Federal

StewardshipHHelium Act 2

1963 to 2013

Construction during 1961 and 1963, five private helium plants were built, as well as a 425-mile underground pipeline connecting the Cliffside Field Terminal to plants in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Congress enacted the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 to ensure continued access to federal crude helium reserves. The law instituted an orderly transition to privately-owned helium processing with minimal market disruption. Selling crude helium at market-rate prices was predicted to stimulate private sources of the gas with a goal of maintaining a global assessment of the resource, including forecasts of helium demand. The act also established conservation and research programs focused on long-term helium acquisition for all federal users. Finally, the law required the Department of the Interior to sell a portion of the federal helium reserve.