oops digging up an old post but just thought I should mention. In countries and areas that are helium poor, there's been concerted effort to reduce helium dependency or it's high price has prohibited it's use. For example because of the lack of any natural helium resources Japan has traditionally used Argon and CO2 in all but the unavoidable welding processes. Also as part of Japans national resource policy it generally reserves resources that are deemed important to the economy, helium included.
Also as a correction Helium is also a fission byproduct and is hence found in significant qualities anywhere Uranium is mined, or as a fission gas from Breeder reactors, however I don't believe it is produced in significant quantities via this method.
If you think Helium is in short supply, the latest article of the ceramics Bulletin magazine states the desperate shortage and source security of ALL rare earth elements. Of note to welding is lanthanum and cerium... popular additives to tungsten electrodes and minor alloying elements.
http://americanceramicsociety.org/bulletin/sept_10/#/22/ Luckily the US is reacting to this resources shortage by trying to increase mining of REE's in North america. Unfortunately we are putting in no concerted effort to recycle or recapture any critical resource be it Helium or Rare or elements.