[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 98 (Monday, July 24, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8135-S8136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      UNITED STATES-INDIA ENERGY SECURITY COOPERATION ACT OF 2005

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 454, S. 1950.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1950) to promote global energy security through 
     increased cooperation between the United States and India in 
     diversifying sources of energy, stimulating development of 
     alternative fuels, developing and deploying technologies that 
     promote the clean and efficient use of coal, and improving 
     energy efficiency.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill 
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, with 
amendments, as follows:
  (The part intended to be stricken is shown in boldface brackets, and 
the part intended to be inserted is shown in italic.)

                                S. 1950

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``United States-India Energy 
     Security Cooperation Act of [2005] 2006''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The December 2004 National Intelligence Council report 
     entitled ``Mapping the Global Future in 2020'' states that 
     the single most important factor affecting the demand for 
     energy will be global economic growth, especially that of 
     China and India. It is estimated that the current economic 
     growth rate in India is approximately 7 percent of gross 
     domestic product. India will need to double its energy 
     consumption within the next 15 years to maintain steady rates 
     of economic growth.
       (2) The United States and India launched an energy dialogue 
     on May 31, 2005, aimed at building upon a broad range of 
     existing energy cooperation and developing new avenues of 
     collaboration on energy. These efforts will promote increased 
     trade and investment in the energy sector by utilizing 
     resources in the public and private sectors, focusing on oil 
     and gas, power and energy efficiency, new technologies and 
     renewable energy, coal and clean coal technology, and civil 
     nuclear cooperation. In his testimony before the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate on July 26, 2005, Under 
     Secretary of Energy David Garman said, ``The United States 
     and India recognize their mutual interests are best served by 
     working together in a collaborative fashion to ensure 
     stability in global energy markets.''.
       (3) As the sixth largest energy consumer in the world, 
     India satisfies 70 percent of its oil demand with imports and 
     has embarked on an aggressive oil and gas exploration 
     program. The largest discovery of natural gas in the world in 
     2002 occurred in India. In 2003, the largest discovery of oil 
     in the world occurred in the state of Rajasthan in India. 
     External funding and investment in the oil and gas industry 
     in India is necessary to maximize recovery from oil fields, 
     but an improved investment environment in India is needed to 
     attract such investment.
       (4) India is the world's third largest producer of coal and 
     will continue to rely on coal as a major energy source to 
     support expanding industrial and electric power generation 
     needs. However, many of India's coal-fired plants are 
     inefficient and lack adequate pollution control equipment. In 
     his address to a joint session of the United States Congress 
     on July 19, 2005, Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh 
     noted the importance of allowing greater access for 
     developing countries to clean coal technologies and of 
     exploring partnerships that encourage more efficient use of 
     hydrocarbon resources.
       (5) India provides a market for United States technologies 
     that promote the clean and efficient use of energy.
       (6) India has announced plans to develop a 5,000,000 ton 
     strategic crude oil reserve, which is expected to be 
     completed by 2009.
       (7) United States energy experts have emphasized the need 
     for the United States to increase collaboration with other 
     countries--
       (A) to develop and deploy energy technologies that will not 
     be pursued absent greater Federal support;
       (B) to increase investment in cooperative international 
     energy research; and
       (C) to expand the global network of strategic petroleum 
     reserves.

     SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States--
       (1) to cooperate with India to address common energy 
     challenges, to ensure future global energy security, and to 
     increase the world-wide availability of clean energy;
       (2) to promote dialogue and increased understanding between 
     the United States and India on our respective national energy 
     policies and strategies as an integral part of the expanding 
     strategic partnership between the two countries; and
       (3) to collaborate with India in energy research that 
     fosters market-based approaches to energy security and offers 
     the promise of technological breakthroughs that reduce oil 
     dependency globally.

     SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ENERGY COOPERATION.

       (a) Authorization.--The President is authorized to 
     establish programs in support of greater energy cooperation 
     between the United States and India.
       (b) Activities.--Assistance may be provided under this 
     section for cooperation related to--
       (1) research, development, and deployment of clean coal and 
     emission reduction technologies and carbon sequestration 
     projects;
       (2) research, development, and deployment of alternative 
     fuel sources, such as ethanol, bio-mass, and coal-based 
     fuels[, and hydrogen];
       (3) research, development, and deployment of energy 
     efficiency projects;
       (4) research related to commercially available technologies 
     that promote the clean and efficient use of energy in India; 
     and
       (5) technical assistance in support of the development by 
     the Government of India of a strategic oil reserve to allow 
     India to cope with short-term disruptions to global oil 
     supplies without causing shocks to India's market or the 
     global market.

     SEC. 5. REPORT ON ENERGY COOPERATION.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall, in 
     coordination with the Secretary of Energy, submit to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Energy 
     and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce and the Committee on International 
     Relations of the House of Representatives a report on energy 
     security cooperation between the United States and India.
       (b) Content.--The report required under subsection (a) 
     shall describe--
       (1) the ways in which the United States and India have 
     cooperated on energy research and development activities;
       (2) joint projects that have been initiated using 
     assistance authorized under section 4, and the contribution 
     such assistance has made to improving global energy security; 
     and
       (3) plans for future energy cooperation and joint projects 
     between the United States and India.


[[Page S8136]]


  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-
reported amendments be agreed to, the Lugar amendment at the desk be 
agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the 
motion to consider be laid upon the table, and that any statements 
relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendments were agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4688) was agreed to, as follows:

    (Purpose: To authorize assistance for renewable energy projects)

       On page 5, line 23, strike ``energy efficiency projects'' 
     and insert ``energy efficiency and renewable energy projects 
     and technologies''.

  The bill (S. 1950) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 1950

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``United States-India Energy 
     Security Cooperation Act of 2006''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The December 2004 National Intelligence Council report 
     entitled ``Mapping the Global Future in 2020'' states that 
     the single most important factor affecting the demand for 
     energy will be global economic growth, especially that of 
     China and India. It is estimated that the current economic 
     growth rate in India is approximately 7 percent of gross 
     domestic product. India will need to double its energy 
     consumption within the next 15 years to maintain steady rates 
     of economic growth.
       (2) The United States and India launched an energy dialogue 
     on May 31, 2005, aimed at building upon a broad range of 
     existing energy cooperation and developing new avenues of 
     collaboration on energy. These efforts will promote increased 
     trade and investment in the energy sector by utilizing 
     resources in the public and private sectors, focusing on oil 
     and gas, power and energy efficiency, new technologies and 
     renewable energy, coal and clean coal technology, and civil 
     nuclear cooperation. In his testimony before the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate on July 26, 2005, Under 
     Secretary of Energy David Garman said, ``The United States 
     and India recognize their mutual interests are best served by 
     working together in a collaborative fashion to ensure 
     stability in global energy markets.''.
       (3) As the sixth largest energy consumer in the world, 
     India satisfies 70 percent of its oil demand with imports and 
     has embarked on an aggressive oil and gas exploration 
     program. The largest discovery of natural gas in the world in 
     2002 occurred in India. In 2003, the largest discovery of oil 
     in the world occurred in the state of Rajasthan in India. 
     External funding and investment in the oil and gas industry 
     in India is necessary to maximize recovery from oil fields, 
     but an improved investment environment in India is needed to 
     attract such investment.
       (4) India is the world's third largest producer of coal and 
     will continue to rely on coal as a major energy source to 
     support expanding industrial and electric power generation 
     needs. However, many of India's coal-fired plants are 
     inefficient and lack adequate pollution control equipment. In 
     his address to a joint session of the United States Congress 
     on July 19, 2005, Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh 
     noted the importance of allowing greater access for 
     developing countries to clean coal technologies and of 
     exploring partnerships that encourage more efficient use of 
     hydrocarbon resources.
       (5) India provides a market for United States technologies 
     that promote the clean and efficient use of energy.
       (6) India has announced plans to develop a 5,000,000 ton 
     strategic crude oil reserve, which is expected to be 
     completed by 2009.
       (7) United States energy experts have emphasized the need 
     for the United States to increase collaboration with other 
     countries--
       (A) to develop and deploy energy technologies that will not 
     be pursued absent greater Federal support;
       (B) to increase investment in cooperative international 
     energy research; and
       (C) to expand the global network of strategic petroleum 
     reserves.

     SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States--
       (1) to cooperate with India to address common energy 
     challenges, to ensure future global energy security, and to 
     increase the world-wide availability of clean energy;
       (2) to promote dialogue and increased understanding between 
     the United States and India on our respective national energy 
     policies and strategies as an integral part of the expanding 
     strategic partnership between the two countries; and
       (3) to collaborate with India in energy research that 
     fosters market-based approaches to energy security and offers 
     the promise of technological breakthroughs that reduce oil 
     dependency globally.

     SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ENERGY COOPERATION.

       (a) Authorization.--The President is authorized to 
     establish programs in support of greater energy cooperation 
     between the United States and India.
       (b) Activities.--Assistance may be provided under this 
     section for cooperation related to--
       (1) research, development, and deployment of clean coal and 
     emission reduction technologies and carbon sequestration 
     projects;
       (2) research, development, and deployment of alternative 
     fuel sources, such as ethanol, bio-mass, and coal-based 
     fuels;
       (3) research, development, and deployment of energy 
     efficiency and renewable energy projects and technologies;
       (4) research related to commercially available technologies 
     that promote the clean and efficient use of energy in India; 
     and
       (5) technical assistance in support of the development by 
     the Government of India of a strategic oil reserve to allow 
     India to cope with short-term disruptions to global oil 
     supplies without causing shocks to India's market or the 
     global market.

     SEC. 5. REPORT ON ENERGY COOPERATION.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall, in 
     coordination with the Secretary of Energy, submit to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Energy 
     and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce and the Committee on International 
     Relations of the House of Representatives a report on energy 
     security cooperation between the United States and India.
       (b) Content.--The report required under subsection (a) 
     shall describe--
       (1) the ways in which the United States and India have 
     cooperated on energy research and development activities;
       (2) joint projects that have been initiated using 
     assistance authorized under section 4, and the contribution 
     such assistance has made to improving global energy security; 
     and
       (3) plans for future energy cooperation and joint projects 
     between the United States and India.

                          ____________________