Revenue from helium bill reduces Federal debt, partially restores AML funding, and establishes a competitive royalty rate for America’s soda ash producers.
Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s remarks.
WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), delivered the following remarks at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee business meeting on public lands bills. The Committee took up Barrasso’s “Good Neighbor Forestry Act” (S. 327) and the bipartisan “Helium Stewardship Act of 2013” (S. 783), introduced by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Both bills were passed out of Committee today by a voice vote.
Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s Hearing Remarks:
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you and your staff for working with me to reach a bipartisan agreement on the Good Neighbor Forestry Act.
“This bill will allow state foresters and federal agencies to manage our forests more effectively.
“I’m especially grateful for the help of Senator Udall on this—I first introduced this bill in 2008.
“I look forward to reporting the bill out of committee today and working with the bipartisan group towards final passage.
“I also want to thank you, and Senator Murkowski, and your staff for developing bipartisan helium legislation.
“This bill is going to provide a stable supply of helium essential to manufacturers of important technologies—such as MRI scanners and semiconductors.
“It’s also going encourage the exploration and production of alternative supplies of helium such as those in Wyoming, which has over 50 percent of the nation’s helium reserves.
“In addition, I want to thank you both for including priorities critical to rural communities in the West.
“I also appreciate your support for restoring, in part, funding for the reclamation of abandoned mine lands and establishing a competitive royalty rate for America’s soda ash producers.
“Finally, I commend you both for using revenue raised from this bill to reduce our nation’s debt and deficits.
“I look forward to working with the two of you and others to get this bill across the finish line.”
Senator Barrasso, introduced “The Good Neighbor Forestry Act” (S. 327) on February 14, 2013.
Background on the “Helium Stewardship Act” (S. 783):
S. 783 will extend the Secretary of the Interior’s authority to sell crude helium from the Federal Helium Reserve. The bill establishes a number of reforms to ensure the Secretary sells crude helium at market prices. For years, the Secretary has been selling crude helium at less than the market value, costing U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars and discouraging the production of alternative supplies of helium, such as those in Wyoming.
This legislation raises revenue for the federal government. This revenue is used to reduce the federal debt and deficit by at least $51 million. It also funds critical priorities within the Energy Committee’s jurisdiction, including:
• Restores $60 million to rural communities in the West for mine reclamation under the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program in Fiscal Year 2014.
• Establishes a competitive royalty rate for America’s soda ash producers of 4 percent over the next two years.
• Provides $50 million to reclaim abandoned oil and gas wells on National Petroleum Reserve land, including the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC) in Wyoming.
• Provides $50 million to address the maintenance backlog at our National Parks.
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