But this legislation has nothing to do with the administration's bill on the US' civilian nuclear agreement with India.
That bill is still pending in the Foreign Relations Committee despite several hearings and testimony by administration officials, including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and several nonproliferation and nuclear experts.
The US-India Energy Security Cooperation Act of 2005, introduced by Foreign Relations Committee chairman Senator Richard Lugar -- who also introduced the nuclear pact bill on behalf of the administration at President Bush's request, but has not endorsed it -- will 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.
The legislation is envisaged to contribute to stabilising global energy markets by joining the US and India in a cooperative effort to address common energy challenges, including reducing oil dependency globally and increased world-wide availability of clean energy.
According to Lugar, the legislation was based on findings that included the December 2004 Central Intelligence Agency report Mapping the Global Future in 2020, predicting that the single-most important factor affecting the demand for energy would be global economic growth, especially that of China and India.
The CIA report said it is estimated that the current economic growth rate in India is approximately 7 percent, and that India will need to double its energy consumption within the next 15 years to maintain steady rates of economic growth.