,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #abbf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #f1       
#bjae,ms4 ,murkowski introduced the     
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,energy  
and ,natural ,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to 
amend the ,mineral ,leasing ,act and the
 ,mineral ,leasing ,act for ,acquired   
,lands to promote a greater domestic    
helium supply1 to establish a ,federal  
helium leasing program for public land1 
and to secure a helium supply for       
national defense and ,federal           
researchers1 and for other purposes4    
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,american ,helium ,production   
,act of #bjae4  #b4 ,creation of a      
helium-leasing program  7a7 ,addition of
 helium to land subject to disposition2 
repeal of reservation of helium rights  
,the first section of the ,mineral      
,leasing ,act 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #aha7 is   
amended--  7#a7 in the first sentence1  
by inserting helium or other before gas 

each place it appears2 and  7#b7 by     
striking the flush text that follows the
 last undesignated subsection4  7b7     
,creation of program ,the ,mineral      
,leasing ,act is amended by inserting   
after section #cg 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #aic7  
the following3  #ch4 ,helium leasing    
program  7a7 ,in general ,except as     
otherwise provided in this section1 the 
,secretary of the ,interior may conduct 
a program of leasing ,federal land for  
helium exploration1 development1 and    
production1 in substantially the same   
manner1 and under substantially the same
 terms and conditions1 as the ,secretary
 of the ,interior is authorized to lease
 ,federal land for oil and gas          
exploration1 development1 and production
 under this ,act4  7b7 ,rights to helium
 ,any lease issued under this ,act that 
authorizes exploration for1 or          
development or production of1 gas shall 
be considered to grant to the lessee a  
right of first refusal to engage in     
exploration for1 and development and    

production of1 helium on land that is   
subject to the lease in accordance with 
regulations issued by the ,secretary of 
the ,interior4  7c7 ,fee  7#a7 ,in      
general ,notwithstanding any other law1 
the ,secretary of the ,interior shall   
collect a single #e1jjj permit          
processing fee per application from each
 applicant at the time the final        
decision is made whether to issue a     
permit to drill under a helium lease    
issued under this section4  7#b7 ,no fee
 for resubmitted applications ,the      
,secretary of the ,interior shall not   
collect the fee described in paragraph  
7#a7 for any resubmitted application4   
7#c7 ,treatment of permit processing fee
 ,of all fees collected under this      
subsection1 #ej percent shall be-- 7,a7 
transferred to the field office for the 
area in which the fees are collected2   
and  7,b7 used to process protests1     
leases1 and permits under this ,act1    
subject to appropriations4  4  7c7      
,rights to helium under leases under    

,mineral ,leasing ,act for ,acquired    
,lands ,the ,mineral ,leasing ,act for  
,acquired ,lands 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #cea et 
seq47 is amended by adding at the end   
the following3  #ab4 ,rights to helium  
,any lease issued under this ,act that  
authorizes exploration for1 or          
development or production of1 gas shall 
be considered to grant to the lessee a  
right of first refusal to engage in     
exploration for1 and development and    
production of1 helium on land that is   
subject to the lease in accordance with 
regulations issued by the ,secretary4  4
  #c4 ,programmatic environmental impact
 statement  7a7 ,in general ,the        
,secretary of the ,interior1 acting     
through the ,director of the ,bureau of 
,land ,management1 shall prepare a      
programmatic environmental impact       
statement 7referred to in this section  
as the ,,peis7 under the ,national      
,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi    
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq47 for an    
agencywide helium exploration and       

development program under the ,mineral  
,leasing ,act 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #aha et    
seq474  7b7 ,process ,in developing the 
,,peis1 the ,secretary of the ,interior 
takes into consideration the ,helium    
,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #afg et seq474