This is almost entirely incorrect. Helium is generally not extracted from the atmosphere, it comes as a byproduct of mining natural gas (the same conditions tha

This is almost entirely incorrect. Helium is generally not extracted from the atmosphere, it comes as a byproduct of mining natural gas (the same conditions that trap natural gas underground also traps noble gases produced by radioactive decay, Helium (being just a neutralized alpha particle) is a very common product of such decay and so abundant in natural gas deposits, but it requires special equipment to trap it). Historically the US has excelled at Helium production due to its natural gas infrastructure, and it has created a national strategic Helium reserve to maintain stocks of the gas just in case. However, the government has decided to sell of much of that reserve in recent years, lowering the price of Helium to artificial levels and destroying the natural economic incentives that would exist to produce and conserve Helium.