Energy News  
US House approves historic India nuclear deal

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Sept 27, 2008
The House of Representatives Saturday passed a civilian nuclear pact with India that lifts a three decade-old ban on civilian nuclear trade with India.

The agreement, passed by a 298-117 vote, will now head to the Senate for its vote, but it was unclear if it would be passed before Congress adjourns ahead of the November 4 elections.

Signed by President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005, the deal offers India access to Western technology and cheap atomic energy provided it allows UN nuclear inspections of some of its nuclear facilities.

Bush on Saturday congratulated the House on the vote.

"The passage of this legislation by the House is another major step forward in achieving the transformation of the US-India relationship," he said, urging Senate now to adopt the bill.

But the deal has faced criticism from opponents who argue that India, which first tested an atomic weapon in 1974, is not a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Representative Edward Markey, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, denounced the vote, saying in a statement: "This is a terrible bill that threatens the future of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime."

And he argued during a late night debate Friday that opposing the bill did not mean opposing India.

"This is a debate about Iran. This is a debate about North Korea, about Pakistan, about Venezuela, about any other country in the world that harbors the goal of acquiring nuclear weapons," he said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to allay any lasting concerns, saying the legislation would boost US oversight on any US civilian nuclear assistance to the South Asian nation.

She welcomed the vote saying in a statement that the accord "furthers our countries' strategic relationship while balancing nuclear non-proliferation concerns and India's growing energy needs.

"The legislation recognizes India's past support for non-proliferation initiatives and strengthens congressional oversight of any future US decision to assist India's civilian nuclear program."

Democrat Representative Joseph Crowley said Saturday's vote was a "historic moment."

"We are uniting the world's oldest and the world's largest democracies in an effort to expand peaceful and responsible development of nuclear technology," he said.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee member also recognized "the Indian American community for their incredible advocacy and efforts to educate members of Congress on the importance of this agreement and the US-India relationship."

The agreement had long been stalled in Congress, and on Thursday Bush told the visiting Singh that he was working hard to get it passed as quickly as possible."

New Delhi, which is critically short of energy to fuel its booming economy and its burgeoning population of 1.1 billion people, is looking at investments worth billions of dollars in its power sector.

The draft bill proposed by the White House says: "Civil nuclear cooperation between the US and India pursuant to the agreement will offer major strategic and economic benefits to both countries, including enhanced energy security."

It also promised "an ability to rely more extensively on an environmentally-friendly energy source, greater economic opportunities and more robust non-proliferation efforts."

If the Senate now endorses the agreement it would finally end a three decades-old ban on nuclear trade with India imposed after it carried out its first nuclear test in 1974 and refused to sign the NPT.

But New Delhi, which agreed to open some of its reactors for inspection, now has approval to buy fuel and technology from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which controls global atomic trade.

Washington spearheaded the efforts that led this month in the Vienna-based NSG lifting a global ban on trade with India.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Russia may launch nuclear cooperation with Venezuela: Putin
Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia (AFP) Sept 25, 2008
Russia may launch nuclear energy cooperation with Venezuela, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday during talks with the country's fiercely anti-US leader Hugo Chavez.







  • Georgia's Oglethorpe Power Launches Large Biomass Initiative
  • Study Of Smart Energy Homes
  • Canada pledges environmental restrictions on oil exports
  • New EU law demands more battery recycling

  • Nuclear deal to bring new status: Indian PM
  • Venezuela wants to work with Russia on nuclear energy: Chavez
  • US House approves historic India nuclear deal
  • Russia may launch nuclear cooperation with Venezuela: Putin

  • Seabird Ammonia Emissions Contribute To Atmospheric Acidity
  • New Clues To Air Circulation In The Atmosphere
  • Strange Clouds At The Edge Of Space
  • Dutch town tests 'air-purifying' concrete

  • Campaign Launched To Re-Forest America
  • Stressed trees release aspirin compound, may communicate : study
  • Oil Palm Plantations Are No Substitute For Tropical Rainforests
  • Norway donates up to one billion dollars to save Brazil rain forest

  • China halts sales of popular candy tainted with melamine
  • Cover-up as eight newborns die in Chinese hospital: report
  • China says dairy firm knew of toxic milk for months
  • Asia on alert over tainted China milk

  • GridPoint Acquires V2Green, Improving Plug-In Electric Vehicle Management Solutions
  • EU panel resists pressure to water down car emission targets
  • GM to double production of fuel-efficient engines
  • Agreement On Electric Vehicles Fleet Testing And Service Network In Iceland

  • Airbus expecting 'large' China order by early 2009: CEO
  • Airbus globalises production with China plant
  • Safer Skies For The Flying Public
  • Chinese airlines fly into headwinds in Olympic year



  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement