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The Big Story w/ Gibson and Nauert
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............"
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193665,00.html