Source: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title50/html/USCODE-2011-title50-chap10.htm
Timestamp: 2016-08-25 15:25:59
Document Index: 474593151

Matched Legal Cases: ['§2', '§2', '§1', '§2', '§2', '§1000', '§112', '§101', '§112', '§3', '§2', '§3', '§4', '§2', '§3', '§5', '§6', '§167', '§5', '§2', '§3', '§167', '§6', '§2', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§167', '§8', '§2', '§5', '§7', '§7', '§167', '§15', '§2', '§7', '§167', '§901', '§16', '§2']

50 U.S.C. United States Code, 2011 Edition
CHAPTER 10 - HELIUM GAS
167.Definitions.
167a.Authority of Secretary.
167b.Storage, transportation, and withdrawal of crude helium.
167c.Fees for storage, transportation, and withdrawal.
167d.Sale of helium.
167e.Intragovernmental cooperation.
167f.Elimination of stockpile.
167g.Promulgation of rules and regulations.
167h.Administrative procedure.
167i.Exclusion from Natural Gas Act provisions.
167j.Land conveyance in Potter County, Texas.
167k.Violations; penalties.
167l.Injunctions.
167m.Report on helium.
167n.Repealed.
(1) The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior;
(2) The term “person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, or State or political subdivision thereof; and
(3) The terms “helium-bearing natural gas” and “helium-gas mixture” mean, respectively, natural gas and gas mixtures containing three-tenths of 1 per centum or more of helium by volume.
(Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §2, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 918.)
Section 3 of Pub. L. 86–777 provided that: “The amendment made by this Act [enacting this section and sections 167a to 167n of this title] shall become effective on March 1, 1961.”
Pub. L. 104–273, §1, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3315, provided that: “This Act [amending sections 167a to 167d, 167f, 167j, and 167m of this title] may be cited as the ‘Helium Privatization Act of 1996’.”
Section 1 of Pub. L. 86–777 provided that: “This Act [enacting this section, sections 167a to 167n of this title, and provisions set out as notes below] may be cited as the ‘Helium Act Amendments of 1960’.”
Section 1 of act Mar. 3, 1925, as added by Pub. L. 86–777, §2, provided that: “This Act [enacting this section, sections 167a to 167n of this title, and provision set out as a note below] may be cited as the ‘Helium Act’.”
Section 17 of act Mar. 3, 1925, as added by Pub. L. 86–777, §2, provided that: “If any provision of this Act [enacting this section, sections 167a to 167n of this title, and provisions set out as a note above], or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this Act or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby.”
Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, §1000(a)(3) [title I, §112], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1535, 1501A–157, provided that:
“(a) Employees of Helium Operations, Bureau of Land Management, entitled to severance pay under 5 U.S.C. 5595, may apply for, and the Secretary of the Interior may pay, the total amount of the severance pay to the employee in a lump sum. Employees paid severance pay in a lump sum and subsequently reemployed by the Federal Government shall be subject to the repayment provisions of 5 U.S.C. 5595(i)(2) and (3), except that any repayment shall be made to the Helium Fund.
“(b) Helium Operations employees who elect to continue health benefits after separation shall be liable for not more than the required employee contribution under 5 U.S.C. 8905a(d)(1)(A). The Helium Fund shall pay for 18 months the remaining portion of required contributions.
“(c) The Secretary of the Interior may provide for training to assist Helium Operations employees in the transition to other Federal or private sector jobs during the facility shut-down and disposition process and for up to 12 months following separation from Federal employment, including retraining and relocation incentives on the same terms and conditions as authorized for employees of the Department of Defense in section 348 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 [Pub. L. 103–337, 10 U.S.C. 1597 note].
“(d) For purposes of the annual leave restoration provisions of 5 U.S.C. 6304(d)(1)(B), the cessation of helium production and sales, and other related Helium Program activities shall be deemed to create an exigency of public business under, and annual leave that is lost during leave years 1997 through 2001 because of 5 U.S.C. 6304 (regardless of whether such leave was scheduled in advance) shall be restored to the employee and shall be credited and available in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 6304(d)(2). Annual leave so restored and remaining unused upon the transfer of a Helium Program employee to a position of the executive branch outside of the Helium Program shall be liquidated by payment to the employee of a lump sum from the Helium Fund for such leave.
“(e) Benefits under this section shall be paid from the Helium Fund in accordance with section 4(c)(4) of the Helium Privatization Act of 1996 [probably means the Helium Act, which is classified to section 167b(c)(4) of this title]. Funds may be made available to Helium Program employees who are or will be separated before October 1, 2002 because of the cessation of helium production and sales and other related activities. Retraining benefits, including retraining and relocation incentives, may be paid for retraining commencing on or before September 30, 2002.
“(f) This section shall remain in effect through fiscal year 2002.”
Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, §101(e) [title I, §112], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–231, 2681–254.
(Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §3, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 918; amended Pub. L. 104–273, §3, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3315.)
Not later than 18 months after October 9, 1996, the Secretary shall cease producing, refining, and marketing refined helium and shall cease carrying out all other activities relating to helium which the Secretary was authorized to carry out under this chapter before October 9, 1996, except activities described in subsection (a) of this section.
All proceeds accruing to the United States by reason of the sale or other disposal of such property shall be treated as moneys received under this chapter for purposes of section 167d(f) of this title.
All costs associated with such sale and disposal (including costs associated with termination of personnel) and with the cessation of activities under subsection (b) of this section shall be paid from amounts available in the helium production fund established under section 167d(f) of this title.
All contracts that were entered into by any person with the Secretary for the purchase by the person from the Secretary of refined helium and that are in effect on October 9, 1996, shall remain in force and effect until the date on which the refining operations cease, as described in subsection (b) of this section.
Any costs associated with the termination of contracts described in paragraph (1) shall be paid from the helium production fund established under section 167d(f) of this title.
(Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §4, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 920; amended Pub. L. 104–273, §3, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3316.)
In subsec. (c)(2), “chapters 1 to 11 of title 40 and division C (except sections 3302, 3307(e), 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41” substituted for “the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949” on authority of Pub. L. 107–217, §5(c), Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1303, which Act enacted Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works, and Pub. L. 111–350, §6(c), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts.
§167c. Fees for storage, transportation, and withdrawal
Whenever the Secretary provides helium storage withdrawal or transportation services to any person, the Secretary shall impose a fee on the person to reimburse the Secretary for the full costs of providing such storage, transportation, and withdrawal.
All fees received by the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section shall be treated as moneys received under this chapter for purposes of section 167d(f) of this title.
(Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §5, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 920; amended Pub. L. 104–273, §3, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3317.)
§167d. Sale of helium
(a) Purchase by Government agencies
The Department of Defense, the Atomic Energy Commission, and other agencies of the Federal Government, to the extent that supplies are readily available, shall purchase all major requirements of helium from persons who have entered into enforceable contracts to purchase an equivalent amount of crude helium from the Secretary.
(b) Sales by Secretary
The Secretary is authorized to sell crude helium for Federal, medical, scientific, and commercial uses in such quantities and under such terms and conditions as he determines. Except as may be required by reason of subsection (a) of this section, sales of crude helium under this section shall be in amounts as the Secretary determines, in consultation with the helium industry, necessary to carry out this subsection with minimum market disruption.
(c) Prices and determinations; repayable amounts
Sales of crude helium by the Secretary shall be at prices established by him which shall be adequate to cover all costs incurred in carrying out the provisions of this chapter and to repay to the United States by deposit in the Treasury, all funds required to be repaid to the United States as of October 1, 1995 under this section (referred to in this subsection as “repayable amounts”). The price at which crude helium is sold by the Secretary shall not be less than the amount determined by the Secretary by—
(1) dividing the outstanding amount of such repayable amounts by the volume (in million cubic feet) of crude helium owned by the United States and stored in the Bureau of Mines Cliffside Field at the time of the sale concerned, and
(2) adjusting the amount determined under paragraph (1) by the Consumer Price Index for years beginning after December 31, 1995.
(d) Extraction of helium from deposits on Federal lands
All moneys received by the Secretary from the sale or disposition of helium on Federal lands shall be paid to the Treasury and credited against the amounts required to be repaid to the Treasury under subsection (c) of this section.
(1) All moneys received under this chapter, including moneys from sale of helium or other products resulting from helium operations and from the sale of excess property shall be credited to the helium production fund, which shall be available without fiscal year limitation, for carrying out the provisions of this chapter, including any research relating to helium carried out by the Department of the Interior. Amounts accumulating in said fund in excess of amounts the Secretary deems necessary to carry out this chapter and contracts negotiated hereunder shall be paid to the Treasury and credited against the amounts required to be repaid to the Treasury under subsection (c) of this section.
(2)(A) Within 7 days after the commencement of each fiscal year after the disposal of the facilities referred to in section 167b(c) of this title, all amounts in such fund in excess of $2,000,000 (or such lesser sum as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out this chapter during such fiscal year) shall be paid to the Treasury and credited as provided in paragraph (1).
(B) On repayment of all amounts referred to in subsection (c) of this section, the fund established under this section shall be terminated and all moneys received under this chapter shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury.
(Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §6, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 921; amended Pub. L. 104–273, §4, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3317.)
1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–273, §4(a), substituted “from persons who have entered into enforceable contracts to purchase an equivalent amount of crude helium from the Secretary” for “from the Secretary”.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–273, §4(b), inserted “crude” before “helium” and inserted at end “Except as may be required by reason of subsection (a) of this section, sales of crude helium under this section shall be in amounts as the Secretary determines, in consultation with the helium industry, necessary to carry out this subsection with minimum market disruption.”
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–273, §4(c)(2), which directed the amendment of subsec. (c) by substituting “all funds required to be repaid to the United States as of October 1, 1995 under this section (referred to in this subsection as ‘repayable amounts’). The price at which crude helium is sold by the Secretary shall not be less than the amount determined by the Secretary by—” and pars. (1) and (2) for “together with interest as provided in this subsection” and all that followed through the end of the subsec., was executed by making the substitution for language which read “together with interest as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the following:” along with former pars. (1) to (3), to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Prior to amendment, pars. (1) to (3) read as follows:
“(1) Within twenty-five years from September 13, 1960, the net capital and retained earnings of the helium production fund (established under section 164 of this title prior to amendment by the Helium Act Amendments of 1960), determined by the Secretary as of September 13, 1960, plus any moneys expended thereafter by the Department of the Interior from funds provided in the Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1959, for construction of a helium plant at Keyes, Oklahoma;
“(2) Within twenty-five years from the date of borrowing, all funds borrowed, as provided in section 167j of this chapter, to acquire and construct helium plants and facilities; and
“(3) Within twenty-five years from September 13, 1960, unless the Secretary determines that said period should be extended for not more than ten years, all funds borrowed, as provided in section 167j of this title for all purposes other than those specified in clause (2) above.”
Pub. L. 104–273, §4(c)(1), inserted “crude” after “Sales of”.
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–273, §4(d), inserted heading and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Compound interest on the amounts specified in clauses (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (c) of this section which have not been paid to the Treasury shall be calculated annually at rates determined by the Secretary of the Treasury taking into consideration the current average market yields of outstanding marketable obligations of the United States having maturities comparable to the investments authorized by this chapter, except that the interest rate on the amounts specified in clause (1) of subsection (c) of this section shall be determined as of Sept. 13, 1960, and the interest rate on the obligations specified in clauses (2) and (3) of subsection (c) of this section as of the time of each borrowing.”
Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 104–273, §4(e), (f), redesignated subsec. (f) as (e)(1), added par. (2), and struck out former subsec. (e) which read as follows: “Helium shall be sold for medical purposes at prices which will permit its general use therefor; and all sales of helium to non-Federal purchasers shall be upon condition that the Federal Government shall have a right to repurchase helium so sold that has not been lost or dissipated, when needed for Government use, under terms and at prices established by regulations.”
§167f. Elimination of stockpile
(a) Stockpile sales
Not later than January 1, 2005, the Secretary shall commence offering for sale crude helium from helium reserves owned by the United States in such amounts as would be necessary to dispose of all such helium reserves in excess of 600,000,000 cubic feet on a straight-line basis between such date and January 1, 2015.
(2) Times of sale
The sales shall be at such times during each year and in such lots as the Secretary determines, in consultation with the helium industry, to be necessary to carry out this subsection with minimum market disruption.
The price for all sales under paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the helium industry, shall be such price as will ensure repayment of the amounts required to be repaid to the Treasury under section 167d(c) of this title.
(b) Discovery of additional reserves
The discovery of additional helium reserves shall not affect the duty of the Secretary to make sales of helium under subsection (a) of this section.
(Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §8, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 922; amended Pub. L. 104–273, §5, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3318.)
1996—Pub. L. 104–273 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to condemnation proceedings under Federal helium refining program.
(a) The provisions of subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5 shall apply to any agency proceeding and any agency action taken under this chapter, including the issuance of rules and regulations, and the terms “agency proceeding” and “agency action” shall have the meaning specified in subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5.
In subsecs. (a) and (b), “subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5” and “chapter 7 of title 5” substituted for “the Administrative Procedure Act of June 11, 1946 (60 Stat. 637; 5 U.S.C. 1001–1011), as amended”, “the Administrative Procedure Act”, and “section 10 of the Administrative Procedure Act”, respectively, on authority of Pub. L. 89–554, §7(b), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 631, the first section of which enacted Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
In subsec. (b), “chapter 158 of title 28” substituted for “the Act of December 29, 1950 (64 Stat. 1129; 5 U.S.C. 1031–1042), as amended” on authority of Pub. L. 89–554, §7(b), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 631, section 4(e) of which enacted chapter 158 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.
The Secretary of the Interior shall transfer all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the parcel of land described in subsection (b) of this section to the Texas Plains Girl Scout Council for consideration of $1, reserving to the United States such easements as may be necessary for pipeline rights-of-way.
The parcel of land referred to in subsection (a) of this section is all those certain lots, tracts or parcels of land lying and being situated in the County of Potter and State of Texas, and being the East Three Hundred Thirty-One (E331) acres out of Section Seventy-eight (78) in Block Nine (9), B.S. & F. Survey, (some times known as the G.D. Landis pasture) Potter County, Texas, located by certificate No. 1/39 and evidenced by letters patents Nos. 411 and 412 issued by the State of Texas under date of November 23, 1937, and of record in Vol. 66A of the Patent Records of the State of Texas. The metes and bounds description of such lands is as follows:
§167m. Report on helium
(a) NAS study and report
Not later than three years before the date on which the Secretary commences offering for sale crude helium under section 167f of this title, the Secretary shall enter into appropriate arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to study and report on whether such disposal of helium reserves will have a substantial adverse effect on United States scientific, technical, biomedical, or national security interests.
(b) Transmission to Congress
Not later than 18 months before the date on which the Secretary commences offering for sale crude helium under section 167f of this title, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress—
(1) the report of the National Academy under subsection (a) of this section;
(2) the findings of the Secretary, after consideration of the conclusions of the National Academy under subsection (a) of this section and after consultation with the United States helium industry and with heads of affected Federal agencies, as to whether the disposal of the helium reserve under section 167f of this title will have a substantial adverse effect on the United States helium industry, United States,1 helium market or United States,1 scientific, technological, biomedical, or national security interests; and
(3) if the Secretary determines that selling the crude helium reserves under the formula established in section 167f of this title will have a substantial adverse effect on the United States helium industry, the United States helium market or United States scientific, technological, biomedical, or national security interest, the Secretary shall make recommendations, including recommendations for proposed legislation, as may be necessary to avoid such adverse effects.
(Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §15, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 923; amended Pub. L. 104–273, §7, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3319.)
1996—Pub. L. 104–273 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to individual enterprise in developing helium.
§167n. Repealed. Pub. L. 105–362, title IX, §901(q), Nov. 10, 1998, 112 Stat. 3291
Section, act Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 426, §16, as added Pub. L. 86–777, §2, Sept. 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 923, directed Secretary of the Interior to make annual reports to Congress.