Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Cuba's oil hunt, our potential mess

KEY WEST, Fla. —

In about five months, Spanish oil giant Repsol is to begin a risky offshore exploration in Cuba's North Basin, about 60 to 70 miles from Key West and even closer to ecologically fragile waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

From a $750 million semi-submersible rig, Repsol will drill through 5,600 feet of seawater with strong currents and an additional 14,000 or so feet of layered rock at high pressure.

It's the start of Cuba's big push to find and produce what geologists believe is an energy treasure trove of oil and natural-gas reservoirs. The prospects are so promising that seven international consortiums involving 10 countries have partnered with the communist nation.

In the Florida Keys and up the East Coast, the prospect of potential oil spills so close to precious coral reefs, fisheries and coastal communities is frightening. Federal, state and local agencies have been scrambling to update contingency response plans using the lessons learned from last year's devastating BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, which took 85 days to contain.

"Deepwater Horizon was 450 miles away, and we saw the impact for the Keys," said Coast Guard Capt. Pat DeQuattro, commander of Sector Key West. "This is much, much closer, and Cuba is a sovereign nation."

Cuba also has been embargoed for nearly 50 years, with bitter relations dating to the Kennedy administration.

As it stands, a lot of U.S. containment equipment, technology, chemical dispersants and personnel expertise would not be allowed to respond to a spill where it likely would be needed most — "at the faucet," said oil-industry expert Jorge Piñon, a visiting research fellow at the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Politics also would prevent relief wells in Cuban waters from being built by U.S. companies or with U.S. resources.

"The clock is ticking for the U.S. to rethink its policy," said Dan Whittle, Cuban program director for the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. "Hoping [Cuban oil exploration] goes away is not good policy."

Even the final report issued in January from the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling recommended U.S. cooperation with Cuba's oil industry to protect "fisheries, coastal tourism and other valuable U.S. natural resources."

The report said it is in the national interest to negotiate with Cuba on common, rigorous safety standards and regulatory oversight. The countries also should develop a protocol to cooperate on containment and response strategies and preparedness in case of a spill.

Cuba's oil hunt, our potential mess | Peak Oil News and Message Boards

Cuba’s oil hunt, our potential mess

In about five months, Spanish oil giant Repsol is to begin a risky offshore exploration in Cuba’s North Basin, about 60 to 70 miles from Key West and even closer to ecologically fragile waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

From a $750 million semi-submersible rig, Repsol will drill through 5,600 feet of seawater with strong currents and an additional 14,000 or so feet of layered rock at high pressure.

It’s the start of Cuba’s big push to find and produce what geologists believe is an energy treasure trove of oil and natural-gas reservoirs. The prospects are so promising that seven international consortiums involving 10 countries have partnered with the communist nation.

In the Florida Keys and up the East Coast, the prospect of potential oil spills so close to precious coral reefs, fisheries and coastal communities is frightening. Federal, state and local agencies have been scrambling to update contingency response plans using the lessons learned from last year’s devastating BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, which took 85 days to contain.

“Deepwater Horizon was 450 miles away, and we saw the impact for the Keys,” said Coast Guard Capt. Pat DeQuattro, commander of Sector Key West. “This is much, much closer, and Cuba is a sovereign nation.”

Cuba also has been embargoed for nearly 50 years, with bitter relations dating to the Kennedy administration.

As it stands, a lot of U.S. containment equipment, technology, chemical dispersants and personnel expertise would not be allowed to respond to a spill where it likely would be needed most — “at the faucet,” said oil-industry expert Jorge Piñon, a visiting research fellow at the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Politics also would prevent relief wells in Cuban waters from being built by U.S. companies or with U.S. resources.

“The clock is ticking for the U.S. to rethink its policy,” said Dan Whittle, Cuban program director for the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. “Hoping [Cuban oil exploration] goes away is not good policy.”

Even the final report issued in January from the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling recommended U.S. cooperation with Cuba’s oil industry to protect “fisheries, coastal tourism and other valuable U.S. natural resources.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, draft management plan/environmental impact statement

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Water Quality Monitoring Program : 1996 annual report

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, public information and public process

Insiders' Guide to the Florida Keys and Key West

Our National Marine Sanctuaries