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In case anyone was wondering, the reason this was mandated in 2013 was because the government was causing private reserves to go out of business by flooding the
by jedberg 3y ago
In case anyone was wondering, the reason this was mandated in 2013 was because the government was causing private reserves to go out of business by flooding the market with cheap helium. It was believed that a private owner wouldn't do that by keeping the price high (and the law mandated a higher price until the reserve was sold).
- exe34 3y agoSince the law already mandated a higher price, why did it still need to be sold?
- happymellon 3y agoThat seems like such an odd move. Why not just not flood the market with cheap helium?
- wakawaka28 3y agoIf the resources are so mismanaged as to lose money, the taxpayers have to pay for it. The government with all its vast resources could put most businesses out of commission because it has no obligation to be profitable. What if helium is cheap and relatively abundant though? Like the way we treat water. Even water has to be sold at a (preferably low) profit so that all the facilities and infrastructure around it can be maintained. In some cases the government does end up paying for water infrastructure but this is often initial setup costs that would be too huge and risky to provide affordable water to small communities if the true cost had to be paid by them in a reasonable time frame.