BLM Helium Sales Generate $115 Million in 2016
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will transfer $115 million to the U.S. Treasury from revenue generated from the sale and auction of crude helium from the Federal Helium Reserve, a resource owned by the American people and managed by the BLM’s Amarillo, Texas, Field Office. The BLM's Federal Helium Program has returned over $1.642 billion dollars to the U.S. Treasury from the sale and auction of crude helium from Fiscal Year 2005 through Fiscal Year 2016.
Under the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, Congress established an auction system to sell crude helium from the reserve and ordered that all property, equipment and interest in the reserve be disposed of by Sept. 30, 2021. To accomplish the law’s objectives, the BLM has developed a plan to provide for an orderly transition to a privatized helium system. The plan included helium auctions and conservation helium sales that allow continued access to helium supplies for federal users and disposing of the government’s helium assets by 2021.
The Federal Helium Reserve is the nation’s leading producer of crude helium for both the public and private sectors. Crude helium is an important resource for technology development and other important uses related to national defense, energy, medicine, industry, and space exploration. In 2015, the BLM’s crude helium plant supplied approximately 50 percent of the U.S. helium demand and over 22 percent of the world’s helium demand.
For more information, visit the BLM Federal Helium Program website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/helium, or contact Robert B. Jolley, BLM Amarillo Field Manager, at 806-356-1002.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.