Spanish oil giant Repsol YPF recently announced that its exploratory drilling efforts in "ultra-deep" waters off the coast of Cuba were unsuccessful. 

To drill the test well, Repsol leased the massive Chinese-built Scarabeo 9 drilling rig from Sapiem, an Italian company. The embargo has pretty much blocked U.S. companies from getting in on any of the lucrative action. 

Satellite images provided by SkyTruth last month showed that the rig was drilling in the Florida Straits, about 17 miles off the coast of Havana. But now that Repsol came up dry, the rig is slated to move west, where companies from Malaysia and Russia await their chance to strike it rich in Castro's waters. 

Ed Tichenor, who first observed the problem, says what's most alarming is the rate at which the disease is killing the sponges. On April 11, Reef Rescue explored the waters and didn't see any signs of ailing sponges. Two weeks later, on April 27, Tichenor documented 51 barrel sponges undergoing pigment loss. By May 6, many of the sponges that were turning yellow from pigment loss were disintegrating. 

You've got the chance to save a boatload of money on your electric bill, and the electric company wants to help you do it.

Florida Power & Light announced earlier this week that it would be offering more than $3 million in rebates to customers who install solar equipment in their homes or businesses, continuing a popular program that started late last year. Starting May 3, customers can apply to get thousands of dollars handed over to them to help pay for the considerable up-front costs of setting up solar-powered electrical systems in their homes.

And at least one of these offers -- $1,000 toward a solar water heater -- is worth seriously considering, according to Jim Coryell, owner of Fort Lauderdale-based Broward Solar.