Cheney: Oops! There is no drilling by China off the coast of Cuba
Vice President Dick Cheney's office has acknowledged that he erred when telling an audience this week that China is drilling off the coast of Cuba.
Citing columnist George Will, Cheney Wednesday told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that "oil is being drilled right now 60 miles off the coast of Florida. We're not doing it. The Chinese are in cooperation with the Cuban government."
Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, an independent congressional report, industry experts and other observers say there is zero evidence that China is drilling in Cuban waters, and doesn't even hold a lease to drill offshore.
According to the Associated Press, Cheney's office has backtracked, issuing a statement that says "It is our understanding that, although Cuba has leased out exploration blocks 60 miles off the coast of southern Florida, which is closer than American firms are allowed to operate in that area, no Chinese firm is drilling there."
With both parties squabbling over what to do about rising gasoline prices, critics of offshore oil drilling said the Cuba-China rumor is being spread as a "scare tactic" to force Congress to lift a ban that prevents drilling along the Outer Continental Shelf.
No Chinese are drilling off the Florida-Cuban coast. Not yet.
But if we won't drill near Florida, then how about we drill in that bug-infested frozen tundra at ANWR? Or is there an endangered mosquito up there?
Posted by: jaguar | June 13, 2008 at 05:58 PM