Thursday, July 30, 2009

Senate bill would allow Cuba oil exploration

This post has been re-written to correct a bone-headed error. I originally said the bill does not contain the word “Cuba,” but in fact it does, twice. Its final section provides for travel to Cuba by oil industry personnel. Lesson: legislative language is dull, but you have to read it all. I regret the error.

A bill introduced July 24, S. 1517, contains a provision to allow American companies to participate in Cuba’s offshore oil exploration.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska doesn’t mention the provision in her press release or her website’s statement on energy issues.

The bill was was co-sponsored by Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. It encourages offshore oil development in U.S. waters. Its Section 6 also allows Americans to explore for oil, extract oil, and sell equipment for those activities in “any portion of any foreign exclusive economic zone that is contiguous to the exclusive economic zone of the United States.”

Which means “drill, baby, drill” – in Cuba.

On another front, Russia is interested in oil exploration in Cuba, although as Reuters points out, the coverage in Cuban media doesn’t quite say that Russia has signed leases to explore in specific areas off Cuba’s coast.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"We'll drink their milkshare" says the US oil companies.

Vecino de NF

imomateo said...

Menendez is on every Senate committee that ever tries to move something relevant to Cuba.

He's EVERYWHERE.

Anonymous said...

another nail in the pro-embargo coffin; but i thought the cubans were afraid of american business. what a pant load

Anonymous said...

yes, at this rate, the embargo will be lifted sometime in 2025...

Anonymous said...

don't be so hard on yourself Peters. it's just another piece of forgettable legislation that will die a quiet death.

chingon