IACX contibuted to this article. It's a good story about the prospective for helium exploration - as a primary product (not just a byproduct to natural gas)
WFAA (Channel 8, Dallas Texas) - May 18, 2011 Story of the present helium shortage...
Here’s Jon Stewart’s (of Comedy Central's "Daily Show") read on the helium issue from his September 28th, 2010 show (video): Party Balloon Crisis
** note: this link is 'spotty' and doesn't always work. If it doesn't work, you might try saving it to your bookmarks and trying again later. Be patient, it's worthy **
Here's a recent (October 11, 2010) Washington Post article entitled, "Nation's Helium Reserve Running on Empty?". IACX was interviewed for this article and we concur with the findings: the U.S. is running out of helium and prices will only increase.
Also, the National Academy of Sciences recently (July 2010) released a seminal report entitled, "Selling the Nation's Helium Reserve". The report calls for, among other things, the need for the U.S. Government to intervene for higher helium prices in order to bring the present supply & demand imbalance closer to an equalibrium. Additionally, the report calls for the fostering of new supply efforts. Here, IACX is ready to help. Refer to the banner below to download the full report.
Helium is in very short supply and retail prices have been recently climbing to extraordinary levels with no signs of weakening ($75 to $200/Mcf – depending on who you ask). All natural gas has some component of associated helium, though some more than others. If you’re not monetizing the helium in your gas, you could be missing out on meaningful cash flow – as well as a veritable hedge against low natural gas prices. IACX engineers have developed the only known, non-cryogenic helium purification (≤99.999% pure) processes for natural gas applications with over 10years of on-stream time and economic success. IACX holds three process patents for its unique helium systems and are the only ones in the world who can build and operate these time-tested, money-making assets.
Don’t believe us? Do your homework or ask around - your path will always lead back to IACX Energy. If you have production in the Mid-Continent area, near any Precambrian uplifting events (ancestal, buried mountain ranges) and/or have high levels of associated nitrogen in your gas, you have a better-than-average chance that you have marketable quantities of helium in your stream. And if your gas analysis shows 0.00% helium, it’s probably because it wasn’t tested (standard gas chromatographs use helium as a carrier gas – and you can’t measure for the carrier gas). When sampling your gas, you must ask the lab to specifically read for helium. IACX deploys Helium Sponge units on a “percentage of proceeds” basis only (no sales or leases). Customers should take comfort in this approach because IACX only makes money when the customer makes money.
You’re not alone, few people do. If you’re a natural gas producer and you’re not recovering and selling the helium from your gas, you could be passing up a real and considerable value - the type of value that can provide "lift" to a project's economics when methane prices founder. 
