Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-102

§167q Federal Agency Helium Acquisition Strategy

Title 50 › CHAPTER 10 — HELIUM GAS › § 167q

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must, working with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Defense, the heads of the National Science Foundation, NASA, NIH, and other agencies as needed, send a report to Congress no later than 2 years after October 2, 2013 (by October 2, 2015). The report must tell federal users: how much crude and refined helium is used now and will be needed in the future; a 20-year federal plan to secure helium access; a date before September 30, 2021 to start Phase D (as described in section 167d(d)) that avoids supply problems; how higher refined-helium prices would affect users and ways to reduce those effects; and a process to decide which uses get helium if supplies shrink.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §167q

War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In anticipation of the implementation of Phase D described in section 167d(d) of this title, and not later than 2 years after October 2, 2013, the Secretary (in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and other agencies as appropriate) shall submit to Congress a report that provides for Federal users—
(1)an assessment of the consumption of, and projected demand for, crude and refined helium;
(2)a description of a 20-year Federal strategy for securing access to helium;
(3)a determination of a date prior to September 30, 2021, for the implementation of Phase D as described in section 167d(d) of this title that minimizes any potential supply disruptions for Federal users;
(4)an assessment of the effects of increases in the price of refined helium and methods and policies for mitigating any determined effects; and
(5)a description of a process for prioritization of uses that accounts for diminished availability of helium supplies that may occur over time.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 167q

Title 50, War and National Defense

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102