50 U.S.C. § 167q — Federal agency helium acquisition strategy

This section requires federal agencies to plan ahead for their helium needs. In anticipation of Phase D of the Federal Helium System sell-off (described in section 167d(d)), and no later than 2 years after October 2, 2013, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress. The Secretary must consult with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Administrator of NASA, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and other agencies as needed. The report must cover five things, for the benefit of federal helium users: (1) an assessment of how much crude and refined helium the government currently consumes, and how much it will need in the future; (2) a description of a 20-year federal strategy for making sure helium stays available; (3) a specific date, set before September 30, 2021, for starting Phase D as described in section 167d(d) — chosen to minimize supply disruptions for federal users; (4) an assessment of how rising refined-helium prices would affect federal users, along with ways to reduce those effects; and (5) a description of a process for deciding which uses get priority if helium supplies shrink over time.