Reflecting the ongoing sluggish economic recovery, U.S. gasoline deliveries, a barometer of demand, declined 0.6 percent during the first half of 2010 versus the comparable year-ago period to average 8.88 million bpd, according to the American Petroleum Institute’s Monthly Statistical Report for June released Friday (7/23).

“The listless economic recovery continues to take a bite out of gasoline demand,” observed API Chief Economist John Felmy. “It’s clear from the gasoline deliveries data that consumer confidence in the economy remains shaky. This certainly supports API’s position that increased taxes or other anti-jobs policies by Congress or the administration could increase unemployment and harm our economic recovery.”

The broad financial reform bill that President Barack Obama signed into law on July 21 contains provisions that will substantially change the trading landscape for U.S. energy derivatives, according to energy lawyers and analysts.

While most of the regulatory details will have to wait for rulemakings by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the law passed ensures that energy traders will now face a host of issues, including capital and margin requirements, reporting and record keeping obligations and position limits, and the fact that swaps must now be exchange-traded and cleared.

The U.S. Department of Energy on July 19 released a study saying that a pipeline for shipping ethanol from production plants in Midwest to consumers in the East Coast is feasible under certain scenarios, including access to government financial incentives.

The “Report to Congress: Dedicated Ethanol Pipeline Feasibility Study,” was required by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.