President Bush announced in a July 18, 2005, joint statement with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he would "seek agreement from Congress to adjust U.S. laws and policies" and "work with friends and allies to adjust international regimes to enable full civil nuclear energy cooperation and trade with India." Implementing these changes was contentious; both U.S. law and the export guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) restricted nuclear cooperation with India because New Delhi possesses nuclear weapons and is not a recognized nuclear weapon-state under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). (For more background, see Appendix A and Appendix B .) Passage of the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 ( P.L. 109-401 ), which then-President Bush signed into law December 18, 2006, provided the President with the means to waive a U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement with India from several requirements of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954, as amended. India and the United States announced July 27, 2007, that they had reached agreement on the text of such an agreement. President Bush submitted the text of the proposed agreement to Congress September 10, 2008. Additionally, the President submitted a written determination, also required by the AEA, "that the performance of the proposed agreement will promote and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to, the common defense and security." President Bush also submitted several documents, including classified and unclassified versions of a Nuclear Proliferation Assessment Statement, required by the AEA. The Department of State also submitted a report, which is required by Section 104 of P.L. 109-401 , on various aspects of the agreement. President Bush also determined that P.L. 109-401 's requirements for the President to exercise his waiver authority have been met. President Bush submitted the agreement after the IAEA Board of Governors approved India's safeguards agreement August 1, 2008. The NSG decided at the end of a September 2008 meeting to exempt India from the group's export guidelines. Procedures for congressional approval of the nuclear cooperation agreement are described in both P.L. 109-401 and the AEA. According to P.L. 109-401 , the agreement cannot enter into force without a joint resolution of approval from Congress. Section 123 b. of the AEA requires the President to submit the text of the agreement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The President is then to consult with the committees "for a period of not less than thirty days of continuous session." According to Section 123 d., the two committees shall, after that time, "each hold hearings on the proposed agreement for cooperation and submit a report to their respective bodies recommending whether it should be approved or disapproved." Therefore, the minimum amount of time that must elapse before Congress can vote on a joint resolution of approval is 30 days of continuous session, in addition to the amount of time Congress would take to hold hearings. On September 27, 2008, however, by a vote of 298-117 (1 Present), the House passed H.R. 7081 , which approved the agreement and waived "the provisions for congressional consideration and approval of a proposed agreement" contained in Sections 123 b. and 123 d. of the AEA. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had approved identical legislation, S. 3548 , September 23. The Senate passed H.R. 7081 October 1 by a vote of 86-13. On October 8, President Bush signed P.L. 110-369 , the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, into law. The President's signing statement did not indicate any differences with the legislation. According to its text, the July 2007 agreement "shall enter into force on the date on which the Parties exchange diplomatic notes informing each other that they have completed all applicable requirements for its entry into force." Then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and India's then-External Affairs Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee signed the agreement October 10, 2008. Ten days later, President Bush transmitted two certifications required by P.L. 110-369 in order for the two governments to exchange diplomatic notes. Washington and New Delhi exchanged diplomatic notes and the agreement entered into force December 6, 2008. The final document of the 2010 NPT Review Conference urged all states-parties "to ensure that their nuclear-related exports ... are in full conformity" with Article III of the treaty, which requires non-nuclear-weapon states-parties to accept safeguards on all nuclear material for the purpose of "preventing diversion of nuclear energy from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices." India has not signed the NPT and does not have such safeguards, but other countries have still been increasing their nuclear cooperation with New Delhi. India has stated its intention to engage in nuclear cooperation with U.S. companies. A September 10, 2008, letter from India's then-Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon states that it is the intention of the Government of India and its entities to commence discussions with U.S. nuclear energy firms and conclude agreements after entry into force of the [U.S.-India] Agreement for cooperation in the construction of nuclear power units at least at two sites approved by the Government of India, which would be capable of generating a minimum of 10,000 MW. However, Menon appeared to qualify this claim, adding that such deals would be concluded on the basis of mutually acceptable technical and commercial terms and conditions that enable a viable tariff regime for electricity generated. It is the expectation of the Government of India that this partnership will contribute towards providing energy to India's population in a manner that takes into account affordability, sustainability of nuclear fuel resources and credibility of nuclear waste management. New Delhi announced October 16, 2009, the specific sites that it has designated for U.S.-supplied reactors. P.L. 110-369 requires that, before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can issue licenses for U.S. nuclear exports to India, the President must determine and certify to Congress that New Delhi's IAEA safeguards agreement has entered into force and that India's declaration of its nuclear facilities to the agency "is not materially inconsistent with the facilities and schedule" described in a separation plan that New Delhi has provided to Washington. India's safeguards agreement entered into force May 11, 2009, and New Delhi has filed the declaration with the IAEA. President Obama submitted the required certification to Congress February 3, 2010, determining that India has satisfied the legal requirement described above. Although Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake stated November 15, 2010, that "U.S. firms have already begun negotiations with their Indian counterparts," U.S. firms may be reluctant to engage in nuclear trade with India if the government does not resolve concerns regarding its policies on liability for nuclear reactor operators and suppliers. India signed the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), which has not yet entered into force, October 27, 2010. In 2008, the State Department described India's decision to "become a party" to the convention as "an important step in ensuring that U.S. nuclear firms can compete on a level playing field with other international competitors" because many other countries' nuclear firms "have other liability protections afforded to them by their governments." However, as discussed below, Russia and France are also discussing with India means of resolving their concerns about the liability issue. Shrikumar Banerjee, chair of India's Atomic Energy Commission, argued September 16, 2010, that India's Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, which both houses of India's Parliament adopted in August 2010, is compatible with the CSC. Many observers, however, have disagreed, citing the provisions that make reactor suppliers, as well as operators, liable for damages caused by a reactor accident. U.S. officials have argued that India's law should be consistent with the convention. Blake stated in a June 9, 2010, interview with India Abroad that the U.S. interest is to "ensure that the bill that ultimately is enacted is compliant" with the CSC. Although Under Secretary of State William Burns described New Delhi's signing of the CSC as a "very positive step" during an October 27, 2010, press briefing, he also indicated that India will need to take additional steps in order to resolve U.S. concerns regarding India's liability policies. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton indicated during a July 19, 2011, press conference that the United States wants India to ratify the CSC by the end of 2011, as well as adopt a liability regulatory regime that "fully conforms with the international requirements" under the CSC. India's then-Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao stated in a July 29, 2011, interview that India would ratify the CSC "before the end of the year." She also explained that "the rules and regulations concerning the civil nuclear liability bill ... are in the process of being framed and in this process we are consulting with both the domestic companies and the foreign companies concerned." The Indian government published the regulations November 11, 2011, but they have not yet taken effect. The United States, however, has argued that the regulations may not satisfy U.S. concerns; State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters November 22 that "this is an issue we have not yet resolved with the Government of India, and we're continuing to work on it." In addition, some observers have argued that the regulations are not compatible with the CSC and that suppliers' concerns may not be assuaged by the regulations. During a November 17 meeting with President Obama, Singh told him that India would "address any specific [U.S.] grievances" within the parameters of the 2010 law, the Prime Minister told reporters. Singh also stated that New Delhi would ratify the CSC.