In a move that preserves the U.S. supply of helium, President Obama has signed the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act into law.
The bill, HR 527, prevented the U.S. from going over a "helium cliff" and kept alive the Federal Helium Reserve. The reserve had been scheduled to close in the first week of October due to a requirement that the program's debt be paid off.
In a statement, the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) praised the president and the bipartisan efforts of Congress to enact the legislation. The passage of the law will safeguard patient access to MRI scans, according to MITA.
Helium is used in a wide variety of industrial and medical applications, such as to cool MRI scanners. The reserve supplies approximately 40% of U.S. and 30% of international demand for helium.
