Mohit_Nishad

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I welcome you to the 2013 Wiki of Nishad Neelakandan and Mohit Puvvala. Above, you will find our table of contents and our comments section. Below is an Aff section, Neg section, and Round Summaries section. Updates 1NC shells for the Neg section will be posted soon. Our Aff is a modification of an oil aff. Here it goes:

PLAN:
The United States Federal Government will amend the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 to allow for limited, spill-related coordination and communication with the Cuban government and issue an executive export-only industry-wide general license for oil spill response in Cuban waters, effective immediately.

1AC:
JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PLAN: DEEPWATER HORIZON II  A LETHAL LATIN LAGOON LOOMS

On April 22, 2010 the United States dodged a bullet when 170 million gallons of oil streamed into the Gulf of Mexico from the offshore oil platform Deepwater Horizon explosion. The oil never reached the HIDDEN COAST in the southwestern part of Florida known for BIODIVERSITY

Natalia-; //“Oil Spill Aftermath Along Florida’s Hidden’s Coast;”// WORDPRESS; May 14 [] March 2011 – **__ The sultry spring air along the sandy beaches of the city of Gulf Shores on the northwestern coastline of Florida is perfumed by the stinging scent of exhaust fumes and motor oil __**. Early tourists and residents turned their backs on the workers with the yellow helmets. Where children once left fleeting footprints in the moving sand, bulldozers had now taken over, cumbersome but merciless. Like stars on a cloudless night, the shiny quartz grains begin to sparkle as the first balmy sunrays fall upon them. From the wheeling pelican’s perspective the fine-grained sand could be mistaken for a layer of unblemished snow. The curious bird touches down and eyeballs the spectacle unfolding before him. The machines claw their way along the shore, digging the ground over left and right. Amidst the struggling vehicles, strange looking devices filter the sand in an attempt to extract the gritty remains of the oil spill. Overwhelmed by the stinging fumes and deafening noises, the perplexed pelican flies off again.
 * FLEMING **** student Journalist in Capetown South Africa **** 2k12 **
 * __ The scene __** described above **__ took place in early March 2011 __****__ . __** Two months later the heavy machinery took off. **__ Although the catastrophic proportions of the oil spill may be lost in memory for many, it is more than just a passing event for others. On 22 April 2010, the offshore oil platform Deepwater Horizon exploded off the coast of Louisiana, some fifty miles southeast of the Mississippi Delta. Over a period of three months, an estimated amount of 170 million gallons of oil streamed into the Gulf of Mexico. __** “It will take years, if not decades until we fully recover”, says Mark DeHaven, environmental specialist at the Marine Lab in Cedar Key (SGKML), located at the southern tip of Florida’s Hidden Coast. Unlike the northeastern Gulf shores, **__ the oil never reached this southwestern part of Florida __** . But in 2010, most people living further inland were completely oblivious of this.
 * __ The Hidden Coast __**, **__ a name aptly describing the swampy shores __** between Cedar Key in the south and the Aucilla River in the north, is **__ known for its __** breathtaking and pristine landscape as well as its **__ biodiversity __****__ . __** With Cedar Key as the stronghold of Florida’s clam industry, this coastal region supplies supermarkets and restaurants with fresh seafood across the entire North American continent. **__ The imminent threat of oil reaching this part of the coast could have ended in an economic catastrophe but, fortunately, the region was spared from the oil. Only the northeastern shoreline of the Gulf coast was polluted, whereas the entire west coast of Florida, including the Panhandle and the Hidden Coast, remained untroubled __****__ . __** The initial joy, however, turned out to be short-lived.

A NEW OIL SPILL IS ON THE HORIZON THAT COULD REACH THIS TIME

Cuba’s first offshore oil well raises the prospect of a large-scale oil spill in Cuban waters that can wash onto US shores in a matter of days. Though US companies and response teams have the technology and expertise to address the issue, currently policy toward Cuba prevents crucial economic engagement necessary to respond to a spill that could ravage Florida’s tourist industry and pose CATASTROPHIC economic and environmental damage. SUBSTANTIAL US ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENT IS THE KEY

BERT Military Fellow, US Coast Guard, & CLAYTON Fellow for Energy and National Security 2k12 Captain Melissa –2011-2012 Military Fellow, U.S. Coast Guard, and Blake – Fellow for Energy and National Security, “Addressing the Risk of a Cuban Oil Spill”, March, [] Repsol has been forthcoming in disclosing its spill response plans to U.S. authorities and allowing them to inspect the drilling rig, but the Russian and Chinese companies that are already negotiating with Cuba to lease acreage might not be as cooperative. Had Repsol not volunteered to have the Cuba-bound drilling rig examined by the U.S. Coast Guard and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to certify that it met international standards, Washington would have had little legal recourse. Washington should also instruct the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct basic spill response coordination with its counterparts in Cuba. The United States already has operational agreements in place with Mexico, Canada, and several countries in the Caribbean that call for routine exercises, emergency response coordination, and communication protocols. It should strike an agreement with Cuba that is substantively similar but narrower in scope, limited to basic spill-oriented advance coordination and communication. Before that step can be taken, **__ U.S. lawmakers __****__ may need to amend the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 to allow for limited, spill-related coordination and communication with the Cuban government. __** Next, President Barack **__ Obama should issue an export-only industry-wide general license for oil spill response in Cuban waters, effective immediately. __** Issuing that license does not require congressional authorization. The license should allow offshore oil companies to do vital spill response work in Cuban territory, such as capping a well or drilling a relief well. Oil service companies, such as Halliburton, should be included in the authorization. Finally, Congress should alter existing oil spill compensation policy. Lawmakers should amend OPA 90 to ensure there is a responsible party for oil spills from a foreign offshore unit that pollutes or threatens to pollute U.S. waters, like there is for vessels. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressman David Rivera (R-FL) have sponsored such legislation. Lawmakers should eliminate the requirement for the Coast Guard to obtain congressional approval on expenditures above $150 million for spills of national significance (as defined by the National Response Plan). And President Obama should appoint a commission to determine the appropriate limit of liability cap under OPA 90, balancing the need to compensate victims with the desire to retain strict liability for polluters. There are two other, less essential measures U.S. lawmakers may consider that would enable the country to respond more adeptly to a spill. Installing an early-response system based on acoustic, geophysical, or other technologies in the Straits of Florida would immediately alert the U.S. Coast Guard about a well blowout or other unusual activity. The U.S. Department of Energy should find out from Repsol about the characteristics of Cuban crude oil, which would help U.S. authorities predict how the oil would spread in the case of a well blowout. Efforts to rewrite current law and policy toward Cuba, and encouraging cooperation with its government, could antagonize groups opposed to improved relations with the Castro regime. They might protest any decision allowing U.S. federal agencies to assist Cuba or letting U.S. companies operate in Cuban territory. However, **__ taking sensible steps to prepare for a potential accident at an oil well in Cuban waters would not break new ground or materially alter broader U.S. policy toward Cuba. __****__ For years, Washington has worked with Havana on issues of mutual concern. __** The United States routinely coordinates with Cuba on search and rescue operations in the Straits of Florida as well as to combat illicit drug trafficking and migrant smuggling. During the hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides Cuba with information on Caribbean storms. The **__ recommendations __** proposed here are **__ narrowly tailored to the specific challenges that a Cuban oil spill poses to the United States __**. They **__ would not help the Cuban economy or military. __****__ What they would do is protect U.S. territory and property from a potential danger emanating from Cuba. __**
 * __ The imminent drilling of Cuba's first offshore oil well raises the prospect of a large-scale oil spill in Cuban waters washing onto U.S. shores. Washington should anticipate this possibility __****__ by implementing policies that would help both countries' governments stem and clean up an oil spill effectively. These policies should ensure that both the U.S. governmentand the domestic oil industryare operationally and financially ready to deal with any spill that threatens U.S. waters. These policies should be as minimally disruptive as possible to the country's broader Cuba strategy. __**
 * The Problem **
 * __ A Chinese-built __** semisubmersible **__ oil rig leased by __** Repsol, **__ a Spanish oil company, arrived in Cuban waters __** in January 2012 **__ to drill Cuba's first exploratory offshore oil well. __****__ Early estimates suggest that Cuban offshore oil and natural gas reserves are substantial __** —somewhere between five billion and twenty billion barrels of oil and upward of eight billion cubic feet of natural gas. **__ Although the United States typically welcomes greater volumes of crude oil coming from countries that are not members of __** the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( **__ OPEC __** ) **__, a surge in Cuban oil production would complicate the United States' decades-old effort to economically isolate the Castro regime. __**
 * __ Deepwater drilling off the Cuban coast __****__ also poses a threat to the United States. __** The exploratory well is **__ seventy miles off the Florida coast __** and lies at a depth of 5,800 feet. The failed Macondo well that triggered the calamitous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 had broadly similar features, situated forty-eight miles from shore and approximately five thousand feet below sea level. **__ A spill __** off Florida's coast **__ could ravage the state's $57 billion per year tourism industry. __**
 * __ Washington cannot count on the technical know-how of Cuba's unseasoned oil industry to address a spill on its own. __****__ Oil industry experts doubt that it has a strong understanding of how to prevent an offshore oil spill or stem a deep-water well blowout. Moreover, the site where the first wells will be drilled is a tough one for even seasoned response teams to operate in. __** Unlike the calm Gulf of Mexico, **__ the surface currents __** in the area where Repsol will be drilling move at a brisk three to four knots, which **__ would bring oil from Cuba's offshore wells to the Florida coast within six to ten days. __** Skimming or burning the oil may not be feasible in such fast-moving water. The most, and possibly only, effective method to respond to a spill would be surface and subsurface dispersants. If dispersants are not applied close to the source within four days after a spill, uncontained oil cannot be dispersed, burnt, or skimmed, which would render standard response technologies like containment booms ineffective.
 * __ The complexity of U.S.-Cuba relations __** since the 1962 trade embargo **__ complicates even limited efforts to put in place a spill response plan. Under U.S. law and with few exceptions, American companies cannot assist the Cuban government or provide equipment to foreign companies operating in Cuban territory. __**
 * __ Shortfalls in U.S. federal regulations governing commercial liability for oil spills pose a further problem. __** The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) does not protect U.S. citizens and property against damages stemming from a blown-out wellhead outside of U.S. territory. In the case of Deepwater Horizon, BP was liable despite being a foreign company because it was operating within the United States. Were any of the wells that Repsol drills to go haywire, the cost of funding a response would fall to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF), which is woefully undercapitalized. OPA 90 limits the OSLTF from paying out more than $50 million in a fiscal year on oil removal costs, subject to a few exceptions, and requires congressional appropriation to pay out more than $150 million.
 * The Way Forward **
 * __ As a first step __**, the United States should discuss contingency planning for a Cuban oil spill at the regular multiparty talks it holds with Mexico, the Bahamas, Cuba, and others per the Cartagena Convention. The Caribbean Island Oil Pollution Response and Cooperation Plan provides an operational framework under which the United States and Cuba can jointly develop systems for identifying and reporting an oil spill, implement a means of restricting the spread of oil, and identify resources to respond to a spill.
 * Defending U.S. Interests **
 * __ An oil well blowout in Cuban waters would almost certainly require a U.S. response. Without changes in current U.S. law, however, that response would undoubtedly come far more slowly than is desirable. __****__ The Coast Guard would be barred from deploying highly experienced manpower, specially designed booms, skimming equipment and vessels, and dispersants. U.S. offshore gas and oil companies would also be barred from using __** well-capping stacks, remotely operated submersibles, and other **__ vital technologies. __** Although a handful of U.S. spill responders hold licenses to work with Repsol, their licenses do not extend to well capping or relief drilling. **__ The result of a slow response to a Cuban oil spill would be greater, perhaps catastrophic, economic and environmental damage to Florida and the Southeast. __**
 * __ Cuba will drill for oil in its territorial waters with or without the blessing of the United States. Defending against a potential oil spill requires a modicum of advance coordination and preparation with the Cuban government, which need not go beyond spill-related matters. Without taking these precautions, the United States risks a second Deepwater Horizon, this time from Cuba. __**


 * OIL SPILLS KILL OCEANIC LIFE DESTROYING CORAL REEFS, MANGROVE SWAMPS, AND SALT MARSHES **

Eric, Professor at the University of Florida Law School, JD from Barry University, “Crude Injustice in the Gulf,” article for the UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 2011, Lexis, accessed 2012/07/02)
 * HULL **** Professor at the University of Fla. Law School **** 2k11 **
 * __ Once introduced into the marine environment, oil respects no political boundary. As oil migrates through the marine environment, it may contaminate the sea water, damage estuaries, and cause a variety of lethal and sub-lethal effects to marine organisms. __** n38 **__ Exposure to oil can result in reduced reproduction, altered development, impaired feeding, and decreased defense to disease __**. n39 **__ Developing organisms __**(fish eggs and larvae), **__ marine mammals, sea birds, intertidal and bottom dwelling organisms are uniquely vulnerable to oil exposure. __** n40 **__ As the oil decays it sinks and interferes with marine habitats that depend on organisms to survive, such as coral reefs, mangrove swamps and salt marshes. __**n41


 * REACHING THE SOUTHWESTERN PART OF FLORIDA WOULD BE DEVASTATING **

The Florida Everglades is a BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT where endemic species particularly vulnerable to impacts prove that Nature has put her eggs in a small number of baskets. The Everglades is a unique and highly fragile ecosystem that contains one of the highest concentrations of species facing extinction keystone species. The entire region is ENDANGERED.

ALLES Professor of Biology @ Western Washington University 2k7 David L. Professor of Biology – Western Washington University, “Biodiversity Hot Spots: The Florida Everglades”, 3-7-2007, [])
 * __ Biodiversity //hot spots// are areas __** where endemic species with small ranges are concentrated __ . __ Not all are in the tropics, but most are. Hot spots can be extraordinarily concentrated; thousands of species may be found within a relatively small area. **__ Species with small ranges are particularly vulnerable to impacts. Nature has put her eggs in a small number of baskets, and we are in danger of dropping them. __** On land, worldwide 25 areas are recognized as hotspots which contain concentrations of endemic species that are disproportionately vulnerable to extinction from regional habitat destruction. These areas retain less than 10% of their original habitat and have unusually high human population densities." (Pimm, 2001) The Florida Ev **__ erglades contains one of the __**__ //highest concentrations// **of species vulnerable to** __ extinction in the United States. __ **The 5,000-square-kilometre wetland in southern Florida is home to at least 60 endangered species** __, including the American crocodile (Mason, 2003). And the area retains less than 10% of its original habitat as the human population density of southern Florida threatens to over-run one of the most unique habitats in North America. Nourished by the rain soaked Kissimmee River Basin and stretching south from 700 square mile Lake Okeechobee (left center), the Everglades are a wide slow moving river of marsh and saw grass covering some 4,500 square miles, flowing slowly towards the mangrove estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico (right below center). **__ The Everglades are a //unique habitat// __** ; **__ there are no other everglades in the world. No other place combines __** a subtropical climate, a broad, shallow river, and a __ **stunning diversity of plants and animals into such a complex and //fragile// ecosystem.** __ No other place is so dramatically defined by annual rhythms of drought and flood, fire and sunshine and torrential rain. Everglades National Park is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States. Its abundant wildlife includes rare and endangered species, such as the American crocodile, Florida panther, and West Indian manatee. Alligators, like the one shown above, are an important part of this ecosystem, and are regarded as a “keystone” species of the Everglades. The Florida Everglades ecosystem is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. The American crocodile, shown above, was listed as an endangered species in Florida in 1975. It’s numbers had dropped dramatically because of hunting and loss of habitat. Today, it’s estimated that between 500 to 1,200 crocodiles live in Florida, up from approximately 200 to 400 two decades ago. They are found in the U.S. in the remaining tidal marshes in the Everglades along Florida Bay and in the Florida Keys. Though the species resemble one another, crocodiles vary greatly from the more than 1 million alligators found in Florida. Crocodile color ranges from olive green to gray compared with the black hue of alligators. Their snouts are narrower, and the bottom and top teeth are visible from the side when the mouth is closed; only the upper teeth are seen on an alligator. Adult crocodiles are 7 to 15 feet long and weigh 150 to 450 pounds. Decidedly less aggressive than the infamous Nile and Australian crocodiles, American crocodiles are rarely seen by people. The West Indian manatee is a large, herbivorous, aquatic mammal. These gentle creatures are endangered throughout their range ** . ** High annual mortality, primarily associated with human activity, as well as a low reproductive rate and loss of habitat continue to keep the number of manatees low and threaten the species’ future. The manatee population has long been the focus of battles between conservationists and boaters. Boating kills dozens of manatees a year, crushing or gashing the slow-moving mammals as they rise to the surface to breathe. Red tide algae blooms have been another cause of mortality for manatees along Florida's south-central Gulf Coast. The one-cell organism that causes red tide releases a toxin when it dies, sickening manatees. Once the toxin is in the animal, it affects their coordination and causes paralysis (Flewelling, et al., 2005). "Manatees on Florida’s Gulf coast are frequently exposed to brevetoxin, a potent neurotoxin produced by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis, during red tide events. In 1996, 151 manatees were documented to have died in southwest Florida from brevetoxicosis. This epizootic was particularly detrimental to the manatee population because more adults were killed than any other age class. Other red tide epizootics in 1982, 2002, 2003, and 2005 resulted in the deaths of 37, 34, 96, and (preliminarily) 81 manatees, respectively. There is no clear evidence that these events have been increasing in frequency along Florida’s coast, but certainly the impact on the manatee population has increased over the past two decades. Viewed globally, harmful algal blooms have been increasing over the past 25 years in frequency and in their impacts on the economy, public health, and marine life ** . ** " In addition to rare and endangered species, the Everglades are rightly famous for the profusion of bird species found there, with 347 species recorded within the Park boundaries. The mangrove estuaries of Florida Bay, in particular, are a breeding habitat for Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Stork, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, and eleven species of egrets and herons. Once, water flowed freely from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay in a “river of grass”, Florida environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas's poetic phrase. It is a river that is 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, but less than a foot deep. In this flat landscape, even a few inches of elevation meant the difference between wet marsh and dry ground. **__ Today __**__ , __ the Everglades is an ecosystem in // danger of extinction // . Canals and levees capture and divert its water for human use, including drinking water, irrigation, and flood control. Often, too much water is withheld from the Everglades during the wet season, or too much is diverted into it during the winter drought, disrupting the natural cycles of feeding and nesting which depend on these patterns. Much of the time the water is contaminated by pollutants.

Independently, hurricanes cause spills. Quick __reaction__ also needed. Stephens ‘11 et al, Sarah Stephens – Executive Director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas – “As Cuba plans to drill in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. policy poses needless risks to our national interest,” http://democracyinamericas.org/pdfs/Cuba_Drilling_and_US_Policy.pdf

The BP disaster highlights the need s for a //timely response to spills//, the ¶ containment of damage, and clean-up. There were approximately eight rigs ¶ capable of drilling relief wells to the depth of Macondo that were available ¶ in the Gulf. If the blow-out occurred in Cuban territorial water, the embargo ¶ would not allow rigs capable of drilling relief wells to be contracted by the ¶ operator(Repsol or CUPET, in the first instance). ¶ Companies under the current rules cannot hire aU.S. firm to drill a relief ¶ well. In fact, legislation ¶ 50 ¶ introduced in the U.S. Congress in 2010 would have ¶ penalized such activities under The Helms-Burton Act. ¶ 51 ¶ Of greater risk and concern, however, is that spills are often more likely ¶ because of hurricane activity prevalent in the Gulf, and are exacerbated by ¶ the role hurricanes play in spreading oil after a spill. ¶ 52 ¶ In the event of a spill, were assistance from U.S. firms permitted, relief ¶ would take 24–48 hours to arrive on scene. Barring their participation, ¶ however, it would take 30–50 days for help to arrive from Brazil, Northern ¶ Europe, Africa, or S.E. Asia. In the case of the BP spill, as Lee Hunt said, ¶ “Admiral Landry ¶ 53 ¶ (8th Coast Guard District Commander) had personnel ¶ 24 hours x 7 days a week on phones to get booms; can Repsol or any ¶ subsequent operator do that?” ¶ 54 ¶ OFAC, the Treasury Department office that administers and enforces trade ¶ sanctions, has authority to issue licenses on an emergency basis, but the BP ¶ spill shows that the //early, critical response needed//would be made slower by ¶ the time required to procure licenses. ¶ 55 ¶ The Obama administration argues that ¶ some firms are pre-cleared to respond. But experts say the current scheme ¶ makes it impossible to pre-clear the correct technology, and that much more ¶ needs to be done—and can be done—under current law.

THE LOSS OF THESE HOTSPOTS COULD RISK EXTINCTION

Hotspots are the world’s most BIOLOGICALLY RICH areas recognized as IMPORTANT ecosystems for Human Survival. The Framework of this debate demands that Policymakers must deal with these Hotspots.

Nautiyal & Nidamanuri 10 ( Sunil and Rama Rao – Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources @ Institute for Social and Economic Change & Department of Earth and Space Sciences @ Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, “Conserving Biodiversity in Protected Area of Biodiversity Hotspot in India: A Case Study,” International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 36 (2-3): 195-200, 2010) The hotspots are the world’s most // biologically rich areas // hence recognized as important ecosystems not important¶ only for the rich biodiversity but equally important for the // human survival // as these are the homes for more than¶ 20% of the world’s population. India got recognition of one of the mega-diversity countries of world as the country¶ is home of the two important biodiversity hotspots: the Himalaya in north and the Western Ghats in the southern¶ peninsula. Policy makers and decision takers have recognized the importance of biodiversity (flora and fauna) and¶ this has resulted to segregate (in the form of protected areas) the rich and diverse landscape for biodiversity¶ conservation. An approach which leads towards conservation of biological diversity is good efforts but such¶ approaches should deal with humans equally who are residing in //biodiversity hotspots// since time immemorial. In¶ this endeavor, a study was conducted in Nagarahole National Park of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, in Karnataka. Our¶ empirical studies reveal that banning all the human activities in this ecosystem including agriculture, animal¶ husbandry has produced the results opposite to the approach ‘multiple values’ of national park. To monitor the¶ impact, existing policies have been tested from an economic and ecological view-point. Unfortunately, the local¶ livelihoods (most of them belongs to indigenous tribes) in the area have received setbacks due to the¶ implementation of the policies, though unintentionally. However, the ecological perspective is also not showing¶ support for **__ the approach and framework of __** the **__ current policies in __** the **__ hotspots __**. Satellite data **__ showed that __** the¶ temporal pattern of ecosystem processes has been changing. **__ An integrated approach for ecosystem conservation and __** ¶ strengthening local institutions **__ for sustainable ecosystem management in such areas is therefore supported __** by this¶ study.


 * OCEANS ARE NOW ON THE BRINK OF AN ANTHROPROGENIC 187 **

After CENTURIES of human exploitation to the oceans resources with little concern or understanding the IMPERILED state of the world’s oceans and the PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY of the Gulf Coast marine ecosystem makes policy changes an IMPERATIVE. With massive anthroprogenic insults the world’s marine ecosystems may face MASSIVE EXTINCTION.

Eric, Professor at the University of Florida Law School, JD from Barry University, “Crude Injustice in the Gulf,” article for the UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 2011, Lexis, accessed 2012/07/02) **__ For centuries, humans have exploited the resources of the world's oceans with little concern for, or understanding of, how their collective activities caused harm. __** Nineteenth century Poet Lord Byron once wrote, "man marks the earth with ruin, but his control stops with the shore." n13 His words reveal a commonly held, but incorrect assumption that humans are incapable of causing any lasting harm to the vast oceans. **__ The current imperiled state of the world's oceans and the particular sensitivity and ecological importance of the Gulf ecosystem make imperative changes to the current environmental review practices. __****__ Despite exhibiting remarkable resiliency to anthropogenic insult for centuries, the world's oceans are increasingly showing signs of vulnerability to human influences. __** Research has unequivocally demonstrated that the synergistic effects of habitat destruction, overfishing, ocean warming, increased acidification and massive nutrient runoff are fundamentally altering once complex, vibrant [*6] marine ecosystems. n14 **__ As marine biodiversity declines, ecosystems with intricate marine food webs are being degraded __** to primordial seas dominated by microbes, toxic algal blooms, jellyfish and disease. n15 **__ Absent fundamental changes in the use and management of ocean resources, human activities may lead to a massive extinction in the ocean. __** n16 **__ The Gulf's once pristine waters and productive ecosystems have been significantly altered as the result of anthropogenic insults. __**
 * HULL **** Professor at the University of Fla. Law School **** 2k11 **

Our MORAL RESPONSIBILITY rests in protecting the Natural Environment. HUMBLE IGNORANCE of the planetary life support system should indicate RESPECT and RESTRAINT. SHORT-TERM PAY-OFFS for LARGER, more SIGNIFICANT and PERMANENT RESULTS that are unknown and unknowable IMPOVERISHES our planetary ecosystem FOREVER. Hwang 00 (Kyung-Sig Hwang Department of Philosophy, Seoul University) While our ability to affect the future is immense, our ability to foresee the results of our environmental interventions is not.I think that our moral responsibility grows with foresight. And yet, paradoxically in some cases grave moral responsibility is entailed by the fact of one's ignorance. If the planetary life-support system appears to be complex and mysterious, //humble ignorance// should indicate respect and restraint. However, as many life scientists have complained, these virtues have not been apparent in these generations. Instead they point out, we have boldly marched ahead, shredding delicate ecosystems and obliterating countless species, and with them the unique genetic codes that evolved through millions of years ; we have altered the climate and even the chemistry of the atmosphere, and as a result of all this-what? [|[18]] A few results are immediately to our benefit; more energy, more mineral resources, more cropland, convenient waste disposal. Indeed, these short-term payoffs motivated us to alter our natural environment. But by far the larger and more significant results, the permanent results, are unknown and perhaps unknowable. Nature, says poet, Nancy Newhall, "holds answers to more questions than we know how to ask." And we have scarcely bothered to ask.[|[19]] Year and year, the natural habitants diminish and the species disappear, and thus our planetary ecosystem (our household) is forever impoverished.


 * THE U.S. MUST ACT NOW TO PROTECT THE ECOSYSTEM FROM A SPILL **

To protect the national interest, Florida’s beaches and the ECOSYSTEM in the Gulf it is time to remove our head from the sand. A Cuban oil spill would send 90 percent of the oil into the Keys and the embargo leaves Florida’s coastal resources DEFENSELESS. American companies cannot lend their expertise; sanctions prevent our private sector from helping Cuba drill safely and bar the US from addressing an oil crisis. The administration must move more AGGRESSIVELY, complacency is INEXCUSABLE

Sarah – Executive Director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas, and Jake – Vice President for Global Trade Issues at the National Foreign Trade Council, “US-Cuba policy, and the race for oil drilling”, 9/29, []
 * STEPHENS **** Exec. Dir of the Cntr for Democracy in the Americas **** & **
 * COLVIN **** VP for Global Trade Issues @ the National Foreign Trade Council **** 2k11 **
 * __ To protect the national interest — and for the sake of Florida's beaches and the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem — it is time to stop sticking our heels in the sand when it comes to U.S.-Cuba policy. __**

Before the end of the year, a Chinese-made drilling platform known as Scarabeo 9 is expected to arrive in the Gulf. Once it is there, Cuba and its foreign partners, including Spain’s Repsol, will begin using it to drill for oil in waters deeper than Deepwater Horizon’s infamous Macondo well. The massive rig, manufactured to comply with U.S.-content restrictions at a cost of $750 million, will cost Repsol and other companies $407,000 per day to lease for exploration.

They are taking this financial risk because Cuba needs the oil and its partners — Spain, Norway, Russia, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Canada, Angola, Venezuela, and possibly China — believe that drilling in waters said to contain undiscovered reserves of approximately 5 billion barrels of oil is good business. In virtually every other country in the world, developments like these would prompt high-level discussions about how to exploit these resources safely or to anticipate a crisis were a disaster to strike. **__ Experts who have studied the currents say a spill in Cuban waters would send 90 percent of the oil into the Keys and up the East Coast of Florida. But the embargo leaves Florida’s sensitive coastal resources defenseless. __**


 * __ Due to the fact that the drilling involves Cuba, American companies and workers cannot lend their expertise to what could be a risky operation. U.S. economic sanctions prevent our private sector from helping Cuba drill safely __** and paralyze the U.S. government, which ought to be convening bilateral discussions on best practices and coordinating disaster response. **__ In fact, the U.S. has no emergency response agreement with Cuba for oil spills. __** While some specific licenses have been granted to permit U.S. firms to conduct limited transactions with Cuba, **__ current sanctions bar the United States from deploying the kind of clean-up equipment, engineers, spare parts for blow-out prevention, chemical dispersants, and rigs to drill relief wells that would be needed to address an oil crisis involving Cuba. __**

One welcomed development came earlier this month, when William Reilly, a former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and co-chair of the Commission that investigated the Deepwater Horizon disaster, led a group of experts to Cuba to take a look at their plans. While **__ the administration __** has done well giving permission to Mr. Reilly, as well as to other experts, to discuss the problem with Cuban counterparts, it **__ should move more aggressively to work with the Cuban government to cooperate on plans for safe drilling and responding to a possible crisis. __**

Rather than moving forward, some in the U.S. Congress would make the problem worse. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-R), who criticized Mr. Reilly’s visit to Cuba as “giving credibility to the regime’s dangerous oil-drilling scheme,” has offered legislation to try and stop Repsol from drilling. Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-R) would deny Repsol the right to drill in U.S. waters if it helped Cuba drill in its waters. Thirty-four members of both parties have written Repsol directly, threatening the company if it drills with Cuba.

Yet this tactic can’t work. Even if they could deter Repsol from drilling – which is unlikely – they cannot stop Cuba and partners from countries like China, Russia, and Venezuela, from using the rig and searching for oil.


 * __ At some point, it is likely that drilling will begin and the United States ought to do what it can to prepare for that eventuality. The U.S. government should facilitate access by Cuba and its drilling partners to the resources they need to drill safely. President Obama should instruct the Treasury Department to issue a blanket general license now that would allow private industry to provide __** what oil expert Jorge Piñon calls **__ ”any conceivable response” in the event of a crisis. __**

As we have already done with Mexico and Canada, the U.S. should join Cuba in crafting a crisis response agreement covering on-scene coordinators, a joint response team, response coordination centers, rapid notification protocols, customs and immigration procedures, and communications. **__ The plan should be written, signed, tested, and implemented as quickly as possible. __**

Earlier this year, the Deep Water Horizon Commission, which Mr. Reilly co-chaired, said in its final report “that neither BP nor the federal government was prepared to deal with a spill” of its magnitude or complexity; that industry and policy makers were lulled by a “culture of complacency” that resulted in 5 million barrels of oil being dumped into the Gulf.

Having seen this movie once before, **__ complacency is inexcusable. __** Politics should not blind Washington **__ to the reality of the situation unfolding off of our shores. __**

=NEG=

Shells will be uploaded soon, but for now here are our standard neg strats:

T (QPQ and Conditional) K (Security, Neoliberalism, and Shunning) DA (Oil, Immigration, Caribbean LNG tanker DA, China DA) CP (China CP)

For Yuki and Ashwin:

=Round Summaries:=

Round 1: We ran T (Conditional), K (Security), and PTX (Immigration)