H. Res. 354 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
September 25, 2013. 
Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution the 
House shall be considered to have taken from the Speaker’s 
table the bill, H.R. 527, with the Senate amendment thereto, 
and to have concurred in the Senate amendment with the fol-
lowing amendment: 
In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the 
amendment of the Senate to the text of the bill, insert the 
following: 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helium Stewardship Act 
of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 2 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this Act:
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‘‘(1) CLIFFSIDE FIELD.—The term ‘Cliffside Field’ 
means the helium storage reservoir in which the Federal 
Helium Reserve is stored. 
‘‘(2) FEDERAL HELIUM PIPELINE.—The term ‘Fed-
eral Helium Pipeline’ means the federally owned pipeline 
system through which helium for the Federal Helium 
Reserve may be transported. 
‘‘(3) FEDERAL HELIUM RESERVE.—The term ‘Fed-
eral Helium Reserve’ means helium reserves owned by 
the United States. 
‘‘(4) FEDERAL HELIUM SYSTEM.—The term ‘Fed-
eral Helium System’ means— 
‘‘(A) the Federal Helium Reserve; 
‘‘(B) the Cliffside Field; 
‘‘(C) the Federal Helium Pipeline; and 
‘‘(D) all other infrastructure owned, leased, or 
managed under contract by the Secretary for the 
storage, transportation, withdrawal, enrichment, pu-
rification, or management of helium. 
‘‘(5) FEDERAL
USER.—The term ‘Federal user’ 
means a Federal agency or extramural holder of one or 
more Federal research grants using helium. 
‘‘(6) LOW-BTU GAS.—The term ‘low-Btu gas’ means 
a fuel gas with a heating value of less than 250 Btu per 
standard cubic foot measured as the higher heating
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value resulting from the inclusion of noncombustible 
gases, including nitrogen, helium, argon, and carbon di-
oxide. 
‘‘(7) PERSON.—The term ‘person’ means any indi-
vidual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, 
estate, public or private institution, or State or political 
subdivision. 
‘‘(8) PRIORITY PIPELINE ACCESS.—The term ‘pri-
ority pipeline access’ means the first priority of delivery 
of crude helium under which the Secretary schedules and 
ensures the delivery of crude helium to a helium refinery 
through the Federal Helium System. 
‘‘(9) QUALIFIED BIDDER.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘qualified bid-
der’ means a person the Secretary determines is 
seeking to purchase helium for their own use, refin-
ing, or redelivery to users. 
‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘qualified bidder’ 
does not include a person who was previously deter-
mined to be a qualified bidder if the Secretary de-
termines that the person did not meet the require-
ments of a qualified bidder under this Act. 
‘‘(10) QUALIFYING
DOMESTIC
HELIUM
TRANS-
ACTION.—The term ‘qualifying domestic helium trans-
action’ means any agreement entered into or renegoti-
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ated agreement during the preceding 1-year period in 
the United States for the purchase or sale of at least 
15,000,000 standard cubic feet of crude or pure helium 
to which any holder of a contract with the Secretary for 
the acceptance, storage, delivery, or redelivery of crude 
helium from the Federal Helium System is a party. 
‘‘(11) REFINER.—The term ‘refiner’ means a per-
son with the ability to take delivery of crude helium from 
the Federal Helium Pipeline and refine the crude helium 
into pure helium. 
‘‘(12) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior.’’. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY. 
Section 3 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167a) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) EXTRACTION
OF HELIUM FROM DEPOSITS
ON 
FEDERAL LAND.—All amounts received by the Secretary 
from the sale or disposition of helium on Federal land shall 
be credited to the Helium Production Fund established under 
section 6(e).’’. 
SEC. 4. STORAGE, WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSPORTATION. 
Section 5 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167c) is amend-
ed to read as follows:
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‘‘(2) FEDERAL
PURCHASES.—Federal users may 
purchase refined helium with priority pipeline access 
under this subsection from persons who have entered 
into enforceable contracts to purchase an equivalent 
quantity of crude helium at the in-kind price from the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(3) DURATION.—This subsection applies during— 
‘‘(A) the period beginning on the date of enact-
ment of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 and 
ending on September 30, 2014; and 
‘‘(B) any period during which the sale of he-
lium under subsection (b) is delayed or suspended. 
‘‘(b) PHASE B: AUCTION IMPLEMENTATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall offer crude 
helium for sale in quantities not subject to auction under 
paragraph (2), after completion of each auction, at not 
less than the minimum price established under para-
graph (7), and under such terms and conditions as the 
Secretary determines necessary— 
‘‘(A) to maximize total recovery of helium from 
the Federal Helium Reserve over the long term; 
‘‘(B) to maximize the total financial return to 
the taxpayer;
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‘‘(C) to manage crude helium sales according 
to the ability of the Secretary to extract and 
produce helium from the Federal Helium Reserve; 
‘‘(D) to give priority to meeting the helium de-
mand of Federal users in the event of any disrup-
tion to the Federal Helium Reserve; and 
‘‘(E) to carry out this subsection with min-
imum market disruption. 
‘‘(2) AUCTION
QUANTITIES.—For the period de-
scribed in paragraph (4) and consistent with the condi-
tions described in paragraph (8), the Secretary shall an-
nually auction to any qualified bidder a quantity of 
crude helium in the Federal Helium Reserve equal to— 
‘‘(A) for fiscal year 2015, 10 percent of the 
total volume of crude helium made available for 
that fiscal year; 
‘‘(B) for each of fiscal years 2016 through 
2019, a percentage of the total volume of crude he-
lium that is 15 percentage points greater than the 
percentage made available for the previous fiscal 
year; and 
‘‘(C) for fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year 
thereafter, 100 percent of the total volume of crude 
helium made available for that fiscal year.
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‘‘(3) FEDERAL
PURCHASES.—Federal users may 
purchase refined helium with priority pipeline access 
under this subsection from persons who have entered 
into enforceable contracts to purchase an equivalent 
quantity of crude helium at the in-kind price from the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(4) DURATION.—This subsection applies during 
the period— 
‘‘(A) beginning on October 1, 2014; and 
‘‘(B) ending on the date on which the volume 
of recoverable crude helium at the Federal Helium 
Reserve (other than privately owned quantities of 
crude helium stored temporarily at the Federal He-
lium Reserve under section 5 and this section) is 
3,000,000,000 standard cubic feet. 
‘‘(5) SAFETY VALVE.—The Secretary may adjust 
the quantities specified in paragraph (2)— 
‘‘(A) downward, if the Secretary determines 
the adjustment necessary— 
‘‘(i) to minimize market disruptions that 
pose a threat to the economic well-being of the 
United States; and 
‘‘(ii) only after submitting a written jus-
tification of the adjustment to the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen-
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ate and the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives; or 
‘‘(B) upward, if the Secretary determines the 
adjustment necessary to increase participation in 
crude helium auctions or returns to the taxpayer. 
‘‘(6) AUCTION FORMAT.—The Secretary shall con-
duct each auction using a method that maximizes rev-
enue to the Federal Government. 
‘‘(7) PRICES.—The Secretary shall annually estab-
lish, as applicable, separate sale and minimum auction 
prices under subsection (a)(1) and paragraphs (1) and 
(2) using, if applicable and in the following order of pri-
ority: 
‘‘(A) The sale price of crude helium in auctions 
held by the Secretary under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(B) Price recommendations and disaggregated 
data from a qualified, independent third party who 
has no conflict of interest, who shall conduct a con-
fidential survey of qualifying domestic helium trans-
actions. 
‘‘(C) The volume-weighted average price of all 
crude helium and pure helium purchased, sold, or 
processed by persons in all qualifying domestic he-
lium transactions.
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‘‘(D) The volume-weighted average cost of con-
verting gaseous crude helium into pure helium. 
‘‘(8) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall re-
quire all persons that are parties to a contract with 
the Secretary for the withdrawal, acceptance, stor-
age, transportation, delivery, or redelivery of crude 
helium to disclose, on a strictly confidential basis— 
‘‘(i) the volumes and associated prices in 
dollars per thousand cubic feet of all crude and 
pure helium purchased, sold, or processed by 
persons in qualifying domestic helium trans-
actions; 
‘‘(ii) the volumes and associated costs in 
dollars per thousand cubic feet of converting 
crude helium into pure helium; and 
‘‘(iii) refinery capacity and future capacity 
estimates. 
‘‘(B) CONDITION.—As a condition of sale or 
auction to a refiner under subsection (a)(1) and 
paragraphs (1) and (2), effective beginning 90 days 
after the date of enactment of the Helium Steward-
ship Act of 2013, the refiner shall make excess re-
fining capacity of helium available at commercially 
reasonable rates to—
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‘‘(i) any person prevailing in auctions 
under paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(ii) any person that has acquired crude 
helium from the Secretary from the Federal 
Helium Reserve by means other than an auc-
tion under paragraph (2) after the date of en-
actment of the Helium Stewardship Act of 
2013, including nonallocated sales. 
‘‘(9) USE OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary may 
use the information collected under this Act— 
‘‘(A) to approximate crude helium prices; and 
‘‘(B) to ensure the recovery of fair value for 
the taxpayers of the United States from sales of 
crude helium. 
‘‘(10) PROTECTION
OF
CONFIDENTIALITY.—The 
Secretary shall adopt such administrative policies and 
procedures as the Secretary considers necessary and rea-
sonable to ensure the confidentiality of information sub-
mitted pursuant to this Act. 
‘‘(11) FORWARD AUCTIONS.—Effective beginning in 
fiscal year 2016, the Secretary may conduct a forward 
auction once each fiscal year of a quantity of helium that 
is equal to up to 10 percent of the volume of crude he-
lium to be made available at auction during the following
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fiscal year if the Secretary determines that the forward 
auction will— 
‘‘(A) not cause a disruption in the supply of 
helium from the Reserve; 
‘‘(B) represent a cost-effective action; 
‘‘(C) generate greater returns for taxpayers; 
and 
‘‘(D) increase the effectiveness of price dis-
covery. 
‘‘(12) SALE SCHEDULE AND FREQUENCY.—For fis-
cal year 2015 the Secretary shall conduct only one auc-
tion, which shall precede, and one sale, which shall take 
place no later than August 1, 2014, with full and final 
payment for the sale being made no later than Sep-
tember 26, 2014. Consistent with the annual volumes es-
tablished under paragraph (2), effective beginning in fis-
cal year 2016, the Secretary may conduct auctions twice 
during each fiscal year if the Secretary determines that 
the auction frequency will— 
‘‘(A) not cause a disruption in the supply of 
helium from the Reserve; 
‘‘(B) represent a cost-effective action; 
‘‘(C) generate greater returns for taxpayers; 
and
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‘‘(D) increase the effectiveness of price dis-
covery. 
‘‘(13) ONE-TIME SALE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para-
graph (4)(A), the Secretary shall hold a one-time 
sale of helium, no later than August 1, 2014 from 
amounts available in fiscal year 2016 pursuant to 
this section. Full and final payment for the sale 
must be made no later than 45 days after the date 
the sale takes place. 
‘‘(B) VOLUME SOLD.—The volume of helium 
sold under this paragraph— 
‘‘(i) shall be at least 250 million cubic 
feet; and 
‘‘(ii) shall be made available for sale con-
sistent with paragraph (2)(B). 
‘‘(c) PHASE C: CONTINUED ACCESS
FOR FEDERAL 
USERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall offer crude 
helium for sale to Federal users in such quantities, at 
such times, at such prices required to reimburse the Sec-
retary for the full costs of the sales, and under such 
terms and conditions as the Secretary determines nec-
essary to carry out this subsection.
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‘‘(2) FEDERAL
PURCHASES.—Federal users may 
purchase refined helium with priority pipeline access 
under this subsection from persons who have entered 
into enforceable contracts to purchase an equivalent 
quantity of crude helium at the in-kind price from the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(3) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—This subsection applies 
beginning on the day after the date described in sub-
section (b)(4)(B). 
‘‘(d) PHASE D: DISPOSAL OF ASSETS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not earlier than 2 years after 
the date of commencement of Phase C described in sub-
section (c) and not later than September 30, 2021, the 
Secretary shall designate as excess property and dispose 
of all facilities, equipment, and other real and personal 
property, and all interests in the same, held by the 
United States in the Federal Helium System. 
‘‘(2) APPLICABLE LAW.—The disposal of the prop-
erty described in paragraph (1) shall be in accordance 
with subtitle I of title 40, United States Code. 
‘‘(3) PROCEEDS.—All proceeds accruing to the 
United States by reason of the sale or other disposal of 
the property described in paragraph (1) shall be treated 
as funds received under this Act for purposes of sub-
section (e).
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‘‘(4) COSTS.—All costs associated with the sale and 
disposal (including costs associated with termination of 
personnel) and with the cessation of activities under this 
subsection shall be paid from amounts available in the 
Helium Production Fund established under subsection 
(e). 
‘‘(e) HELIUM PRODUCTION FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—All amounts received under this 
Act, including amounts from the sale or auction of crude 
helium, shall be credited to the Helium Production 
Fund, which shall be available without fiscal year limita-
tion for purposes determined to be necessary and cost ef-
fective by the Secretary to carry out this Act (other than 
sections 16, 17, and 18), including capital investments 
in upgrades and maintenance at the Federal Helium 
System, including— 
‘‘(A) well head maintenance at the Cliffside 
Field; 
‘‘(B) capital investments in maintenance and 
upgrades of facilities that pressurize the Cliffside 
Field; 
‘‘(C) capital investments in maintenance and 
upgrades of equipment related to the storage, with-
drawal, enrichment, transportation, purification,
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and sale of crude helium from the Federal Helium 
Reserve; 
‘‘(D) entering into purchase, lease, or other 
agreements to drill new or uncap existing wells to 
maximize the recovery of crude helium from the 
Federal Helium System; and 
‘‘(E) any other scheduled or unscheduled main-
tenance of the Federal Helium System. 
‘‘(2) EXCESS FUNDS.—Amounts in the Helium Pro-
duction Fund in excess of amounts the Secretary deter-
mines to be necessary to carry out paragraph (1) shall 
be paid to the general fund of the Treasury and used to 
reduce the annual Federal budget deficit. 
‘‘(3) RETIREMENT
OF
PUBLIC
DEBT.—Out of 
amounts paid to the general fund of the Treasury under 
paragraph (2), the Secretary of the Treasury shall use 
$51,000,000 to retire public debt. 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 
and annually thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives a report de-
scribing all expenditures by the Bureau of Land Man-
agement to carry out this Act.
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‘‘(f) MINIMUM QUANTITY.—The Secretary shall offer for 
sale or auction during each fiscal year under subsections (a), 
(b), and (c) a quantity of crude helium that is the lesser of— 
‘‘(1) the quantity of crude helium offered for sale 
by the Secretary during fiscal year 2012; or 
‘‘(2) the maximum total production capacity of the 
Federal Helium System.’’. 
SEC. 6. INFORMATION, ASSESSMENT, RESEARCH, AND STRAT-
EGY. 
The Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by repealing section 15 (50 U.S.C. 167m); 
(2) by redesignating section 17 (50 U.S.C. 167 
note) as section 20; and 
(3) by inserting after section 14 (50 U.S.C. 167l) 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 15. INFORMATION. 
‘‘(a) TRANSPARENCY.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Bureau of Land Management, shall make available on the 
Internet information relating to the Federal Helium System 
that includes— 
‘‘(1) continued publication of an open market and 
in-kind price; 
‘‘(2) aggregated projections of excess refining ca-
pacity;
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‘‘(A) the date and duration of planned shut-
downs of the Federal Helium Pipeline; 
‘‘(B) the nature of work to be undertaken on 
the Federal Helium System, whether routine, ex-
tended, or extraordinary; 
‘‘(C) the anticipated impact of the work on the 
helium supply; 
‘‘(D) the efforts being made to minimize any 
impact on the supply chain; and 
‘‘(E) any concerns regarding maintenance of 
the Federal Helium Pipeline, including the pressure 
of the pipeline or deviation from normal operation 
of the pipeline; 
‘‘(2) for each unplanned outage, a description of— 
‘‘(A) the beginning of the outage; 
‘‘(B) the expected duration of the outage; 
‘‘(C) the nature of the problem; 
‘‘(D) the estimated impact on helium supply; 
‘‘(E) a plan to correct problems, including an 
estimate of the potential timeframe for correction 
and the likelihood of plan success within the time-
frame; 
‘‘(F) efforts to minimize negative impacts on 
the helium supply chain; and
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‘‘(G) updates on repair status and the antici-
pated online date; 
‘‘(3) monthly summaries of meetings and commu-
nications between the Bureau of Land Management and 
the Cliffside Refiners Limited Partnership, including a 
list of participants and an indication of any actions 
taken as a result of the meetings or communications; 
and 
‘‘(4) current predictions of the lifespan of the Fed-
eral Helium System, including how much longer the 
crude helium supply will be available based on current 
and forecasted demand and the projected maximum pro-
duction capacity of the Federal Helium System for the 
following fiscal year. 
‘‘SEC. 16. HELIUM GAS RESOURCE ASSESSMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, 
the Secretary, acting through the Director of the United 
States Geological Survey, shall— 
‘‘(1) in coordination with appropriate heads of State 
geological surveys— 
‘‘(A) complete a national helium gas assess-
ment that identifies and quantifies the quantity of 
helium, including the isotope helium-3, in each res-
ervoir, including assessments of the constituent
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gases found in each helium resource, such as carbon 
dioxide, nitrogen, and natural gas; and 
‘‘(B) make available the modern seismic and 
geophysical log data for characterization of the 
Bush Dome Reservoir; 
‘‘(2) in coordination with appropriate international 
agencies and the global geology community, complete a 
global helium gas assessment that identifies and quan-
tifies the quantity of the helium, including the isotope 
helium-3, in each reservoir; 
‘‘(3) in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, 
acting through the Administrator of the Energy Infor-
mation Administration, complete— 
‘‘(A) an assessment of trends in global demand 
for helium, including the isotope helium-3; 
‘‘(B) a 10-year forecast of domestic demand 
for helium across all sectors, including scientific and 
medical research, commercial, manufacturing, space 
technologies, cryogenics, and national defense; and 
‘‘(C) an inventory of medical, scientific, indus-
trial, commercial, and other uses of helium in the 
United States, including Federal uses, that identi-
fies the nature of the helium use, the amounts re-
quired, the technical and commercial viability of he-
lium recapture and recycling in that use, and the
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availability of material substitutes wherever pos-
sible; and 
‘‘(4) submit to the Committee on Energy and Nat-
ural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Nat-
ural Resources of the House of Representatives a report 
describing the results of the assessments required under 
this paragraph. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$1,000,000. 
‘‘SEC. 17. LOW-BTU GAS SEPARATION AND HELIUM CONSERVA-
TION. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Energy shall 
support programs of research, development, commercial appli-
cation, and conservation (including the programs described in 
subsection (b))— 
‘‘(1) to expand the domestic production of low-Btu 
gas and helium resources; 
‘‘(2) to separate and capture helium from natural 
gas streams; and 
‘‘(3) to reduce the venting of helium and helium- 
bearing low-Btu gas during natural gas exploration and 
production. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAMS.—
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‘‘(1) MEMBRANE
TECHNOLOGY
RESEARCH.—The 
Secretary of Energy, in consultation with other appro-
priate agencies, shall support a civilian research program 
to develop advanced membrane technology that is used 
in the separation of low-Btu gases, including tech-
nologies that remove helium and other constituent gases 
that lower the Btu content of natural gas. 
‘‘(2) HELIUM
SEPARATION
TECHNOLOGY.—The 
Secretary of Energy shall support a research program to 
develop technologies for separating, gathering, and proc-
essing helium in low concentrations that occur naturally 
in geological reservoirs or formations, including— 
‘‘(A) low-Btu gas production streams; and 
‘‘(B) technologies that minimize the atmos-
pheric venting of helium gas during natural gas 
production. 
‘‘(3) INDUSTRIAL
HELIUM
PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary of Energy, working through the Advanced Manu-
facturing Office of the Department of Energy, shall 
carry out a research program— 
‘‘(A) to develop low-cost technologies and tech-
nology systems for recycling, reprocessing, and 
reusing helium for all medical, scientific, industrial, 
commercial, aerospace, and other uses of helium in 
the United States, including Federal uses; and
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‘‘(B) to develop industrial gathering tech-
nologies to capture helium from other chemical 
processing, including ammonia processing. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$3,000,000. 
‘‘SEC. 18. HELIUM-3 SEPARATION. 
‘‘(a) INTERAGENCY COOPERATION.—The Secretary shall 
cooperate with the Secretary of Energy, or a designee, on any 
assessment or research relating to the extraction and refining 
of the isotope helium-3 from crude helium and other potential 
sources, including— 
‘‘(1) gas analysis; and 
‘‘(2) infrastructure studies. 
‘‘(b) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Energy, or a designee, may carry 
out a study to assess the feasibility of— 
‘‘(1) establishing a facility to separate the isotope 
helium-3 from crude helium; and 
‘‘(2) exploring other potential sources of the isotope 
helium-3. 
‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Re-
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sources of the House of Representatives a report that con-
tains a description of the results of the assessments con-
ducted under this section. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$1,000,000. 
‘‘SEC. 19. FEDERAL AGENCY HELIUM ACQUISITION STRATEGY. 
‘‘In anticipation of the implementation of Phase D de-
scribed in section 6(d), and not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, 
the Secretary (in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, 
the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the National 
Science Foundation, the Administrator of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration, the Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health, and other agencies as appro-
priate) shall submit to Congress a report that provides for 
Federal users— 
‘‘(1) an assessment of the consumption of, and pro-
jected demand for, crude and refined helium; 
‘‘(2) a description of a 20-year Federal strategy for 
securing access to helium; 
‘‘(3) a determination of a date prior to September 
30, 2021, for the implementation of Phase D as de-
scribed in section 6(d) that minimizes any potential sup-
ply disruptions for Federal users;
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‘‘(4) an assessment of the effects of increases in the 
price of refined helium and methods and policies for 
mitigating any determined effects; and 
‘‘(5) a description of a process for prioritization of 
uses that accounts for diminished availability of helium 
supplies that may occur over time.’’. 
SEC. 7. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) Section 4 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167b) is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 6(f)’’ each place it appears in 
subsections (c)(3), (c)(4), and (d)(2) and inserting ‘‘section 
6(e)’’. 
(b) Section 8 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167f) is re-
pealed. 
SEC. 8. EXISTING AGREEMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—This Act and the amendments made 
by this Act shall not affect or diminish the rights and obliga-
tions of the Secretary of the Interior and private parties 
under agreements in existence on the date of enactment of 
this Act, except to the extent that the agreements are re-
newed or extended after that date. 
(b) DELIVERY.—No agreement described in subsection 
(a) shall affect or diminish the right of any party that pur-
chases helium after the date of enactment of this Act in ac-
cordance with section 6 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167d) 
(as amended by section 5) to receive delivery of the helium
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in accordance with section 5(e)(2) of the Helium Act (50 
U.S.C. 167c(e)(2)) (as amended by section 4). 
SEC. 9. REGULATIONS. 
The Secretary of the Interior shall promulgate such reg-
ulations as are necessary to carry out this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act, including regulations nec-
essary to prevent unfair acts and practices. 
SEC. 10. AMENDMENTS TO OTHER LAWS. 
(a) SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY SELF 
DETERMINATION PROGRAM.— 
(1) SECURE PAYMENTS FOR STATES AND COUNTIES 
CONTAINING FEDERAL LAND.— 
(A) AVAILABILITY
OF
PAYMENTS.—Section 
101 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community 
Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7111) is 
amended by striking ‘‘2012’’ each place it appears 
and inserting ‘‘2013’’. 
(B) ELECTIONS.—Section 102(b) of the Secure 
Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination 
Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7112(b)) is amended— 
(i) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking 
‘‘2012’’ and inserting ‘‘2013’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking 
‘‘2012’’ each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘2013’’.
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(C) DISTRIBUTION OF PAYMENTS TO ELIGIBLE 
COUNTIES.—Section 103(d)(2) of the Secure Rural 
Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 
2000 (16 U.S.C. 7113(d)(2)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘and 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘through 2013’’. 
(2) CONTINUATION
OF
AUTHORITY
TO
CONDUCT 
SPECIAL PROJECTS ON FEDERAL LAND.—Title II of the 
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determina-
tion Act of 2000 is amended— 
(A) 
in 
section 
203(a)(1) 
(16 
U.S.C. 
7123(a)(1)), by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting 
‘‘2013’’; 
(B) in section 204(e)(3)(B)(iii) (16 U.S.C. 
7124(e)(3)(B)(iii)), by striking ‘‘2012’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘2013’’; 
(C) 
in 
section 
205(a)(4) 
(16 
U.S.C. 
7125(a)(4)), by striking ‘‘2011’’ each place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘2012’’; 
(D) in section 207(a) (16 U.S.C. 7127(a)), by 
striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting ‘‘2013’’; and 
(E) in section 208 (16 U.S.C. 7128)— 
(i) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2012’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2013’’; and 
(ii) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2013’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2014’’.
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(3) CONTINUATION
OF
AUTHORITY
TO
RESERVE 
AND USE COUNTY FUNDS.—Section 304 of the Secure 
Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 
2000 (16 U.S.C. 7144) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2012’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2013’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2013’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2014’’. 
(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
402 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- 
Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7152) is amended 
by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting ‘‘2013’’. 
(b) ABANDONED WELL REMEDIATION.—Section 349 of 
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15907) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) 
FEDERALLY
DRILLED
WELLS.—Out 
of 
any 
amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2014, $36,000,000 for fiscal year 
2015, and $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2019 shall be made 
available to the Secretary, without further appropriation and 
to remain available until expended, to remediate, reclaim, and 
close abandoned oil and gas wells on current or former Na-
tional Petroleum Reserve land.’’. 
(c) NATIONAL PARKS MAINTENANCE BACKLOG.—Sec-
tion 814(g) of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Manage-
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ment Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 1f) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(4) AVAILABLE FUNDS.—Out of any amounts in 
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $20,000,000 
shall be made available to the Secretary of the Interior 
for fiscal year 2018, and $30,000,000 shall be made 
available to the Secretary of the Interior for fiscal year 
2019, without further appropriation and to remain avail-
able until expended, to pay the Federal funding share of 
challenge cost-share agreements for deferred mainte-
nance projects and to correct deficiencies in National 
Park Service infrastructure. 
‘‘(5) COST-SHARE
REQUIREMENT.—Not less than 
50 percent of the total cost of project for funds made 
available under paragraph (4) to pay the Federal fund-
ing share shall be derived from non-Federal sources, in-
cluding in-kind contribution of goods and services fairly 
valued.’’. 
(d) ABANDONED MINE RECLAMATION FUND.—Section 
411(h) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 
of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1240a(h)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(6) SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING.— 
‘‘(A) 
WAIVER
OF
LIMITATION.—Notwith-
standing paragraph (5), the limitation on the total
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annual payments to a certified State or Indian tribe 
under this subsection shall not apply for fiscal years 
2014 and 2015. 
‘‘(B) 
LIMITATION
ON
WAIVER.—Notwith-
standing subparagraph (A), the total annual pay-
ment to a certified State or Indian tribe under this 
subsection for fiscal year 2014 shall not be more 
than $28,000,000 and for fiscal year 2015 shall not 
be more than $75,000,000. 
‘‘(C) INSUFFICIENT
AMOUNTS.—If the total 
annual payment to a certified State or Indian tribe 
under paragraphs (1) and (2) is limited by subpara-
graph (B), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) give priority to making payments 
under paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(ii) use any remaining funds to make 
payments under paragraph (1).’’. 
(e) SODA ASH ROYALTIES.—Notwithstanding section 24 
of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 262) and the terms 
of any lease under that Act, the royalty rate on the quantity 
of gross value of the output of sodium compounds and related 
products at the point of shipment to market from Federal 
land in the 2-year period beginning on the date of enactment 
of this Act shall be 4 percent.
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(f) AUTHORIZATION OFFSET.—Section 207(c) of the 
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 
17022(c)) is amended by inserting before the period at the 
end the following: ‘‘, except that the amount authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section not appropriated as of 
the date of enactment of the Helium Stewardship Act of 
2013 shall be reduced by $6,000,000’’. 
Attest: 
Clerk.