Feds hit back at Air Products in helium lawsuit

The US General Services Administration (GSA) has responded to a helium lawsuit brought against it by the industrial gas major Air Products. The suit, filed in September, claims that the GSA’s plan to auction the Federal Helium System (FHS) is unlawful as currently structured because it would disrupt helium markets and supplies. In a motion filed Oct. 2, the GSA claims that Air Products is really seeking to protect a monopoly. The firm started operation of a private geological helium storage facility in Beaumont, Texas, in late 2021. “Although AP is currently alone among its competitors in operating such a facility, Congress’s privatization of the FHS may mean that one of those competitors could benefit from a ‘[u]nique opportunity to own a helium storage site,’ ” the motion says.