United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act

UNITED STATES-INDIA NUCLEAR COOPERATION APPROVAL AND NONPROLIFERATION ENHANCEMENT ACT -- (House of Representatives - September 26, 2008)

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Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to support the U.S.-India civilian nuclear agreement.

As cochair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, I am grateful for the bipartisan support of this agreement. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote was 19-2 this week. A vote in favor of the U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement will be a giant step forward in strengthening our Nation's partnership with the people of India.

Our two nations have a vested and shared interest in expanding our opportunities to compete in the global economy. This agreement will be a landmark accomplishment to do just that. After all, India is the world's largest democracy, and America is the world's oldest democracy.

In my home State of South Carolina, over 50 percent of our electricity is generated by nuclear power and has been for over 30 years. I know firsthand that this is an effective, clean, and safe alternative to traditional resources.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has estimated that this civilian nuclear agreement could create as many as 250,000 high-tech jobs right here in America. Moreover, Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the State Department, William J. Burns, has made his own estimates that we could see anywhere between 3- to 5,000 new direct jobs and 10,0000 to 15,000 indirect jobs per reactor.

I am grateful for the leadership of President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Former U.S. Ambassador Robert Blackwill and current U.S. Ambassador David Mulford have worked professionally and successfully with Indian Ambassador to the United States, Ronen Sen.

Additionally, this agreement could not be finalized without the hard work of Ron Somers, President of the U.S.-India Business Council, former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Jeffrey Bergner, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Joel Starr, State Department Director of House Affairs Scott Kamins, White House members Brian McCormack and Vishal Amin, and South Carolina's Second Congressional District Chief of Staff Dino Teppara, and senior legislative assistant Paul Callahan.

This agreement, which is mutually beneficial for the people of India and America, have significant support from the 2.2 million Indian Americans who are successful members of American Society.

I want to thank my colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and staff members, particularly Chairman Howard Berman of California, Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, former India cochair Ed Royce, and former cochair Gary Ackerman.

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