WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States says it will assist the Caribbean lessen its dependency on foreign oil and that it is “shameful” the region despite its proximity to countries with vast crude oil reserves has some of the highest electricity rates in the world.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressing an Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) Ministerial Meeting unveiled six new initiatives to help the region.
“First, we will work to advance sustainable energy in the Caribbean. As I said, this is the area of the world most dependent on imported fossil fuels and suffering from the world’s highest electricity rates.
“That’s shameful in our hemisphere, and it shouldn’t be. The people of the Caribbean are creative, resilient; they’re able to lead the way in new forms of energy, and we want to be a partner,” she told the meeting.
Clinton said Washington would provide a grant to the Organization of American States (OAS) to “lend technical and legal expertise to any Caribbean country seeking to help get clean energy projects off the ground.
“We are committed to helping you with energy security,” she said, adding “we think clean energy and energy security go hand in hand”.
Earlier this week, the OAS, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) energy ministers, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and officials from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands launched “a dialogue” to explore the possibility of installing undersea electric cables in the region “to give the Caribbean access to new power supplies.”
Clinton said another “exciting possibility” would link Puerto Rico with the US Virgin Islands, and that a third would “link the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“So we have a lot we can do, and we have to get started,” the US Secretary of State said, telling delegates “imagine a future in which instead of waiting for those oil tankers to come and dock, Caribbean nations are supplying each other with energy, whether it’s geothermal power from Dominica or gas from Trinidad”.
Clintons aid that Washington would also support energy and environmental security in Central America, which, like the Caribbean, has the potential to develop its own renewable energy but remains dependent on imported fossil fuels.
But she warned that there will be a need for “some legal changes” in the Caribbean and Central America, and for a “real leadership and political will to stand up against those who profit from imported oil.”
Clinton said, after discussions with some regional countries, she has discovered that there are “powerful political interests” that dominate their imported oil markets “that are very hard to take on.
“But you are beggaring your countries if you do not take them on and pass new laws that will create a new energy future and free up money that can be invested in health and education and raising the incomes of your people,” she said.
The US Secretary of State also announced that Washington would work to advance sustainable biomass energy in the region, and will work through the Peace Corps to advance renewable energy efforts.
In addition, she said the US has named three of its top scientists to serve as consultants and advisors or educators to the region.
“Now, we hope that we’ll have a lot of positive results from these initiatives and all the others that are taking place, and I look forward to future meetings where we share the progress that we each have been making,” Clinton said.
“We know we’re spending too much money on energy. We know we’re not using the best forms of energy. We know we can create jobs with clean energy and energy efficiency. We just haven’t made the commitment and marshaled our resources to put us on that path,” she added.
Second extremely seriuos message/warning in one week(1st was secretary of defense) Since putin’s visit to Venezuela When they announced Iran and russia to help Venezuela with nuclear, arms and oil exploration in the disputed territories. Namely Venezuela is claiming most of the caribbean sea becuase of bird island. While the rest of the world has signed the law of the seas Chavez has not. So the world says no more than 12 miles from bird island he is claiming 200miles. This is causing serious territorial disputes with the other nuclear powers in the caribbean (except the french socialist state) and caricom. Has Skerit put us in danger? What did the “for a $” minister mean when he said “Chavez is giving skerrit a lot of $”? Note he did not say he was “giving dominica…$”
Remember Venezuela claims 2/3 of Guyana. And has been making the same complaints to Trinidad that Saddam made about Kuwait Drilling sideways for oil in disputed territory.
The stakes are much higher than the collateral damage of a premptive strike at the supply centres for the bird island base…jimmit and Melville.
The cost of dual citizenship/foriegn power allegiance. Note that france and germany had begun buying sadams oil for euros as a strategy to cause the fall of the USD.this started the second war by bush Jr. What is the agenda of the alba agreement?
Any differnce? Yes. The disputes and threats are much much closer to us/Dutch/brittish interests, territory, oil supply and shipping lanes.
Well just when we thought that the caribbean was isolated from the middle east conflicts…sign of the times… Study Rev.
THEY SAY CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.. WHY IS THE GOOD OLD US OF A
STILL SO DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN OIL.? THAT IS WHAT STARTED THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN THE FIRST PLACE. HILARY SHOULD SAVE THAT SPEECH FOR THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN ALL THESE YEARS?
Hey Mr.PM, Why don’t you jump on this one….you can start looking into Wind and Solar energy.
Explore the idea Sir….It won’t hurt!……
I know a lot of us believe that the USA waited to late to intervine they allowed the likes of CHAVEZ (Venezuela) to take over our Island and many others in the region who were so greed they never really thought of the consequences on their people or islands and for that we in DOMINICA lost out on BIRD ISLAND to you know who and now we are behonding to CHAVEZ
Our chances are better off with the USA than Chavez especially with our GEOTHERMAL PROJECT.
We also know that our PM and other ministers are students of CHAVEZ we wonder if they will have an open mind when they attend the discussions we can only hope the PEOPLE of DOMINICA will be their top PRIORITY .
To the President and Secretary of the USA better late than never we welcome you.
Beware of that talk. I agree that the talk was directed at Chavez. when she said that there will be a need for “some legal changes” in the Caribbean and Central America, and for a “real leadership and political will to stand up against those who profit from imported oil.” Why does the U.S. think that they have to police the world?
Installing undersea electric cables in the region to give the Caribbean access to new power supplies?
The environment is already polluted with all the emissions from factories, vehicles on land and in the air and now electric cables to further endanger sea life.
Politicians will continue to have the world get further from it’s natural form as a result of power, greed and most of all the mighty dollar. We are counted as the second most “pure island ” in Islands Magazine’s April/May issue. I believe that our air is polluted enough by the emissions from our own vehicles here and we do not need the U.S to pollute our water.
Hilary stated that Washington would provide a grant to the AOS to “lend technical legal expertise to any Caribbean country seeking help get clean energy projects off the ground.”
Clean energy projects? At whose expense/ Who would profit from that? Let’s not be naive. That’s just politics. Not even their clean energy projects can be relied on. The damage that has been done to the environment is too far gone. The weather patterns have changed and that’s quite obvious. We are experiencing more heat now than ever before. Places that were not cold in the past are now experiencing very cold weather patterns.
Man continues to destroy the natural order of things and is not reversible by their promises and gadgets that they are installing in ther world.
Please goggle to 350.org
Talk Shop
most of you all thinking politics but i’m thinking that the USA realizes that eventually this oil thing is goin to become scarce so if they can begin linking up with the Caribbean then they’re safe….they might describe us as third world countries but they see and know how rich we are and that we will become their bread basket esp Dominica so obviously if they give us help now then they can get their share in return….ONE WORLD POLICY PEOPLE.
This is all double speak. They plan to rip you off either way. Don’t fall for the pawn play between the US and Venezuela.
Hilary is in the CFR and one of the group for the world govt. these people will say anything. And they definitely have alterior motives
Chavez should be shipping oil to DA cheap. It’s not that far away. So why isn’t that happening?
As for help with the geothermal project………I think that you had better look to Iceland for that, not the US.
You don’t want the US in here, trust me……..unless you want to be slaves even faster. People here have a fantasy vision of the US as the land of opportunity. It is not the land of opportunity anymore.
Most of the jobs have left and most of the primary and secondaryy education is propaganda unless you are in certain advanced areas of education on the college level.
The US is currently drilling more oil wells in the mid-west and more oil exploration is going on in the Alberta area of Canada. There is no shortage of oil. Does that sound like the US is trying to get away from dependency on oil or to get anyone else into alternative energy development? Not to me. So look for the meaning underneath Hilarys words and start thinking, because these people never do anything that is not a profit for themselves.
And I guarantee you that the technology to accomplish energy efficiency already exists. It is kept supressed by certain oil interests, lobbyists, and governments and just isn’t put out there. The future is now.
The newest “sustainable energy” in the US is the electric company putting a SmartMeter on your electric meter so that they can turn your electricity off if they think that you are using too much.
These politicians are opportunists that line their own pockets at the expense of the many peoples of the world.
Who are you? A communist! You make no sense man .. I think people need to be afraid of folks like you that shows no rationality.
Hey man,you are so full of s*** its a shame,You have no idea what the hell you are talking about!
Don’t be spreading your Republican propaganda and lies to these people.Go way man with your rubbish!…
If the USA giving grants for clean energy after sitting on the fence s for so long the govenmt should take it and develop our hydro, geothermal, wind and solar energy. This is a chance to use the USA and get the expertise to push us ahead in terms of energy. Chavez oil and what we owe him can now be minimise to a trickle; it would help in keeping the deficit down.
I hope those … with LOW EXPECTATIONS we have running the country can see this as an opportunity to try to elevate their level of development and take advantage of the grants —-
In the mean time we can ask PAPA CHAVEZ for our ROCK – Bird Island ! We NEED OUR ROCK BACK!!!
Haha .. I like your thinking!
rick ross! idiot!!!
Bossman, chill out.
Read, pardner, read…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/04/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-sarah-palin.html
The US of A is very clever with their diplomatic innuendo. She’s definitely talking about Chavez, the question is what concrete alternatives is the US offering?
You are getting warm!
iF THE USA COULD DO ONE GOOD THING? THAT IS TO HELP US WITH OUR GEOTHERMAL PROJECT.
i totally agree!!!
better late than never ..the Us allowed Venezuela to get to close…The governments of the region have to feed its people.
Wey papa, uncle Chavez better watch hisself, that one is directed at him; make laws to put people llike chavez on the back burner, she did not mention his name, but we not foolish, is he she talking. They realize people realize is only coastguards they giving to stop drugs from entering their shores so now they targeting oil producing countries, and since trinidad already in the region is only chavez she attacking now but that speech; why she cannot give scholarships to those young children that want to study in the states? at least free tuition, we will try to help our children with the rest, why is oil she talking about, who fool her?
I see you thinking about yourself. She is speaking about ways to benefit the entire region.
How many caribbean children got scholarships from their ‘own’ country to go study in the US and never return? Come on already. What is the use of sending kids to study and when they are done there are no jobs for them in their home land? What she is talking about will also create jobs for the people of the caribbean.
ALLU TOO LIKE A HAND OUT. That is why allu suffering under Chavez and Skerrit. I am sure you are wondering when the red clinic is going to re-open huh.
Yes, cheap oil from Chavez and you become his puppet, it seems we are always slaves to someone….so let freedom ring. Lets free ourselves from the fangs of those vampires, we’ve got no more blood to give.
To late were u when caribbean wanted u. Now our leaders have sold our soul to Venezula for oil
I know, Trinidad sent us to the arm of Chavez, that’s why CARICRAP has failed, we’re members but they sell as if we were strangers, Venezeula sells it for mere cents to it’s people. Down with CARICOM and long live the OECS.
I think Hilary should have been the US President…I like her.
is this just politics? just glanced through it, didn’t read it