Experts: US Ill-prepared For Oil Spill Off Cuba

MIAMI (AP) — Experts say the U.S. lacks the plans to adequately respond to an oil spill off the Cuban Coast.

Coast Guard officials told a U.S. House subcommittee Monday in Florida that Cuba is close to beginning drilling. They say a spill could harm the tourism and fishing industries.

Florida International University Professor John Proni urged the U.S. to implement several measures.

Proni wants an underwater monitoring system in U.S. waters to know immediately if a spill happens. He wants the U.S. to invest in better models for predicting oil movement and to do a baseline assessment of the existing ecosystem. That would allow experts to pinpoint damage caused by a spill.

He also said more research is needed on the risks of using chemicals to disperse the oil.