IIB 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 527 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MAY 6, 2013 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources 
AN ACT 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Responsible Helium 
Administration and Stewardship Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 2 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 167) is 
amended— 
(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 
Helium Reserve’ means the Bureau of Land 
Management Cliffside Gas Field and supporting 
infrastructure. 
‘‘(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, transpor-
tation, withdrawal, purification, or man-
agement of helium. 
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‘‘(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 
agreement 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 
refiner and another party under which the helium 
refiner 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, medical, research, scientific, and commer-
cial uses in such quantities, at such times, and 
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under such conditions 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 para-
graph (1) a quantity of crude helium equivalent to 
the quantity of crude helium produced from the Fed-
eral Helium Reserve during fiscal year 2012. 
‘‘(3) IN-KIND PURCHASE BY FEDERAL AGEN-
CIES AND GRANTEES.—Federal agencies, and hold-
ers of 1 or more Federal research grants, may pur-
chase refined helium under this subsection for Fed-
eral, medical, research and scientific uses from per-
sons who have entered into enforceable contracts to 
purchase an equivalent quantity of crude helium 
from the Secretary. 
‘‘(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 be-
fore the date of enactment of the Responsible He-
lium Administration and Stewardship Act, except 
that any sale to a person referred to in paragraph 
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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 AGEN-
CIES AND GRANTEES.—Any Federal agency, and any 
holder of 1 or more Federal research grants, may 
purchase refined helium for Federal, medical, re-
search, and scientific uses from an eligible person. 
The Secretary shall then provide an equivalent vol-
ume of crude helium to the eligible person as if the 
eligible person was the successful bidder for the he-
lium at auction. Provision of helium by the Sec-
retary under this paragraph shall not be considered 
a sale of helium by the Secretary at auction. The 
Secretary shall provide such helium at the minimum 
price established by the Secretary for the most re-
cent 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 dur-
ing 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 
fiscal year, the Secretary may not offer or provide 
for sale under this subsection a total volume of 
crude helium that exceeds the lesser of— 
‘‘(A) the projected maximum total produc-
tion capacity of the Federal Helium Reserve 
during that fiscal year; and 
‘‘(B) the maximum refining capacity of 
persons connected by pipeline to the Federal 
Helium 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 
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medical, research, and scientific uses) in such quan-
tities, at such times, and under such conditions as 
the Secretary determines necessary to carry out this 
subsection. 
‘‘(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 pur-
chase an equivalent quantity of crude helium from 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—This subsection ap-
plies beginning on the day after the date described 
in subsection (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 
section and at no less than the minimum price es-
tablished by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) AUCTION.—The Secretary shall conduct 
such auctions of crude helium as soon as practical 
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but no later than beginning 180 days after the first 
day 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 
Secretary they have either adequate refining ca-
pacity or tolling agreements for refining in 
place, in accordance with the conditions set 
forth in paragraph (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 en-
actment of the Responsible Helium Administra-
tion 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 Secretary certifies can be refined, through 
tolling agreements or otherwise. Of such addi-
tional volume, a person may not acquire in the 
auction a volume in excess of the volume they 
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demonstrate to the Secretary they have the 
ability to refine through either refining capacity 
or tolling agreements. 
‘‘(D) The Secretary shall conduct such 
auctions at such times as the Secretary deter-
mines necessary to ensure a reliable supply of 
helium and a fair return to taxpayers, but no 
less frequently than 2 times each fiscal year. 
‘‘(E) For purposes of the first auction 
under this subsection after the date of the en-
actment of the Responsible Helium Administra-
tion 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 of-
fered. 
‘‘(F) The Secretary may adjust the per-
centages and amount specified in subpara-
graphs (A) through (C), respectively, in any 
auction if the Secretary determines the adjust-
ment is necessary to— 
‘‘(i) respond to market supply and de-
mand and minimize market disruption; or 
‘‘(ii) increase participation in helium 
auctions. 
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‘‘(G) The Secretary may conduct an auc-
tion no more frequently than once each fiscal 
year of an amount of helium equal to up to 10 
percent of the volume of crude helium to be 
made available 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). 
Notwithstanding 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 
increasing storage fees under clause (ii) of that 
paragraph beginning 270 days after beginning 
charging storage fees under clause (i) of that 
paragraph. 
‘‘(3) AUCTION CONDITIONS.— 
‘‘(A) BIDDING
METHOD.—The Secretary 
shall conduct each auction by sealed bid for 
predetermined volume lots, unless the Secretary 
determines 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 per-
sons the Secretary determines are seeking 
to purchase 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, ex-
cept that the Secretary may adjust such 
limitation based on the number of bidders 
in the auction. 
‘‘(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 
storage fees that will encourage the with-
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drawal 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 
paragraph (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 lique-
fiers, in dollars per thousand cubic feet, of con-
verting 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 
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‘‘(E) the sale price for crude helium of-
fered in the most recent auction under para-
graph (2)(G). 
‘‘(5) AUTHORITY
OF
SECRETARY.—The Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(A) require all persons that are parties to 
a contract with the Secretary for the accept-
ance, storage, and redelivery of crude helium to 
disclose, on a strictly confidential basis in dol-
lars per thousand cubic feet, the weighted aver-
age price of all crude helium and bulk liquid he-
lium purchased, sold, or processed by the per-
sons in all qualifying domestic helium trans-
actions during 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 nec-
essary and reasonable to ensure robust protec-
tion of the confidentiality of data submitted by 
private persons. 
‘‘(6) CHANGES IN MINIMUM PRICE.—If the Sec-
retary believes that the minimum price as deter-
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mined by the survey under paragraph (4)(A) may 
not be reflective of the current market value of he-
lium, or if a higher minimum price may result in 
greater conservation of the Federal crude helium re-
source, the Secretary may change the minimum 
price charged for crude helium sold under this sec-
tion by up to 10 percent 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 determined under paragraph 
(4) for all future sales of crude helium under this 
section unless that price is further changed in ac-
cordance 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 necessary to ensure fair and nondiscriminatory 
acts and practices. 
‘‘(8) AUCTION RECORDS.— 
‘‘(A) FURNISHING RECORDS.—Every per-
son participating in auctions of helium from the 
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Federal Helium Reserve shall furnish to the 
Secretary on request such records of trans-
actions in helium auctions as the Secretary may 
require to reconstruct bidding or trading in the 
course of a particular inquiry or investigation 
being conducted by the Secretary for enforce-
ment or surveillance purposes. In requiring in-
formation pursuant to this paragraph, the Sec-
retary shall specify the information required, 
the period for which it is required, and the time 
and date on which the information must be fur-
nished. 
‘‘(B) REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS.—The 
Secretary may issue rules to require persons 
participating in helium auctions to file such re-
ports as the Secretary determines to be nec-
essary for purposes of this Act. 
‘‘(C) RECORDKEEPING
REQUIREMENTS.— 
Rules under this subsection may require speci-
fied persons to make and keep for prescribed 
periods such records as the Secretary deter-
mines are necessary or appropriate to ensure 
that such persons can comply with reporting re-
quirements under this subsection. 
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‘‘(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-
retary to withhold information from Congress, 
prevents the Secretary from complying with a 
request for information from any other Federal 
department 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 
action brought by the United States or by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(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 
Secretary to conduct helium auctions and otherwise 
administer this Act. 
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‘‘(D) Any other scheduled or unscheduled 
maintenance of the Cliffside Gas Field helium 
storage reservoir and helium pipeline. 
‘‘(5) EXCESS
FUNDS
AND
DEFICIT
REDUC-
TION.—Amounts in the Helium Production Fund in 
excess of amounts the Secretary considers necessary 
to carry out paragraphs (1) through (4) shall be 
paid to the general fund of the Treasury and used 
to reduce the annual Federal budget deficit. 
‘‘(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 
credited 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 sup-
ply of helium from the Federal Helium Reserve during the 
transition between phases of helium sales under sub-
sections (a), (b), and (c).’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Sec-
retary of the Interior shall submit to the Committee on 
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
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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 unsched-
uled maintenance of such reserve or its infrastructure to 
be conducted by the Bureau. 
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— 
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‘‘(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 
received; and 
‘‘(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 trans-
parency 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 
Federal Helium Reserve pipeline. To create more competi-
tion, any new refining capacity added to the Federal He-
lium Reserve pipeline system shall be granted access to 
crude helium that is equal to the access provided to exist-
ing refining facilities. 
‘‘(c) ACCESS
BY PURCHASERS
OF HELIUM.—The 
Secretary shall manage Federal Helium Reserve pipeline 
access in a competitive manner to ensure that all persons 
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purchasing helium have equal access to timing and deliv-
ery of the helium, subject to the capacity of the system. 
‘‘(d) SCHEDULING
DELIVERIES.—The Secretary 
shall, to the greatest extent practicable, make the sched-
uling of crude helium deliveries through the Federal He-
lium Reserve pipeline open and transparent to all pur-
chasers of helium through the auction process, and to the 
public if the Secretary believes that it is in the national 
interest. 
‘‘(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 re-
sult of a purchase under subsection (b)(2). 
‘‘(B) Helium sold at auction being deliv-
ered to fulfill a tolling agreement. 
‘‘(C) Other helium sold at auction. 
‘‘(D) Helium held in the Reserve as a re-
sult of a crude helium exchange resulting from 
any temporary shutdown of the Reserve or of a 
refinery on the Reserve pipeline. 
‘‘(E) Helium held in inventory in the Re-
serve before the date of enactment of the Re-
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sponsible Helium Administration and Steward-
ship 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. 
‘‘(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 Man-
agement shall establish, no later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of the Responsible Helium Administra-
tion and Stewardship Act, a real-time reporting process, 
including reporting over the Internet, to provide data that 
will affect the helium industry, including such effects for 
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all persons in such industry from crude helium suppliers 
to end users. 
‘‘(b) INCLUDED INFORMATION.—Information pro-
vided 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: 
‘‘(A) The date and duration of planned 
shutdowns of the Federal Helium Reserve pipe-
line. 
‘‘(B) The nature of work to be undertaken, 
whether routine, extended, or extraordinary. 
‘‘(C) The anticipated impact on the helium 
supply. 
‘‘(D) The efforts to minimize any impact 
on the supply chain. 
‘‘(E) Any concerns regarding maintenance 
of the Federal Helium Reserve pipeline, pres-
sure of such pipeline, or deviation from normal 
operation of such pipeline. 
‘‘(2) For each unplanned outage, the following: 
‘‘(A) The beginning of the outage. 
‘‘(B) The expected duration of outage. 
‘‘(C) A description of the problem. 
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‘‘(D) The estimated impact on helium sup-
ply. 
‘‘(E) A plan to correct problems, an esti-
mate of the potential timeframe for correction, 
and the likelihood of plan success within the 
timeframe. 
‘‘(F) Efforts to minimize negative impacts 
on the helium supply chain. 
‘‘(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 Part-
nership, including attendees and their affili-
ations, on the Internet site of the Bureau with-
in 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 
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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.’’. 
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 
constituent gases found in each helium re-
source, 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-
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fies and quantifies the quantity of the helium, in-
cluding the isotope helium-3, in each reservoir; 
(3) in consultation with the Secretary of En-
ergy, acting through the Administrator of the En-
ergy Information Administration, complete— 
(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 Fed-
eral and commercial helium uses, that identifies 
the nature of the helium use, the amounts re-
quired, the technical and commercial viability of 
helium recapture and recycling in that use, and 
the availability of material substitutes wherever 
possible; 
(4) complete an assessment of options for en-
suring a domestic helium supply in the future, in-
cluding— 
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(A) an analysis of how the Federal Helium 
Reserve has influenced domestic and global he-
lium supply and prices historically; and 
(B) an assessment of options for how the 
Federal Helium Reserve could promote the long 
term availability and security of domestic he-
lium supplies; and 
(5) submit to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate a report describing the results of the assess-
ments required under this subsection. 
(b) HELIUM-3 SEPARATION.— 
(1) INTERAGENCY
COOPERATION.—The Sec-
retary of the Interior shall cooperate with the Sec-
retary of 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 helium 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, including— 
(A) gas analysis; 
(B) infrastructure studies; and 
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(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 
Interior shall submit to the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate a report that contains a description of the re-
sults of the assessments conducted under this sub-
section. 
SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS TO THE FEDERAL HE-
LIUM RESERVE. 
The Secretary of the Interior may allow any person 
not connected to the Federal Helium Reserve, as that term 
is defined under section 2 of the Helium Act (50 U.S.C. 
167), as amended by this Act, to connect to the Federal 
Helium Reserve for the purpose of storing helium, subject 
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to such storage fees as may be required by the Secretary. 
Withdrawal of such helium shall be governed by that Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2013. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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