Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent letters to Bureau of Land Management Director Brian Steed and General Services Administration Administrator Emily Murphy, requesting information regarding the future of the domestic helium market.

“Congress passed the Helium Stewardship Act (HSA) in 2013 with strong bipartisan support in order to reform the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) operation of the federal helium program. The HSA recognized the critical role helium plays in the fields of defense, space, medicine, and basic scientific research…

Unfortunately, major concerns remain regarding the future of the domestic helium market. As the single largest producer of helium in the world, uncertainty in the American market may have significant impacts on global supply…

As we approach the end of Phase B of the HSA, it is critical that BLM provide additional details regarding the preparation for the disposal of the Reserve and the implementation of the Twenty-Year Federal Acquisition Strategy, so that both federal and non-federal helium users may experience a smooth transition to a fully-privatized helium market.”

Click here to read the full letter to BLM, and here for the letter to GSA.

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