Description:
As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on March 20, 2013
H.R. 527 would authorize the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to retain proceeds from the sale of helium from the Federal Helium Reserve to pay for the costs of operating the reserve. The bill also would require BLM to conduct domestic and global assessments of the supply of helium and to prepare several reports related to helium production on federal lands.
Based on information provided by BLM, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 527 would increase net offsetting receipts (a credit against direct spending) by $340 million over the 2014-2023 period; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. In addition, CBO estimates that completing the assessments and additional reports required under the bill would cost $11 million over the 2014-2023 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting H.R. 527 would not affect revenues.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
