http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/02/24/urged-engage-energy-cooperation-cuba/
Published February 24, 2011
Washington – The United States should begin a direct dialogue with Cuba to promote energy and environmental cooperation and reduce the island’s dependence on Venezuela, according to a report released Thursday by the Center for Democracy in the Americas.
The independent, non-profit organization, which advocates for an easing of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, outlined in its 59-page report 10 changes that Washington should adopt to promote energy cooperation with the Communist-ruled island as Havana prepares to start tapping offshore oil deposits.
“After living through the BP spill, we can’t maintain the illusion that the embargo will stop Cuba from drilling and must instead adopt policies that protect U.S. economic, environmental, and foreign policy interests,” CDA Executive Director Sarah Stephens said.
Citing the U.S. Geological Survey, the CDA said approximately 5 billion barrels of oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lie beneath the Gulf of Mexico in land belonging to Cuba.
The discovery of commercially viable amounts of oil would transform and provide stability to the Cuban economy and is “likely to significantly alter” the island’s relations with oil-rich, leftist-led Venezuela and the rest of Latin America, Asia and other leading energy producing and consuming nations, the report said.
At present, Cuban energy production falls short of daily domestic demand and leaves the island dependent on Venezuela for roughly two-thirds of its energy supply.
The CDA calls the U.S. embargo a Cold War remnant that prohibits U.S. companies from “joining Cuba in efforts to extract its offshore resources” and leaves the United States without a viable action plan in the event of a potential oil spill such as the recent BP oil disaster.
The report, which encourages direct dialogue to ensure protection of the countries’ mutual interests, proposes that Washington permit an exchange of scientific information and allow U.S. firms to work with Cuba on “efforts to protect drilling safety.”
The CDA also calls on the U.S. Congress to support a bipartisan measure introduced last year by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) and Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) that would allow U.S. companies “to participate in oil exploration and effective crisis planning with Cuba.”
The report comes amid expectation that Cuba will drill 20 wells by the end of 2011, mainly in the area between Havana and Varadero. Exploratory drilling led by foreign companies, meanwhile, will continue with the aim of locating new deposits and ascertaining the full potential of Cuba’s offshore Economic Exclusive Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
Cuba’s EEZ covers a 112,000-kilometer (43,243-mile) area that has been divided into 59 blocks; the island’s partners in its offshore drilling plans include Spain’s Repsol-YPF, Venezuela’s PDVSA and Vietnam’s PetroVietnam.
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