US Congressman pushes for clean energy co-operation with India

United States Congressman Jim McDermott, a founding member and the current co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, has introduced major new legislation to, in his words, "unite the two great democracies of India and the United States together in development of new and renewable energy supplies".

McDermott's legislation, titled 'Clean Energy Partnership with India Act, 2008', which has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for further consideration, seeks to establish a Congressional Commission on Renewable Power Technology Commerce with India to study methods for improving and promoting bilateral renewable energy cooperation with India.

The lawmaker, a physician by training, who represents Washington state holds the record for most visits to India - at least 21 times - beginning nearly two decades ago, when it was no so cool to visit India.

McDermott, who visited the red light districts of Mumbai and Kolkata to bring about more awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in India, said his new legislation would "facilitate renewable energy cooperation and demonstrate that the United States is serious about working with India on energy".

In March, McDermott was part of a US Congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that visited India to, among other things like a meeting with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, discuss climate change with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials.

Interestingly, in 2006, McDermott, for all his support of India, was among a minority of lawmakers who voted against the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

Asked if this new legislation was an attempt by McDermott to push for alternative energy cooperation with India instead of the nuclear deal, which remains in limbo in the light of fierce opposition to it from the UPA government's Leftist allies, the lawmaker's communication's director Mike Decesare told rediff.com, "There is no linkage between this energy legislation and the nuclear issue".

But, significantly, McDermott's legislation is co-sponsored by another senior Democratic leader, Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts, chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, who is an acerbic critic of the nuclear agreement and has been at the forefront of trying to kill it in Congress.