IB 
Union Calendar No. 27 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 527 
[Report No. 113–42] 
To amend the Helium Act to complete the privatization of the Federal 
helium reserve in a competitive market fashion that ensures stability 
in the helium markets while protecting the interests of American tax-
payers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 6, 2013 
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington (for himself, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. FLORES, and 
Mr. HOLT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources 
APRIL 18, 2013 
Additional sponsor: Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina 
APRIL 18, 2013 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 6, 2013] 
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A BILL 
To amend the Helium Act to complete the privatization of 
the Federal helium reserve in a competitive market fash-
ion that ensures stability in the helium markets while 
protecting the interests of American taxpayers, and for 
other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Responsible Helium Ad-
ministration and Stewardship Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 2 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking the semicolon 
at the end and inserting a period; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 
inserting a period; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) FEDERAL HELIUM RESERVE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘Federal He-
lium Reserve’ means the Bureau of Land Man-
agement Cliffside Gas Field and supporting in-
frastructure. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘Federal He-
lium Reserve’ includes— 
‘‘(i) the Cliffside Gas Field helium 
storage reservoir; and 
‘‘(ii) 
all 
associated 
infrastructure 
owned, leased, or managed under contract 
by the Secretary for storage, transportation, 
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withdrawal, purification, or management of 
helium. 
‘‘(5) QUALIFYING
DOMESTIC
HELIUM
TRANS-
ACTION.—The term ‘qualifying domestic helium 
transaction’— 
‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
(B), means any new or newly renegotiated agree-
ment for the purchase or sale of at least 
15,000,000 standard cubic feet of crude helium 
or bulk liquid helium delivered in the United 
States in the most recent full fiscal year; and 
‘‘(B) does not include any purchase of crude 
helium from the Secretary. 
‘‘(6) TOLLING
AGREEMENT.—The term ‘tolling 
agreement’ means an agreement between a helium re-
finer and another party under which the helium re-
finer agrees to process the other person’s helium at an 
agreed upon price.’’. 
SEC. 3. SALE AND AUCTION OF CRUDE HELIUM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6 of the Helium Act (50 
U.S.C. 167d) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 6. SALE OF HELIUM. 
‘‘(a) PHASE A: FINALIZING DEBT PAYOFF.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), the 
Secretary shall offer for sale crude helium for Federal, 
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medical, research, scientific, and commercial uses in 
such quantities, at such times, and under such condi-
tions as the Secretary determines necessary to carry 
out this subsection with minimum market disruption. 
‘‘(2) MINIMUM QUANTITY.—The Secretary shall 
offer for sale during each fiscal year under paragraph 
(1) a quantity of crude helium equivalent to the 
quantity of crude helium produced from the Federal 
Helium Reserve during fiscal year 2012. 
‘‘(3) IN-KIND PURCHASE BY FEDERAL AGENCIES 
AND GRANTEES.—Federal agencies, and holders of 1 
or more Federal research grants, may purchase re-
fined helium under this subsection for Federal, med-
ical, research and scientific uses from persons who 
have entered into enforceable contracts to purchase an 
equivalent quantity of crude helium from the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(4) PRICES
AND
DETERMINATIONS.—Sales of 
crude helium by the Secretary under this subsection 
shall be at prices established by the Secretary that 
shall not be less than the price in the last sale of 
crude helium from the Federal Helium Reserve before 
the date of enactment of the Responsible Helium Ad-
ministration and Stewardship Act, except that any 
sale to a person referred to in paragraph (3) for a 
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purchase authorized by that paragraph shall be at a 
price specified by the Secretary. 
‘‘(5) DURATION.—This subsection applies during 
the period— 
‘‘(A) beginning on the date of enactment of 
the Responsible Helium Administration and 
Stewardship Act; and 
‘‘(B) ending on the expiration of the one- 
year period following such date of enactment. 
‘‘(b) PHASE B: MAXIMIZING TOTAL RECOVERY OF HE-
LIUM AND INCREASING RETURNS TO THE AMERICAN TAX-
PAYER.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall offer for 
sale at auction, as described in subsection (d), crude 
helium for medical, research, scientific, and commer-
cial uses in such quantities, at such times, and under 
such conditions as the Secretary determines nec-
essary— 
‘‘(A) to maximize total recovery and con-
servation of helium from the Federal Helium Re-
serve; 
‘‘(B) to manage crude helium sales accord-
ing to the ability of the Secretary to extract and 
produce helium from the Federal Helium Re-
serve; 
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‘‘(C) to respond to helium market supply 
and demand and minimize market disruption; 
and 
‘‘(D) to give priority to meeting the helium 
demand of Federal users through purchases 
under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) IN-KIND PURCHASE BY FEDERAL AGENCIES 
AND GRANTEES.—Any Federal agency, and any hold-
er of 1 or more Federal research grants, may pur-
chase refined helium for Federal, medical, research, 
and scientific uses from an eligible person. The Sec-
retary shall then provide an equivalent volume of 
crude helium to the eligible person as if the eligible 
person was the successful bidder for the helium at 
auction. Provision of helium by the Secretary under 
this paragraph shall not be considered a sale of he-
lium by the Secretary at auction. The Secretary shall 
provide such helium at the minimum price estab-
lished by the Secretary for the most recent auction 
held under this subsection or such other price as may 
be specified by the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE PERSON.—For purposes of this 
subsection, the term ‘eligible person’ means a helium 
distributer who is registered as such with the Sec-
retary. 
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‘‘(4) DURATION.—This subsection applies during 
the period— 
‘‘(A) beginning on the expiration of the pe-
riod described in subsection (a)(5)(B); and 
‘‘(B) ending on the date on which the vol-
ume of recoverable crude helium at the Federal 
Helium Reserve (other than privately owned 
quantities of crude helium stored temporarily at 
the Federal Helium Reserve under section 5 and 
this section) is 3,000,000,000 standard cubic feet. 
‘‘(5) 
MAXIMUM
ANNUAL
SALES.—Notwith-
standing any provision of subsection (d), for each fis-
cal year, the Secretary may not offer or provide for 
sale under this subsection a total volume of crude he-
lium that exceeds the lesser of— 
‘‘(A) the projected maximum total produc-
tion capacity of the Federal Helium Reserve dur-
ing that fiscal year; and 
‘‘(B) the maximum refining capacity of 
persons connected by pipeline to the Federal He-
lium Reserve during that fiscal year. 
‘‘(c) PHASE C: ACCESS FOR FEDERAL USERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may offer for 
sale crude helium for Federal uses (including medical, 
research, and scientific uses) in such quantities, at 
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such times, and under such conditions as the Sec-
retary determines necessary to carry out this sub-
section. 
‘‘(2) PURCHASE
BY
FEDERAL
AGENCIES
AND 
GRANTEES.—Federal agencies, and holders of 1 or 
more Federal research grants related to helium or the 
use of helium, may purchase refined helium under 
this subsection for Federal uses (including medical, 
research, and scientific uses) from persons who have 
entered into enforceable contracts to purchase an 
equivalent quantity of crude helium from the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection applies 
beginning on the day after the date described in sub-
section (b)(4)(B). 
‘‘(d) AUCTION
AND MINIMUM PRICES DETERMINA-
TION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Sales of crude helium by the 
Secretary in auctions under subsection (b) shall be 
conducted under the conditions described in this sec-
tion and at no less than the minimum price estab-
lished by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) AUCTION.—The Secretary shall conduct 
such auctions of crude helium as soon as practical but 
no later than beginning 180 days after the first day 
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of the period described in subsection (b)(4), under the 
following conditions: 
‘‘(A) 60 percent of the volume of crude he-
lium made available in each auction shall be 
made available to entities that can show the Sec-
retary they have either adequate refining capac-
ity or tolling agreements for refining in place, in 
accordance with the conditions set forth in para-
graph (3). 
‘‘(B) 20 percent of the volume of crude he-
lium made available in each auction shall be 
made available to any bidder, in accordance 
with the conditions set forth in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(C) In each auction after the first auction 
under this subsection after the date of the enact-
ment of the Responsible Helium Administration 
and Stewardship Act, the Secretary shall make 
available an additional volume of crude helium, 
in an amount equivalent to the amount made 
available under subparagraph (B) that the Sec-
retary certifies can be refined, through tolling 
agreements or otherwise. Of such additional vol-
ume, a person may not acquire in the auction a 
volume in excess of the volume they demonstrate 
to the Secretary they have the ability to refine 
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through either refining capacity or tolling agree-
ments. 
‘‘(D) The Secretary shall conduct such auc-
tions at such times as the Secretary determines 
necessary to ensure a reliable supply of helium 
and a fair return to taxpayers, but no less fre-
quently than 2 times each fiscal year. 
‘‘(E) For purposes of the first auction under 
this subsection after the date of the enactment of 
the Responsible Helium Administration and 
Stewardship Act, the Secretary may revise the 
percentage under subparagraph (A) so as to 
make available for auction 100 percent of the 
volume of crude helium intended to be offered. 
‘‘(F) The Secretary may adjust the percent-
ages and amount specified in subparagraphs (A) 
through (C), respectively, in any auction if the 
Secretary determines the adjustment is necessary 
to— 
‘‘(i) respond to market supply and de-
mand and minimize market disruption; or 
‘‘(ii) increase participation in helium 
auctions. 
‘‘(G) The Secretary may conduct an auction 
no more frequently than once each fiscal year of 
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an amount of helium equal to up to 10 percent 
of the volume of crude helium to be made avail-
able at auction during the following fiscal year. 
Such amount of crude helium shall be made 
available to any bidder, in accordance with the 
conditions set forth in paragraph (3). Notwith-
standing paragraph (3)(C), for crude helium sold 
in such an auction the Secretary shall begin 
charging a storage fee under clause (i) of that 
paragraph beginning 1 year after the date of 
such auction, and shall begin charging increas-
ing storage fees under clause (ii) of that para-
graph beginning 270 days after beginning charg-
ing storage fees under clause (i) of that para-
graph. 
‘‘(3) AUCTION CONDITIONS.— 
‘‘(A) BIDDING
METHOD.—The Secretary 
shall conduct each auction by sealed bid for pre-
determined volume lots, unless the Secretary de-
termines that an alternative bidding method 
may result in more revenue to the Federal Gov-
ernment or may increase participation in the 
auction. 
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‘‘(B) BIDDER
QUALIFICATIONS
AND
LIM-
ITS.—In carrying out an auction under sub-
section (b), the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) may accept bids only from persons 
the Secretary determines are seeking to pur-
chase helium for their own use, for refining, 
or for delivery to users; and 
‘‘(ii) may not award to a person more 
than 30 percent of the total volume of crude 
helium offered in that auction, except that 
the Secretary may adjust such limitation 
based on the number of bidders in the auc-
tion. 
‘‘(C) STORAGE FEES.—In each auction the 
Secretary— 
‘‘(i) shall begin charging each winning 
bidder a storage fee for crude helium pur-
chased by the bidder that remains in the 
Federal Helium Reserve, beginning on the 
date the Secretary receives payment of the 
purchase price for the helium; and 
‘‘(ii) beginning 270 days after the date 
of the auction, shall charge increasing stor-
age fees that will encourage the withdrawal 
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of the helium no later than 2 years after the 
date of the auction. 
‘‘(4) 
DETERMINATION
OF
MINIMUM
SALE 
PRICE.—The Secretary shall make a determination of 
the minimum sale price for sales described in para-
graph (1) using— 
‘‘(A) a confidential survey of qualifying do-
mestic helium transactions to which any holder 
of a contract with the Secretary for the accept-
ance, storage, and redelivery of crude helium in 
the Cliffside Gas Field helium storage reservoir 
is a party; 
‘‘(B) current market crude helium prices as 
represented by the sale price at any auction held 
by the Secretary in the preceding 2 years; 
‘‘(C) the volume-weighted average cost 
among helium refiners, producers, and liquefiers, 
in dollars per thousand cubic feet, of converting 
gaseous crude helium into bulk liquid helium; 
‘‘(D) the additional layer of cost and profit 
associated with the sale or resale of bulk liquid 
helium; and 
‘‘(E) the sale price for crude helium offered 
in the most recent auction under paragraph 
(2)(G). 
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‘‘(5) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.—The Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(A) require all persons that are parties to 
a contract with the Secretary for the acceptance, 
storage, and redelivery of crude helium to dis-
close, on a strictly confidential basis in dollars 
per thousand cubic feet, the weighted average 
price of all crude helium and bulk liquid helium 
purchased, sold, or processed by the persons in 
all qualifying domestic helium transactions dur-
ing the fiscal year; 
‘‘(B) appoint a qualified independent third 
party to perform data collection and analysis for 
the purposes of the survey under paragraph 
(4)(A); and 
‘‘(C) adopt such administrative policies and 
procedures as the Secretary considers necessary 
and reasonable to ensure robust protection of the 
confidentiality of data submitted by private per-
sons. 
‘‘(6) CHANGES IN MINIMUM PRICE.—If the Sec-
retary believes that the minimum price as determined 
by the survey under paragraph (4)(A) may not be re-
flective of the current market value of helium, or if a 
higher minimum price may result in greater con-
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servation of the Federal crude helium resource, the 
Secretary may change the minimum price charged for 
crude helium sold under this section by up to 10 per-
cent of the price determined under paragraph (4). If 
at any sale in which the minimum price is increased 
under this paragraph all crude helium offered is sold 
at the increased price, the Secretary shall consider 
that increased price to be the minimum price deter-
mined under paragraph (4) for all future sales of 
crude helium under this section unless that price is 
further changed in accordance with this paragraph. 
‘‘(7) ENSURING FAIR AND NONDISCRIMINATORY 
ACTS AND PRACTICES.—The Secretary may issue such 
rules and regulations with respect to ensure bidding, 
transfer, and refining of helium produced from or 
held in the Federal Helium Reserve as may be nec-
essary to ensure fair and nondiscriminatory acts and 
practices. 
‘‘(8) AUCTION RECORDS.— 
‘‘(A) FURNISHING RECORDS.—Every person 
participating in auctions of helium from the 
Federal Helium Reserve shall furnish to the Sec-
retary on request such records of transactions in 
helium auctions as the Secretary may require to 
reconstruct bidding or trading in the course of a 
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particular inquiry or investigation being con-
ducted by the Secretary for enforcement or sur-
veillance purposes. In requiring information 
pursuant to this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
specify the information required, the period for 
which it is required, and the time and date on 
which the information must be furnished. 
‘‘(B) 
REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS.—The 
Secretary may issue rules to require persons par-
ticipating in helium auctions to file such reports 
as the Secretary determines to be necessary for 
purposes of this Act. 
‘‘(C) RECORDKEEPING
REQUIREMENTS.— 
Rules under this subsection may require specified 
persons to make and keep for prescribed periods 
such records as the Secretary determines are nec-
essary or appropriate to ensure that such persons 
can comply with reporting requirements under 
this subsection. 
‘‘(D) LIMITATION ON DISCLOSURE OF IN-
FORMATION.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the Secretary shall not be compelled 
to disclose any proprietary information required 
to be kept or reported under this subsection. 
Nothing in this subsection authorizes the Sec-
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retary to withhold information from Congress, 
prevents the Secretary from complying with a re-
quest for information from any other Federal de-
partment or agency requesting information for 
purposes within the scope of its jurisdiction, or 
prevents the Secretary from complying with an 
order of a court of the United States in an ac-
tion brought by the United States or by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(e) HELIUM PRODUCTION FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—All amounts received under 
this Act shall be credited to the Helium Production 
Fund, which shall be available without fiscal year 
limitation for purposes considered necessary by the 
Secretary to carry out this subsection. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Amounts in 
the Helium Production Fund may be used by the Sec-
retary to conduct helium auctions and otherwise ad-
minister this Act. 
‘‘(3) REPAYMENT AMOUNTS.—During the period 
described in subsection (a)(4), amounts in the Helium 
Production Fund in excess of amounts the Secretary 
considers necessary to conduct helium auctions and 
otherwise administer this Act shall be paid to the gen-
eral fund of the Treasury and credited against all 
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amounts required to be repaid to the United States 
under this Act as of October 1, 1995. 
‘‘(4) 
CAPITAL
INVESTMENTS
AND
MAINTE-
NANCE.—Amounts in the Helium Production Fund in 
excess of amounts the Secretary considers necessary to 
carry out paragraphs (1) through (3) may be used to 
fund the following capital investments in upgrades 
and maintenance at the Federal Helium reserve: 
‘‘(A) Wellhead maintenance at the Cliffside 
Gas Field helium storage reservoir. 
‘‘(B) Capital investments in maintenance 
and upgrades of facilities that pressurize the 
Cliffside Gas Field helium storage reservoir. 
‘‘(C) Capital investments in maintenance 
and upgrades of equipment related to the storage, 
withdrawal, transportation, purification, and 
sale of crude helium at the Cliffside Gas Field 
helium storage reservoir. 
‘‘(D) Any other scheduled or unscheduled 
maintenance of the Cliffside Gas Field helium 
storage reservoir and helium pipeline. 
‘‘(5) EXCESS FUNDS.—Amounts in the Helium 
Production Fund in excess of amounts the Secretary 
considers necessary to carry out paragraphs (1) 
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through (4) shall be paid to the general fund of the 
Treasury. 
‘‘(f) EXTRACTION OF HELIUM FROM DEPOSITS ON 
FEDERAL LAND.—All amounts received by the Secretary 
from the sale or disposition of crude helium on Federal land 
shall be paid to the general fund of the Treasury and cred-
ited against all amounts required to be repaid to the United 
States under this Act as of October 1, 1995. 
‘‘(g) MAINTENANCE OF HELIUM SUPPLY.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that there is no disruption in the supply 
of helium from the Federal Helium Reserve during the tran-
sition between phases of helium sales under subsections (a), 
(b), and (c).’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
of the Interior shall submit to the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a 
report describing all expenditures by the Bureau of Land 
Management for operation and maintenance of the Federal 
Helium Reserve (as that term is defined in the amendment 
made by section 2(3)), investments made by the Bureau for 
such reserve, and scheduled or unscheduled maintenance of 
such reserve or its infrastructure to be conducted by the Bu-
reau. 
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SEC. 4. BLM TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS TO FACILI-
TATE MARKET AND SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMA-
TION. 
The Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167 et seq.) is further 
amended by redesignating sections 15 and 17 as sections 
17 and 18, and by inserting after section 14 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 15. PIPELINE ACCESS. 
‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Bureau of Land Management, shall make available on 
the Internet the current refining capacity on the Federal 
Helium Reserve pipeline, including— 
‘‘(1) refinery capacity and future capacity esti-
mates; 
‘‘(2) ownership of federally auctioned helium 
held in the Federal Helium Reserve; 
‘‘(3) volume of helium delivered to individual 
buyers through such pipeline; 
‘‘(4) for each helium refiner— 
‘‘(A) the number of tolling agreements en-
tered into before October 1, 2013; and 
‘‘(B) for each fiscal year thereafter— 
‘‘(i) the number of tolling agreements 
entered into; 
‘‘(ii) the number of tolling requests re-
ceived; and 
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‘‘(iii) the total volume of helium re-
fined under each tolling agreement entered 
into; 
‘‘(5) pipeline pressure constraints; and 
‘‘(6) other factors that will increase transparency 
for persons interested in entering refining contracts 
with existing refiners. 
‘‘(b) NEW REFINING CAPACITY.—The Secretary shall 
take any applications for new refining capacity on the Fed-
eral Helium Reserve pipeline. To create more competition, 
any new refining capacity added to the Federal Helium 
Reserve pipeline system shall be granted access to crude he-
lium that is equal to the access provided to existing refining 
facilities. 
‘‘(c) ACCESS BY PURCHASERS OF HELIUM.—The Sec-
retary shall manage Federal Helium Reserve pipeline access 
in a competitive manner to ensure that all persons pur-
chasing helium have equal access to timing and delivery 
of the helium, subject to the capacity of the system. 
‘‘(d) SCHEDULING DELIVERIES.—The Secretary shall, 
to the greatest extent practicable, make the scheduling of 
crude helium deliveries through the Federal Helium Reserve 
pipeline open and transparent to all purchasers of helium 
through the auction process, and to the public if the Sec-
retary believes that it is in the national interest. 
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‘‘(e) SCHEDULING PRIORITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In scheduling crude helium 
deliveries through the Federal Helium Reserve pipe-
line the Secretary shall grant pipeline access in the 
following order of priority: 
‘‘(A) Helium held in the Reserve as a result 
of a purchase under subsection (b)(2). 
‘‘(B) Helium sold at auction being delivered 
to fulfill a tolling agreement. 
‘‘(C) Other helium sold at auction. 
‘‘(D) Helium held in the Reserve as a result 
of a crude helium exchange resulting from any 
temporary shutdown of the Reserve or of a refin-
ery on the Reserve pipeline. 
‘‘(E) Helium held in inventory in the Re-
serve before the date of enactment of the Respon-
sible Helium Administration and Stewardship 
Act. 
‘‘(2) In scheduling such deliveries of helium de-
scribed in each of subparagraphs (A) through (E) of 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall grant pipeline ac-
cess based on the following order of priority: 
‘‘(A) The price paid to the United States for 
the helium, giving higher priority to helium for 
which a greater price was paid. 
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‘‘(B) The date the helium was purchased 
from the Secretary, giving higher priority to he-
lium purchased on an earlier date. 
‘‘(C) Any other factor the Secretary con-
siders appropriate to prioritize delivery. 
‘‘SEC. 16. BLM REPORTING REQUIREMENTS TO FACILITATE 
SUPPLY CHAIN INFORMATION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to provide the market 
with appropriate and timely information affecting the he-
lium resource, the Director of the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment shall establish, no later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of the Responsible Helium Administration 
and Stewardship Act, a real-time reporting process, includ-
ing reporting over the Internet, to provide data that will 
affect the helium industry, including such effects for all per-
sons in such industry from crude helium suppliers to end 
users. 
‘‘(b) INCLUDED INFORMATION.—Information provided 
under this section shall include the following: 
‘‘(1) Annual maintenance schedules and quar-
terly updates thereof, which shall be available on the 
Internet, to the extent practicable, and shall include 
the following: 
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‘‘(G) Updates on repair status and the an-
ticipated online date. 
‘‘(3) Minutes of meetings between the Bureau of 
Land Management and the Cliffside Refiners Limited 
Partnership, including— 
‘‘(A) publication of the minutes of each 
meeting between the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment and the Cliffside Refiners Limited Partner-
ship, including attendees and their affiliations, 
on the Internet site of the Bureau within 1 week 
after the meeting; and 
‘‘(B) indication in the minutes of any ac-
tion taken that could affect the supply or oper-
ating status related to the Federal helium pro-
gram. 
‘‘(4) Current predictions of the lifespan of the 
Federal Helium Reserve, including how much longer 
such crude helium supply will be available based on 
current and forecasted demand and the projected 
maximum production capacity of the Federal Helium 
Reserve for the following fiscal year.’’. 
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SEC. 5. HELIUM RESOURCE ASSESSMENT AND HELIUM–3 
SEPARATION. 
(a) HELIUM GAS RESOURCE ASSESSMENT.—Not later 
than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior 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 reservoir, including assessments of the con-
stituent 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 inter-
national agencies and the global geology community, 
complete a global helium gas assessment that identi-
fies and quantifies the quantity of the helium, includ-
ing the isotope helium-3, in each reservoir; 
(3) in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, 
acting through the Administrator of the Energy Infor-
mation Administration, complete— 
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(A) an assessment of trends in global de-
mand 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, manufac-
turing, space technologies, cryogenics, and na-
tional defense; and 
(C) an inventory of medical, research, sci-
entific, industrial, commercial, and other uses of 
helium in the United States, including Federal 
and commercial helium uses, that identifies the 
nature of the helium use, the amounts required, 
the technical and commercial viability of helium 
recapture and recycling in that use, and the 
availability of material substitutes wherever pos-
sible; and 
(4) submit to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen-
ate a report describing the results of the assessments 
required under this subsection. 
(b) HELIUM-3 SEPARATION.— 
(1) INTERAGENCY COOPERATION.—The Secretary 
of the Interior shall cooperate with the Secretary of 
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Energy, or a designee of the Secretary of Energy, on 
any assessment or research relating to the extraction 
and refining of the isotope helium-3 from crude he-
lium at the Federal Helium Reserve (as that term is 
defined in the amendments made by section 2) or 
along the Federal Helium Reserve pipeline system, in-
cluding— 
(A) gas analysis; 
(B) infrastructure studies; and 
(C) cooperation with private helium refin-
ers. 
(2) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The Secretary of the 
Interior shall assess the feasibility of establishing a 
facility to separate the isotope helium-3 from crude 
helium at— 
(A) the Federal Helium Reserve; or 
(B) an existing helium separation or purifi-
cation facility connected to the Federal Helium 
Reserve pipeline system. 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the In-
terior shall submit to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen-
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ate a report that contains a description of the results 
of the assessments conducted under this subsection. 
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