USIBC Felicitates Dr. Anil Kakodkar for Expanding U.S.-India Trade

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) on December 10, 2009 felicitated Dr. Anil Kakodkar, on his retirement as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, and presented him with the U.S.-India Business Council Award for Expanding U.S.-India Trade Relations.

The USIBC, in partnership with the Nuclear Energy Institute, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, and Confederation of Indian Industry, had taken a major U.S. Commercial Nuclear Mission to Mumbai for talks with leaders of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on commercial implementation of the historic U.S.-India Commercial Nuclear Accord.

"Dr. Kakodkar exercised great vision and leadership in bringing India's nuclear isolation to an end," said Ron Somers, President of USIBC, "and we are proud to honor his success."

The USIBC Mission to Mumbai followed the successful state visit by Prime Minister Singh Manmohan Singh to Washington, DC where both Singh and President Obama pledged to "realize the full potential of the India-U.S. Agreement for Cooperation concerning the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy" by expediting the Agreement’s commercial implementation.

Dr. S.K. Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of NPCIL, noted that "We are pleased to meet with USIBC and the leading U.S. commercial nuclear suppliers to bring the historic U.S.-India civilian nuclear accord into commercial reality."

Co-led by Daniel Roderick of GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Meena Mutyala of Westinghouse Electric Company, the USIBC Mission assembled an exceptional delegation of 50 senior executives representing 26 of America’s leading commercial nuclear suppliers. "The robust presence here of the U.S. commercial nuclear industry speaks to our optimism that remaining implementation steps will be completed soon, and that U.S.-India commercial nuclear trade is close at hand," observed Ted Jones, USIBC Director for Policy Advocacy.

The U.S. executive delegation brings together the leading U.S. companies across the broad spectrum of the commercial nuclear industry. Represented are leading reactor companies, the largest uranium producer, the largest enricher of uranium, the leading civil nuclear engineering and construction firms, and many other companies at the forefront of the global commercial nuclear industry.

The U.S. Delegation arrived in Mumbai from New Delhi, where it met with top Government of India policymakers and senior executives of India's top public and private-sector companies engaged in expanding India's nuclear power sector. The USIBC Delegation discussed recent progress toward implementing the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Accord and remaining steps.  

DEMOCRATIC NOD FOR DR. AMI BERA

With Bill Slaton withdrawing from the Democratic primary, Elk Grove, CA resident, Dr. Ami Bera, a physician and medical official, is the sole Democratic candidate to challenge the present incumbent Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River).

Slaton said he dropped out of the race for the District 3 Congressional seat currently held by Lungren to pursue alternative-energy opportunities at SMUD, as well as examine the 120 alternative-energy startups that are in the area. "(Congress) doesn’t seem like the best place to do my best work at this time," Slaton said in a phone interview. "I withdrew to really concentrate on the things I care about most."

Bera said he was surprised when Slaton called him with the news he was dropping out of the race and offering his endorsement. "I was pretty humbled by his phone call. It was clearly unexpected." Bera, Slaton and Elk Grove City Council Member Gary Davis – a onetime candidate for the seat – had been fundraising to prepare for a June Democratic primary. Now they plan to work together.

Slaton said he hopes to help Bera develop an energy plan, and Bera said he has already been receiving advice from Davis and Bill Durston, a Democrat who was narrowly defeated by Lungren in last year’s congressional race. Bera, who has raised more than any other contender, can now turn his attention to the November 2010 general election, where he’ll face Lungren and Art Tuma, a Libertarian. "Now that (I’m) the only Democrat in the race, it allows us to focus on our message."

Bera has an extensive background in healthcare policy, both in the public and private sector. He is a former Chief Medical Officer for the County of Sacramento who recently served as Associate Dean for Admissions at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Bera lives in Elk Grove, CA with his wife and daughter.