U.S. House floats bill on helium extraction

SALT LAKE CITY — That party balloon, MRI and heart resuscitation pump all rely on an inert gas produced in a handful of states around the nation, including three active wells in Utah.
A House bill to allow the Bureau of Land Management to lease federal land for helium extraction passed Wednesday, moving the United States a step closer to streamlining the capture of the critical natural resource.
"Helium has become irreplaceable in our space, defense and medical industries. Without this bil