At a time when the U.S. economy is desperate for jobs and investment in future growth, a slew of clean-energy projects are on hold largely because of political stalemate in Washington.

With President Obama's energy and climate proposals bottled up in Congress, business leaders say they cannot tell what direction government policy will take on a variety of issues, including new energy taxes, tougher emissions standards for factories and vehicles, and guaranteed markets for start-up wind and solar power plants.

That has companies reluctant to pull the trigger on green-energy investments that could create employment and combat climate change. Case in point: New Jersey's largest utility, Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., is exploring development of a massive wind farm 16 miles off the state's coast. But it won't commit until the political winds in Washington are more certain, said Ralph Izzo,... [continue via Web link]