API welcomes Obama's energy policies

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WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- Streamlining the oversight of natural gas development in the United States means good things for the domestic energy sector, a trade group said.

U.S. President Barack Obama, in an executive order, created an interagency group tasked with overseeing the domestic natural gas sector.

Jack Gerard, president and chief executive officer at the American Petroleum Institute, said he welcomed the initiative but added the government should look to state regulations for developments in the shale natural gas sector.

"We have one of the largest known reserves of natural gas in the world and we need public policies based on sound science in order to develop this affordable source of energy," he said.

Bob Perciasepe, deputy administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, said that, with the United States entering a "new era" of energy, the Obama administration was looking for the best ways to ensure energy gains are made safely and responsibly.

"We will continue to rely on the best available science to oversee the responsible development of these energy sources," he said in a statement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working on new pollution standards aimed at decreasing the amount of volatile organic compounds released into the air from natural gas development. The proposals are expected to be announced later this week.