U.S. will not seek emergency supplies from IEA: DOE

NEWARK, Delaware (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said Friday the United States will not ask members of the International Energy Agency to release emergency gasoline and diesel supplies to the United States in response to domestic supply disruptions caused by Hurricane Ike.

"We will not be asking the IEA to contribute, because we are reasonably satisfied with the rate of recovery in the area," Bodman said.

Hurricane Ike was the second storm in recent weeks to hit the Gulf Coast, shutting down almost all of the region's crude oil production and constraining the nation's fuel supply.

Bodman told reporters there will continue to be some gasoline shortages in the United States in the coming weeks due to Ike, but he said the disruptions will be temporary.

Based in Paris, the IEA was created in the mid-1970s after the Arab oil embargo to coordinate energy policy and release emergency petroleum stocks when needed.

The Energy Department and IEA worked together to release millions of barrels in September 2005 after Hurricane Katrina caused major supply disruptions.

Bodman said it was not necessary right now to ask the IEA to intervene in the aftermath of Ike, especially since it would take at least 10 days for fuel from IEA members to reach the U.S.

"There's already refined products coming to this country just because we have higher prices," Bodman said after delivering a speech at the University of Delaware Energy Institute. "So the market's working."

The average retail gasoline price in the United States shot up 19 cents to $3.84 a gallon over the past week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by John Picinich)