Here is an old story worthy of a new look.  Anyone have any updates on this topic?

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China, Others Drilling for Oil Off Florida
Friday , April 28, 2006

This is a partial transcript of "The Big Story With John Gibson," April 27, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

JOHN GIBSON, HOST: Wednesday I told you how China and other countries plan to drill for oil just off the Florida Straits. Check out this map. You see that area near Cuba? China's doing it. France is drilling there. So is Canada. But no American companies are allowed. Why? One senator who is trying to get lawmakers to pay attention to this issue, Sen. Larry Craig, joins us now.

Senator, that is kind of shocking, that there are no Americans out there in the Florida Straits. Why not?

SEN. LARRY CRAIG, R-IDAHO: Well, it's a fascinating anomaly of a 30-year-old foreign policy that said no business with Cuba period, end of statement, John.

And, of course, in the north Cuban basin that's exactly what's going on right now. Cuba is opening this up and allowing exploration and development of oil, 50 miles from the Florida coast.

And, of course, Florida has a prohibition all around its state for no drilling and, yet, here it is going on and no American company is allowed to go there.

GIBSON: Senator, the fastest shortcut around this problem, I would think, would be for the Republican president to call his brother, the Republican governor in Florida, and say, "Hey, we need to drill off Florida?"

CRAIG: Well, it isn't just that. That certainly would help if we could get the governor of Florida and Floridians to agree with it, but we would have to change our policy with Cuba. We have an agreement with other countries in the world and, of course, much of the oil that's developed around the world is developed by many of our companies.

But here we have a prohibition with doing any business with Cuba. I'm crafting legislation now that says we could go outside of our economic zones, if you will, and do business in this particular instance that would allow our companies to do the exploration.

We're the experts. We are the ones who know how to do it in an environmentally sound way. China is no expert and it could create an environmental problem there.

GIBSON: So you are saying that American companies should be allowed to deal with Cuba for oil but nothing else?

CRAIG: That's what I'm saying in this instance. I don't think the United States Senate is willing to buy off on a total relaxation of relations with Cuba. But clearly, here we are cutting off our nose to spite our face. If we drilled in the hemisphere, this hemisphere, the known deposits of oil, we could be producing now over two million barrels a day into our markets.

Instead, we are drilling in high-risk countries. We are dealing in areas that are politically very volatile and, of course, that's what's helped run up the price of gas or oil in the world market.

GIBSON: But isn't the shortcut here to drill off U.S. waters off a U.S. state, Florida, and for the Republican administration in Florida to help out the Republican administration in the White House by relaxing these state rules that prohibit drilling off Florida?

CRAIG: Well, you have got it. That would certainly help. I think the great fear I have is that if the Chinese drill right up against the line, they could slant drill into the Florida pool that we know is out there and drain out what is technically oil, crude oil of the United States.

Let's also share a higher royalty. Let's allow these states that are coastal states that have reserve offshore to share a larger part of the royalty that now flows to the federal government.

GIBSON: Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

CRAIG: Thank you.

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193665,00.html

typical

They're drinking our milkshake!  Drainage! Drainage! This is seriously fucked up. How do you think the Chinese government would be acting if we were slant drilling under they territory. Fuck them and there parasitic ways.

We should have no less than an executive order to start drilling straight down to that pool. Our pool. This is bullshit.

You know, I believe that the waters out to 12 miles are U.S. waters, not State of Florida waters. Same goes foe California too. Why do states have any say on what the federal governmant does in U.S. territorial waters?

Quoted: You know, I believe that the waters out to 12 miles are U.S. waters, not State of Florida waters. Same goes foe California too. Why do states have any say on what the federal governmant does in U.S. territorial waters?

200 miles unless the distance to said country is less than 400 miles where it becomes half the distance to that country.


12 is state water.  But 12.1 -200 miles is federal

Quoted: Quoted: You know, I believe that the waters out to 12 miles are U.S. waters, not State of Florida waters. Same goes foe California too. Why do states have any say on what the federal governmant does in U.S. territorial waters? 200 miles unless the distance to said country is less than 400 miles where it becomes half the distance to that country.

Ok my bad. But can anyone answer my question?

Quoted: They're drinking our milkshake!  Drainage! Drainage! This is seriously fucked up. How do you think the Chinese government would be acting if we were slant drilling under they territory. Fuck them and there parasitic ways. We should have no less than an executive order to start drilling straight down to that pool. Our pool. This is bullshit.

Cross drilling!

Didn't Kuwait pull that with Iraq?

Quoted: You know, I believe that the waters out to 12 miles are U.S. waters, not State of Florida waters. Same goes foe California too. Why do states have any say on what the federal governmant does in U.S. territorial waters?

Also because Florida is a BIG swing state in the prez elections and neither party wants to piss them off by drilling in the Fed waters of their coast.

To me this is a MUCH bigger issue than ANWR.  If people want to be ignorant, then they shouldn't complain when they reap what they sow.

The'll be pumping it out before we even get off our ass.......

Quoted: They're drinking our milkshake!  Drainage! Drainage! This is seriously fucked up. How do you think the Chinese government would be acting if we were slant drilling under they territory. Fuck them and there parasitic ways. We should have no less than an executive order to start drilling straight down to that pool. Our pool. This is bullshit.

It'll take a LOT of drilling equipment to slant drill over 50 miles...especially considering right now directional drilling is only in the 5-6 mile capability.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: You know, I believe that the waters out to 12 miles are U.S. waters, not State of Florida waters. Same goes foe California too. Why do states have any say on what the federal governmant does in U.S. territorial waters? 200 miles unless the distance to said country is less than 400 miles where it becomes half the distance to that country. Ok my bad. But can anyone answer my question?

You know those earmarks?  Well, a federal ban on exploration and drilling is nothing more than a non-funded earmark.  Yes, that is how the COCKSUCKERS ban drilling.

They do it ALL THE FUCKING TIME.  Department of the Interior, Mineral Management Service.  They are bureaucrats, hell bent on keeping their jobs by close connections with the senior congress critters.

And MMS's dicks are being polished by the EPA faggots.  How bad?  For hydro testing of subsea pipelines, a dye is frequently added if there is a leak.  This dye is the same dye eye surgeons use IN HUMAN EYES to search for corneal abrasions.  Environmentalists use it to source spring flows.  Plumbers use it to check for sewer leaks.  So it is safe and biodegradable.  But MMS?  Will not let this dye be discharged because it COLORS THE WATER AND MIGHT HARM FISH.

And if that wasn't bad enough, they will not let FRESH WATER to be discharged offshore.  It HAS to match the salinity and be within 10 F in temperature of the sea water!

Quoted: Quoted: You know, I believe that the waters out to 12 miles are U.S. waters, not State of Florida waters. Same goes foe California too. Why do states have any say on what the federal governmant does in U.S. territorial waters? 200 miles unless the distance to said country is less than 400 miles where it becomes half the distance to that country. 12 is state water.  But 12.1 -200 miles is federal

12 miles is soverign territorial waters.  It belongs to the country whose coastline abuts it.  If you are inside 12NM you are subject to the laws of that country the same as if you were ashore.
Everything past 12 NM is international waters, meaning freedom of navigation.  You can sit at 13NM and are not subject to any but international law of the sea.
Some countries have excessive claims (32NM, 100NM,etc.), which is why we conduct routine freedom of navigation missions inside those excessive claims.

EEZ - Exclusive Econmic Zones, extend 200 NM from a countries coast. (generally)

So anyone can navigate through, anchor, sail in circles, etc. in waters 12 NM from the coast and they are not subject to the country's customs or indiginous laws.  
But you can not engage in commercial enterprise inside the EEZ, fishing, mining, drilling, etc.
When two countries are closer than 200NM the EEZ is at the midline between the two.

(Without seeing a chart) This is my guess for the "legitimacy" of the Chinese drilling.  They are likely operating inside the Cuban EEZ by a ratified agreement with the Cubans.

Since the underground reserves are all connected, they will suck our oil dry if we don't start drilling ourselves.

"They're drinking our milkshake."

ETA:

Anyone know of any updates to this story?

height=8

Quoted: Anyone know of any updates to this story?

Larry Craig got busted drilling for something else.

Ban drilling, save the Manatees.

Quoted: Anyone know of any updates to this story?

Ya, China is still drilling and we aren't drilling enough.

Screw the Whales, Manatees, China, Cuba, Gov. Crist, the Enviro Wackos, and whoever else oppsoses drilling off the Coast of Florida. I live in Florida and I say we drill the motherf***er dry if it will help with our rising fuel costs.

Quoted: Quoted: Anyone know of any updates to this story? Larry Craig got busted drilling for something else.

Most Americans know about Larry Craig but they don't know (or care) about foreign countries drilling for oil within miles of our shore.

We are doomed.

China does that shit everywhere they can, or have influence.  

Quoted: I heard the Chinese are secretly drilling a TUNNEL TO CHINA off the coast of Florida. You know how everyone says China can never invade us, because they don't have a blue-water navy or air-lift capacity?  Well they don't need it, geniuses, because they are just going to WALK here and invade us!!!   Send this to all your friends, before it's too late! Wolverines!!

Hell, if they invaded Florida as soon as they hit South Beach and saw all of the topless South American Women running around the war would be over.

From Global  Super  Power to  China's  Bitch in only 12 years
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*mexico and saudi arabia get hand off's from time to time.

China doesn't know it yet, but they could be drilling the wells FOR us...