As natural gas prices skyrocketed this year and horizontal drilling techniques became mainstream, "stealth" shale reservoirs emerged as the saviors of the dwindling onshore U.S. natural gas industry. But financing sources are drying up, and natural gas prices have fallen by nearly half from a high of $13.32 per thousand cubic feet in July.

States and utilities are scaling back incentives for home solar installations to save money after Congress passed stepped-up renewable energy subsidies last month.

Despite the emphasis of the White House and Congress on energy security, the development of alternatives to oil from unstable regions remains tethered to forces beyond policymakers' control.

With the U.S. banking and housing meltdown driving federal activism to levels unseen in decades, many see the government's newfound regulatory muscle being felt far beyond financial markets.