Obama orders oversight group on shale gas

US President Barack Obama speaks on energy use and the economy following a tour of the Industrial Assessment Center at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, February 23, 2012. The center teaches students about industrial energy efficiency as they help small and mid-sized companies reduce energy costs. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB

Executive order: Group will evaluate natural gas development

SAUL LOEB

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By Staff and news wires

 13 April 2012 17:32 GMT

President Barack Obama issued an executive order on Friday creating an interagency group to oversee development of natural gas from shale deposits as companies push the administration to approve terminals to export the fuel.

Vast new sources of shale gas, which drillers access with techniques including hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have given the United States hope that it could become a natural gas exporter in coming years.

Environmentalists and health groups, however, say that fracking operations near homes and schools can pollute air and water, Reuters reported.

"It is vital that we take full advantage of our natural gas resources, while giving American families and communities confidence that natural and cultural resources, air and water quality, and public health and safety will not be compromised," the executive…

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