Ed Markey

It is important and urgently needed that the House act on legislation to address the helium supply.

We applaud Chairman Hastings, and Ranking Member Markey for their work on this bill.

If we are going to avoid an even larger crisis and more severe price spikes in the future, we need to introduce some ruthless Darwinian-style competition into the helium market in order to incentivize private market investment.

In my opinion, Adam Smith would be spinning in his grave if he could see the way in which we were allocating this Federal resource to four companies at below market prices without competition.

The BLM should adopt policies that open its crude helium sales to a broader array of buyers and make the process of establishing the selling price of crude helium from the Federal helium reserve more transparent.

Our nation's Federal Helium Reserve supplies nearly HALF of the helium used in the United States and roughly a THIRD of all the helium used globally.

Helium is not just used to fill balloons. It is critical in MRI machines, NASA rockets, high-tech manufacturing and various types of research.

This is an issue that should rise above partisanship.

But if we fail to act, and float off this helium cliff, we may be forced to rely on insecure and irregular helium supplies from foreign countries, such as Russia, Algeria, or Qatar, and pay dramatically higher prices to meet American…

We are now facing two deadlines that could lead to even more severe helium supply shortages and price spikes.

Our Nation's Federal helium reserve supplies nearly half of the helium used in the United States.

The looming national crisis for this important gas must not be taken lightly.

Do you agree with the NAS conclusion that if we create a more transparent and open market for helium that better reflects a true price, it would provide additional economic incentives for private investment to bring new supplies of helium…

Just a point. In 2009 in this committee and on the House Floor, Mr. Waxman and I built in $60 billion for clean coal technology, carbon capture and sequestration.

Isn't it true that EIA's 2010 data predicted that domestic natural gas use in the power sector would decline between 2010 and 2020, though its use in the power sector has actually ended up growing by 27 percent just since 2010?

So don't blame us, blame the coal industry for not wanting the funding and blame the natural gas industry for their technological breakthroughs that have allowed for the production of more and cheaper and cleaner sources of energy.

Over the last 5 years, unfortunately, coal has dropped from 51 percent down to 35 percent of all electrical generation in the country, and what has gone up? Natural gas.

In 2009 in this committee and on the House Floor, Mr. Waxman and I built in $60 billion for clean coal technology, carbon capture and sequestration.

Letter from Chairman Jon Leibowitz to Congressman Edward J. Markey

I thank the gentlelady. I yield myself such time as may remain in the hour. Since my time is about to expire, I would ask if it were possible for the gentleman from Indiana to be able to yield 5 minutes to me as the opening part of his…

I thank the gentleman. I yield such time as she may consume to the leader of the Democratic Party, the gentlelady from San Francisco, Ms. Pelosi.

We thank the gentleman from Salem. I recognize the gentlewoman from Lowell, Ms. Tsongas.

I thank the gentleman, and I now yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney).

I thank the gentleman for his comments, and I turn to recognize the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating).

I thank the gentleman so much. I would now like to recognize the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mike Capuano.