To understand this subpart you need to know that:

BLM means the Bureau of Land Management, Helium Operations, United States Department of the Interior, Amarillo, TX 79101.

Buyer means anyone who is purchasing refined helium for a Federal agency or Federal agency contractor.

Crude helium means a helium-gas mixture containing no more than ninety-nine (99) percent helium by volume.

Federal agency means any department, independent establishment, commission, administration, foundation, authority, board, or bureau of the United States, or any corporation owned, controlled, or in which the United States has a proprietary interest, as these terms are used in 5 U.S.C. 101-105; 5 U.S.C. 551(1); or in 18 U.S.C. 6, but does not include Federal agency contractors.

Federal helium supplier means a private helium merchant who has an In-Kind Crude Helium Sales Contract with an effective date of January 1, 1998, or later, with BLM, and who has helium available for sale to:

(1) Federal agencies; or

(2) Private helium purchasers for use in Federal Government contracts.

Helium means the element helium regardless of its physical state.

Helium use location means the location where the major helium requirement will be used.

Like (equivalent) amount of crude helium means the amount of crude helium measured at a pressure of 14.65 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) and a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (F), and rounded up to the nearest thousand (1,000) cubic feet, that is equivalent to a specified amount of refined helium measured at 14.7 psia and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Major helium requirement means an estimated refined helium requirement greater than 200,000 standard cubic feet (scf) of gaseous helium or 7510 liters of liquid helium delivered to a helium use location per year.

Standard cubic foot (SCF) means the volume of gaseous helium occupying one cubic foot at a pressure of 14.7 psia and a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. One liter of liquid helium is equivalent to 26.63 scf of gaseous helium. One U.S. gallon of liquid helium is equivalent to 100.8 scf of gaseous helium. One pound of liquid helium is equivalent to 96.72 scf of gaseous helium. If BLM approves, you may use appropriate gaseous equivalents of volumes of helium mixtures different from these figures.