Deposits of helium found near the Boundary Waters remain a quiet talking point amongst industry insiders, state and federal regulators, politicians, and others interested in the future of how and when the gas will be extracted from beneath the ground of northeastern Minnesota.

We’ve reported for more than two years about the rich deposits of helium found near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Helium is back in the news following the passage of H.R. 140, the recently-passed legislation that lifted a mining ban near the Boundary Waters. Minnesota Congressman Pete Stauber was in Ely recently, taking a “victory lap” with regard to the passage of the bill he authored and advanced through the House. The bill more recently passed in the U.S. Senate on a 50-49 vote.

The proposed Twin Metals precious metals mine is often the focus of Stauber’s bill, but he mentioned helium during his recent visit to Ely. Stauber told the Ely Echo the legislation will also help other initiatives in the region, extending to the proposed Pulsar Helium project near Babbitt.

“The mining ban affected their expansion as well,” said Stauber. “When I talked (to other Congressional representatives) about the helium deposit, they were like ‘really?’”

In more news from the helium front near the Boundary Waters, Pulsar appointed a new president to lead the Minnesota project. Pulsar Helium Inc. announced the appointment of Cliff Cain as the new company president April 1. He’ll spearhead the project near the Boundary Waters moving forward.

Helium was first discovered accidentally near the BWCA in 2011 by a team of researchers looking for precious metals such as copper and nickel. The site where the helium was found this winter is near Highway 1 and Lake County Highway 2, not far from the small community of Isabella and the center of the 2021 Greenwood Fire that led, in part, to the closure of the BWCA that year. Pulsar is calling the site “The Topaz Project.” The company reports that “Topaz has been drilled with helium contents identified of up to 13.8%, making it one of the highest-grade discoveries in history.”

Only recently, state officials from Minnesota started working to regulate the industry. State Sen. Grant Hauschild introduced legislation in 2024 to set up royalties on helium exploration and extraction in Minnesota. That bill stalled, and the state is currently working toward a comprehensive policy for helium and other similar gases. It’s a bit of a scramble, as the state currently does not regulate the practice of taking helium from the earth, including near the Boundary Waters.

Helium is not just for balloons at a birthday party. It is involved in fuel systems in spacecraft, MRI scanners, fiber cables used for Internet, nuclear fusion, quantum computing, airships, technical diving, and other uses across the globe.

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is a colorless and odorless inert gas. However, at temperatures near absolute zero, helium is a fluid. Of all the elements, helium is the most stable, according to the Feds, meaning it will not burn or react with other elements.

The world’s largest primary helium source is the U.S. National Helium Reserve in Texas, according to Pulsar, which has recently been privatized and will be depleted in the next few years.

As Pulsar continues to explore for more helium and how to extract it from the edge of the Boundary Waters, state officials and agencies will work toward regulation. This leaves local officials in Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties in a holding pattern, unless they act at a more grassroots level. Lake County could issue a conditional use permit to Pulsar at any time and the company could start extracting, according to Lake County officials.

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