WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. gasoline inventories shrunk to the lowest level since 1967 after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike shut Gulf Coast oil refineries, but the Bush administration said there is still no need to ask for emergency fuel supplies from European allies.

The drop in fuel stocks has caused long lines at service stations in southern cities. Retail outlets, including those in Atlanta and Memphis and as far away as Ohio, have run out of fuel.

Nonetheless, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said on Wednesday the Bush administration would not reconsider making a request to the International Energy Agency for emergency gasoline supplies. Bodman said last week the Energy Department was “reasonably satisfied” with the recovery of the U.S. oil sector after the hurricanes.

The Paris-based IEA was created by the United States and other industrial nations in the mid-1970s, after the Arab oil embargo, to coordinate energy policy and the release of petroleum stocks when needed.

Five U.S. oil refineries with a total production capacity of 1.231 million barrels a day have remained shut since Ike idled 14 plants, or a quarter of the nation’s refined fuel production, nearly two weeks ago, according to the department.

The closed refineries have caused a drawdown in existing fuel inventories to help meet demand.

The hard work of Western Resource Advocates has caused a major change in electric utility operations: a large energy company will decommission fossil-fueled power generation in favor of shifting to cleaner energy resources for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Colorado Public Utility Commission (PUC) granted final approval to Xcel Energy’s Electric Resource Plan, allowing Xcel to phase out two aging coal-fired power plants and greatly expand energy efficiency measures and use of clean, renewable energy sources.

This is the first time in the nation that a PUC has approved a utility resource plan to retire old and inefficient coal-fired power plants and replace them with cleaner, more modern resources with the goal of cutting global warming pollution.

The approval of the revolutionary resource plan marks a significant milestone in Western Resource Advocates efforts to push for large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by electric utilities in the West. WRA has worked for over a decade to compel and encourage Xcel to expand investments in clean energy technologies and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In recent proceedings, WRA provided extensive expert testimony on the carbon reduction and public health benefits of the Xcel Plan, key factors cited by the PUC in its approval.

“This is a pioneering decision by the PUC,” said John Nielsen, the energy program director at Western Resource Advocates. “It clears the way for Xcel to put into action what is arguably the most innovative utility resource plan anywhere in the country, and it will only strengthen Colorado’s status as a clean energy leader.”

Xcel’s innovative resource plan sets a benchmark for other utilities and other states to follow.