Vern Buchanan: “I represent a gulf coast district in Florida; so the safety of our coastlines is critical--it's of the utmost importance…”

“I represent a gulf coast district in Florida; so the safety of our coastlines is critical--it's of the utmost importance to me. I am troubled that Cuba is moving ahead with plans to drill oil 50 miles off Florida's coast. Florida doesn't allow drilling within 125 miles of our shores; so why in the world would we allow Cuba to drill even closer? Cuba's rig, built by the Chinese, would even drill deeper than BP's rig that exploded a year ago. And if there was a spill, they claim it would only take 3 days to get to our shores. Whose problem does it become then? Let me guess, America's problem. I have introduced legislation to stop this project. I hope my colleagues from both sides will join me in this effort to protect our coast.”