Meeting To Focus On Risks Of Oil Drilling Off Cuba's Coast
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – The risks of drilling for oil off the coast of Cuba, and whether the U.S. is prepared to handle a spill, will be the focus of a meeting Monday between experts, U.S. officials and the Coast Guard.
Those expected to speak Monday at the satellite congressional sub-committee hearing in Sunny Isles, just north of Miami Beach, include U.S. Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Also on the list, fellow South Florida Cuban-American U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and David Rivera. They will discuss possible impacts of the deep-water oil drilling Cuba is seeking to begin.
Ros-Lehtinen wants to deny U.S. visas to anyone helping the Cuban government advance its oil drilling plans.
Florida University Professor John Proni says spills could reach U.S. coastal waters, seriously damaging the nation's ecology and economy.
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