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The far reaching and well planned climate and energy bill may not go forward for the U.S.  At this point it's hard to see a clear reason why the U.S. seems to be leaning toward scrapping it's renewable energy standard (RES) plans.  Without directive government policy the renewables market in the U.S. is vulnerable, especially as the country works to recover from the biting recession. Lack of leadership now on climate and clean energy for the U.S. is decidedly not in their best interest and could become the worst policy move for the country in recent years, if it fails to pass.

An RES for the U.S. would guarantee that a percentage of energy generation has to come from renewable sources.  Policy then implies climate protection, job creation, and market growth and stability.  Policy creates a structured environment for investors to move forward with some confidence.  It can shape the future in essence.  In the absence of policy the future for thousands of  clean energy jobs could be threatened and the U.S. renewables industry could suffer significantly.

Environment and Clean Energy advocates, and key candidates within government are speaking up to bring attention to the seriousness of what a failed RES bill means to the U.S.  Rightly so. Other clean energy markets around the world would stand to gain for their lack of future planning, as globally we are seeing many countries navigating their shift to better energy production.

We can't yet say whether things are falling apart however. Too much work has been done to create momentum and investment for renewable energy development in America. The U.S. is not the only country that is toying with funding and policy cuts toward clean energy development and climate protection.  The U.K. for example has also seen deep cuts this year.

Large government investment in R&D seems to move forward for the U.S. however, demonstrating they have a focus on the future.  There is plenty of vision it seems, but dreams can only take you so far.  There comes a time when you just have to commit to clear action. Let's hope they get it right.