Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Helium Stewardship Act of 2012, along with my cosponsors, Senators Barrasso, Wyden, and Enzi. This bipartisan bill addresses the need for ongoing stewardship of the nation's helium reserve in Amarillo, Texas. The helium reserve is not only a domestic treasure, but it also provides nearly 30 percent of the world's helium. Helium is a commodity that is frequently overlooked and often only considered when you are going to the florist to purchase party balloons for your child's birthday party. I want to take a moment and highlight the importance of this commodity, as well as the importance of the U.S. helium reserve in the world's helium market. Helium is critical to a wide range of industrial, scientific, and medical markets, including medical devices such as MRIs, industrial welding, high tech manufacturing of microchips and fiber optic cables, manufacturing magnets for wind turbines, space exploration at NASA, and other important scientific research that is conducted at national laboratories like those in my State. The current sales and management structure for the helium reserve is distorting the private helium market and threatening helium supplies for Federal medical and scientific research, and other private commercial applications. The low government sales price is also a barrier to the development of private sources of helium.…”