Why the World Is Running Out of Helium

jamie writes "The US National Helium Reserve stores a billion cubic meters of helium, half the world supply, in an old natural gasfield. The array of pipes and mines runs 200 miles from Texas to Kansas. In the name of deficit reduction, we're selling it all off for cheap. Physics professor and Nobel laureate Robert Richardson says: 'In 1996, the US Congress decided to sell off the strategic reserve and the consequence was that the market was swelled with cheap helium because its price was not determined by the market. The motivation was to sell it all by 2015. The basic problem is that helium is too cheap. The Earth is 4.7 billion years old and it has taken that long to accumulate our helium reserves, which we will dissipate in about 100 years. One generation does not have the right to determine availability forever.' Another view is The Impact of Selling the Federal Helium Reserve, the government study from 10 years ago that suggested the government's price would end up being over market value by 25% — but cautioned that this was based on the assumption that demand would grow slowly, and urged periodic reviews of the state of the industry."

Comments

Probably because of my niece's birthday parties

[elrous0]

Jesus, Richard, does she really need hundreds of fucking balloons at *every* party? Isn't it enough we got her ponies *and* two clowns, for crying out loud?!?!?

Re:Probably because of my niece's birthday parties

[Mr. DOS]

The balloons are to make up for the clowns.

Re:Probably because of my niece's birthday parties

[JockTroll]

Ah, "Balloon meets cigarette". When I was a kid there was this piece of shit on two legs, he loved to pop up on kids at funfairs and blow up their balloons with his cig. He'd go "oops, sorry" and walk away while the kids cried.
We filled some balloons with a mixture of hydrogen and air, and tied them to an empty pushchair about 30 meters from the fair near the parking lot. Of course, he couldn't resist, thinking the kid would be around to see his precious balloons pop. He took a nice long drag on his cig, touched the balloon with the lit end and...

To this day, sometimes I still hear the screams.

Ah, sweet childhood memories. :)

Re:can we make it?

[hesiod]

All you need is a star with a shitload of hydrogen and a few million years. It's pretty difficult to retrieve, though.

Re:Why?

[WrongSizeGlass]

I'd be able to take Mr. Richardson's claims more seriously if his voice wasn't so artificially high ...

For the children

[Drakkenmensch]

Because no generation should be denied the fun of inhaling helium to speak with a goofy high-pitch voice.

Re:For the children

[Hatta]

Helium makes your voice sound funny. N2O makes everyone else's voice sound funny.

Re:can we make it?

[Flea of Pain]

Until we get those fusion generators up and running! I hear it will be in the next ten years!

Re:"The Earth is 4.7 billion years old"

[toriver]

Careful, or I'll get a "[citation needed]" stamp and go all stamp-crazy on your Bible...

Back in Galileo's day

[markdowling]

They took citations and stamped "Bible needed".

Re:Why?

[demonbug]

Yes, and it's up there with groping crops for biofuel.

To be fair, it was an exceptionally well-formed ear of corn.