Senator to speak against Cuba's oil exploration

Finally, someone is trying to get legislation passed to stop the senile and fatigued old tyrant's attempt to drill off of the Florida Keys with the help of those corporations who would do business with the Devil himself for a few Euros . . .

Our Everglades Must be protected at all costs . . .

here's the article. More on the legislation when it comes out...

From the Wire & Sun Sentinel:

Nelson announces bill to block Cuban oil drilling near Keys
By JENNIFER
KAYAssociated PressApril 28, 2006, 4:12 PM EDT
MIAMI -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson
announced legislation Friday to keep Cuba from oil drilling in the waters
between the Caribbean island nation and the Florida Keys.The Democratic
senator's bill would block the renewal of a 1977 international agreement
allowing Cuba to conduct commercial activity near the Keys -- unless Cuba would
agree not to put oil rigs in the Florida Straits close to the low-lying island
chain off Florida's southern tip.``At risk are the Florida Keys and the state's
tourism economy, not to mention the $8 billion that Congress is investing to
restore the Everglades,'' Nelson in a statement.The 1977 Maritime Boundary
Agreement dividing control of the 90 miles of sea between Cuba and the Keys must
be renewed every two years, and was last renewed in 2004.Nelson's legislation
would also deny visas to executives of foreign oil companies who continue
drilling off Cuba's northern coast.A message left for the Cuban Interests
Section in Washington, D.C., was not immediately returned.In a February meeting
in Mexico with U.S. energy executives, Cuban officials announced plans to double
their drilling capacity and explore for oil offshore. Since the discovery of oil
deposits off its coast two years ago, Cuba has signed exploration deals with
Canadian, Chinese, Indian and Norwegian firms.Nelson has joined Mel Martinez,
Florida's Republican senator, in opposing efforts to allow oil and gas drilling
off the state's Gulf coast, saying drilling could interfere with military
training and poses environmental risks that could threaten beaches vital to
Florida's tourism industry.A Martinez spokesman said he could not immediately
comment Friday.U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., who last year co-sponsored
legislation that would have removed drilling moratoriums in parts of the Gulf of
Mexico, called Nelson's bill an ``attempt to control the national energy policy
of Cuba.''Other countries already drill just as close to the coasts of other
states, Peterson said.``If Mr. Nelson was serious about preventing foreign
nations from producing energy off our coasts, his bill would seek to obstruct
the Canadian drilling program as well _ which has set up shop off Maine in the
east, Washington state in the West, and Lake Erie in the north,'' Peterson said
in a statement.U.S. companies are prohibited from doing business with Cuba under
a 45-year-old trade embargo.
Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel