What does the future hold if both sides don't come together?

The simple answer is: more of the same.  If we do not have a comprehensive energy plan that addresses the environment as well as the economic issues surrounding energy, it is the environment that stands to lose the most.  The government will always find a way to deal with the economic issues, and they will probably always be considered a higher priority.  It is all too easy to ignore the environment, as it doesn't hit Americans where it hurts.  

If lobbyists remain influential in government energy policy, we are likely to see an increase in oil drilling, expanded natural gas exploration and usage, as well as coal, which all have negative consequences for the environment in the form of harmful emissions.  The technology already exists for these energy sources, so when there isn't enough money to go around to invest in new technology, it's easier to use what we already have.  In order to have alternative sources of energy such as wind play a big role, there is capital needed up front to get the program off the ground.  Oil, natural gas, and coal also fit very nicely with the goal of achieving independence from foreign sources of oil.   

The United States will still have to deal with the international community as it relates to global warming, so the environment cannot be completely ignored when it comes to energy policy.  

I also believe the environmental movement here in the United States will continue to exert pressure on the government, although they are at a disadvantage in terms of money they have at their disposal and cannot come close to matching the oil companies.  

There is the potential for the environmental movement, private investors, and interested consumers to come together and take alternative energy into their own hands.  T. Boone Pickens' plan is evidence that any major change in energy usage in the United States might indeed be up to the private sector instead of the government.  It is also possible that State Government will play a bigger role in energy policy.  Ten states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions have chosen to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which is essentially a cap and trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions.  The states worked closely with a very influential environmental group, the National Resources Defense Council to implement a cap and trade program.  The environmental movement and State Governments were able to succeed where the Federal Government has not.  I take this as a good sign that the push for environmentally responsible energy programs will continue to progress with or without the Federal Government's assistance.