Advance the Securing Helium for Science Act to preserve discounted helium access for academic users for eight years after sale of the Federal Helium Reserve while NSF ramps up helium recycler support.
Commitment kind: unknown. Promised action: not established. Promised outcome: not established. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired.
Occurrences
Securing Helium for Science Act : This legislation puts a “condition of sale” on whichever private entity purchases the Federal Helium Reserve, ensuring that academic users continue to be able to purchase discounted helium for the next 8 years, which the National Science Foundation ramps up a program to provide helium recyclers.
Neguse presents legislation to condition sale of the Federal Helium Reserve on continued discounted helium access for academic users.
Mr. Neguse introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): Official GovInfo metadata shows Neguse introduced H.R. 655 in the 117th Congress, documenting an effort to advance the proposal before the 2022 reelection term.
unverified · Source version 65957 · locator unknown
during the 8 year period beginning on the earlier of September 30, 2022
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The bill text targeted an eight-year post-reserve-sale access window for research users, matching the discounted-access commitment’s core policy design.
Federal In-Kind users are now required to seek new sources of helium on the open market.
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): The FAR final rule states federal in-kind helium access ended and users had to buy on the open market, cutting against delivery of preserved discounted access through 2030.
neversame_term
2023-08197.pdf
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 97%
verified · Source version 65961 · locator 3897
The BLM ended the Federal Helium In-Kind Program on September 30, 2022
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): BLM’s final rule confirms the access mechanism the bill sought to preserve had already ended, and the agency removed its implementing regulations.
neversame_term
2023-21711.pdf
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 97%
verified · Source version 65963 · locator 3654
closed on the sale of the Federal Helium System
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): BLM announced the Federal Helium System sale was completed to Messer in June 2024, after the proposed eight-year discounted-access protection had not been enacted.
equipment and instrumentation to reduce consumption of helium
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): NSF implemented Track 3 helium-conservation support under the MRI program, partially matching the recycler-support component but not the discounted helium-access component.