Congressional inaction on key clean energy tax policies, coupled with attacks on state renewable energy programs, led to a dramatic decline in clean energy job announcements in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest report from the nonpartisan business group Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2).

About 5,600 clean energy and clean transportation jobs were announced in the first three months of this year, down from 12,000 such jobs reported in the comparable period in 2013.

A major geothermal project in Idaho accounted for the most clean energy jobs announced on the state level in the first quarter.Idaho was followed by more traditional clean energy leaders. The remaining states in the Top 10 were: Texas, California,Missouri, New York, Kansas, Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico and Louisiana.. 

Despite adding thousands of new jobs to the economy, the dramatic drop in clean energy and clean transportation job announcements in the quarter is a clear reflection of mixed signals American businesses  are getting from Capitol Hill and state capitals when it comes to policies such as the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) and various state-level renewable energy standards (RES), according to E2.