The introduction of the bill comes amidst heightened cooperation between India and the United States on climate….reports Asian Lite News
Bob Menendez, a Democratic lawmaker who heads the foreign relations committee of the US Senate, introduced a legislation on Monday proposing to create a main forum for cooperation between the United States and India related to clean climate technologies and energy transmission.
The forum will be called United States-India Climate and Clean Energy Partnership (CCEP) as proposed by the Prioritizing Clean Energy and Climate Cooperation with India Act moved by Bob Menendez.
“By establishing the US-India CCEP, we are laying the groundwork for successful partnerships between not only the US and Indian governments, but also our universities and private sectors,” Bob Menendez said, adding, “I am proud to lead this effort to further strengthen our relationship with India.”
The introduction of the bill comes amidst heightened cooperation between India and the United States on climate. US Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry is wrapping up a three-day visit to India during which the two countries activated a mechanism to fund India’s transition to clean energy, which was launched by the two sides at the time of the Climate Summit convened by President Joe Biden in April.
Climate will figure in the first in-person summit that President Biden is hosting on September 24 here at the White House of the Quad leaders Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia’s Scott Morrison and Japan’s Yoshihide Suga.
Bob Menendez’s office said the bill introduced by the senator follows his visit to India in 2019 with a congressional delegation. The senator had met Indian ministers and business leaders to discuss what can the two countries do to address the threat of climate change and deepen cooperation on clean energy production.
In addition to “establishing groundbreaking new programmes”, this bill will also serve to bolster the Biden administration’s US-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership, which aims to elevate bilateral cooperation on strong climate action and support the achievement of India’s ambitious climate targets, said Bob Menendez’s office.
Apart from setting up a main forum for cooperation on climate and energy, the legislation proposes to promote ties between universities and government research laboratories on the research, development, and application of clean energy technologies.
It aims to promote sharing of intellectual property between private sector entities for renewable energy technology, air conditioning technology, refrigeration systems technology, and other advanced energy technologies.
It will encourage US private investment in the Indian clean energy technology market; support technical assistance and expertise on electrical grid and energy efficiency improvements in India and support initiatives to develop new renewable energy generation capacity in India.
The statement said the bill also requires the administration to submit a multi-year strategy to congress for implementing the CCEP; it seeks a report on opportunities for states in the countries to cooperate on these issues; and, finally, sets advancing climate risk reduction and resilience capacities as a priority for the US’s diplomatic, security, and development work in India.
