US works to ease Caribbean dependence on Venezuelan oil

All the countries of the region, except Cuba, are expected to participate in closed talks that will involve Biden and other U.S. officials as well as representatives of the European Union, the U.N., and multilateral financing agencies such as the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. The focus will be on exploring ways to help Caribbean countries convert diesel-powered energy plants to natural gas and increase use of other alternative energy sources. Such moves would reduce the nearly complete dependence on oil that has made energy expensive in the region and created the opening for Venezuela in the first place. More…