§167c Storage, withdrawal and transportation

Summary

The Secretary must charge anyone who uses Federal helium storage, withdrawal, or transportation a fee that reflects the services’ economic value. The fee must at least cover the full cost of providing those services, including money spent on upgrades and maintenance of the Federal Helium System. Before any sales or auctions under section 167d, the Secretary must publish a standard fee list each year, and all fees must go into the Helium Production Fund (section 167d(e)). The Secretary must let buyers or qualified bidders who purchase crude helium under section 167d store that helium in the Federal Helium Reserve. The Secretary must also set a delivery and transport schedule that makes sure auctioned helium under section 167d(b)(2) and other purchased helium (including nonallocated sales) arrive on time, and that gives priority pipeline access to in-kind sales for Federal users. Requests for pipeline access must be handled in line with the phase-out and asset disposition schedule in section 167d.