Cuba sent a large oil rig en route off its northern coast in search of what it believes to be billions of gallons of oil underneath the ocean floor, but after the BP oil spill, U.S. environmental groups have been quick to investigate the country’s oil exploration plans.
U.S. officials believe there could be more than 5 billion gallons of in Cuban waters, and U.S. lawmakers are joining environmental groups in wondering – and seriously worrying – if Cuba has taken the necessary precautions to ensure that another oil spill does not occur like the one in the Gulf in January of 2010, one that can never be fully cleaned up.
In that spill, more than 4.9 billion gallons of oil dumped into the Gulf of Mexico, causing irreparable damage to the ocean, plant, and wildlife many miles around it. It took three months to finally cap the leak.
If Cuba strikes oil, it will allow the island nation to reduce its reliance on Venezuela for its energy needs.
