One problem is the US has almost No Energy Policy [1]
Solar, wind and biomass (ethanol) research are funded at the rate of $1.13 per person per year, and that's all together. That's not a policy, it's a bad joke. Ethanol subsidies [2] in 2006 were near $7 billion, but that made us only 1.1% more energy independent [3].
Links:
[1] //zfacts.com/p/517.html
[2] //zfacts.com/p/63.html
[3] //zfacts.com/p/350.html
