PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Secretary can make deals with private companies to recover and dispose of helium found on Federal land. The Secretary can give lease rights to that helium and set the terms of the deals. The Secretary cannot sell the helium to anyone who is not a private party already under a recovery/disposal deal. These deals can follow rules the Secretary issues and must respect any rights that federal oil and gas lessees had before the deal. Existing helium disposal agreements from before October 9, 1996 stay in effect unless they are renewed or extended after that date. The Secretary may store, move, and sell helium only in the way this chapter allows. All money the Secretary gets from selling helium from Federal land must go into the Helium Production Fund established under section 167d(e).

Title 50, §167a

War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Extraction and disposal of helium on Federal lands

(1)In general

The Secretary may enter into agreements with private parties for the recovery and disposal of helium on Federal lands upon such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems fair, reasonable, and necessary.

(2)Leasehold rights

The Secretary may grant leasehold rights to any such helium.

(3)Limitation

The Secretary may not enter into any agreement by which the Secretary sells such helium other than to a private party with whom the Secretary has an agreement for recovery and disposal of helium.

(4)Regulations

Agreements under paragraph (1) may be subject to such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary.

(5)Existing rights

An agreement under paragraph (1) shall be subject to any rights of any affected Federal oil and gas lessee that may be in existence prior to the date of the agreement.

(6)Terms and conditions

An agreement under paragraph (1) (and any extension or renewal of an agreement) shall contain such terms and conditions as the Secretary may consider appropriate.

(7)Prior agreements

This subsection shall not in any manner affect or diminish the rights and obligations of the Secretary and private parties under agreements to dispose of helium produced from Federal lands in existence on October 9, 1996, except to the extent that such agreements are renewed or extended after October 9, 1996.

(b)Storage, transportation, and sale

The Secretary may store, transport, and sell helium only in accordance with this chapter.

(c)Extraction of helium from deposits on Federal land

All amounts received by the Secretary from the sale or disposition of helium on Federal land shall be credited to the Helium Production Fund established under section 167d(e) of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 3 of act Mar. 3, 1925, related to disposal of helium by sale, use of funds so obtained, and reports to Congress on such uses and was classified to section 164 of this title, prior to the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 86–777.

Amendments

2013—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 113–40 added subsec. (c). 1996—Pub. L. 104–273 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section enumerated various aspects of Secretary’s authority, including provisions in subsec. (a) relating to conserving, producing, buying, and selling helium, in subsec. (b) relating to helium on public domain, and in subsec. (c) relating to contract price for helium.

§167a Authority of Secretary