of Ohio, sent out a statement Wednesday saying, "While China explores oil and gas 60 miles from American shores, Dem majority keeps energy resources under lock-and-key. When it comes to energy exploration, do Democratic leaders really trust the Chinese more than Americans?"

But Martinez, a Cuban American and the Senate's resident Cuba expert, cited a Congressional Research Service study and the University of Miami, which found the only Cuban territory that China has leased for energy exploration is on land. A Spanish company has options on one area off the Cuban coast, but "they tell me they have no current plans" for production, he said.

--Wes Allison, Times Washington bureau

 

But Martinez, a Cuban American and the Senate's resident Cuba expert, cited a Congressional Research Service study and the University of Miami, which found the only Cuban territory that China has leased for energy exploration is on land. A Spanish company has options on one area off the Cuban coast, but "they tell me they have no current plans" for production, he said.

--Wes Allison, Times Washington bureau

 

Comments

[Tino]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/washington/09drill.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

hmmm....this NYTimes article contradicts the story. Do any other sources have answers?

Maybe they are not drilling YET, but I think it is clear that Cuba owns the rights to drill if they want to.

[Ronnie]

Martinez should be thinking about his next career. He is on the wrong side of this issue as well as immigration. The voters will remember.

As for the rest of you do nothing politicians, you need to look for new careers too. We need to be energy independent. It will be ten to twenty years before alternative energies will be available in the amounts we need. Do you think that when the internal combustion engine came on line that roads and gas stations appear over night? Wake up! We need to be traveling parallel paths until the resources are there.

[Ido]

It takes about 10 years to develop new oil fields. We're not going to solve the current pain at the pump with new drilling either. What we need is a two pronged approach -- aggressively encourage alternative energy technology such as solar, wind, wave, and biofuels AND expand drilling where we can recover oil in short order without destroying the environment. The oil companies have the technology to recover more oil from older fields at an economic rate. Let's start from there before opening up the the coastlines of America

[liquid natural gas]

Hi,

I have a feeling cuba will find a way to extract that oil. our unilateral embargo isn't going to stop anyone else from cashing in.
liquid natural gas

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