diff --git a/include/osgUtil/CullVisitor b/include/osgUtil/CullVisitor
index a5d4173a6..7cc25e5ec 100644
--- a/include/osgUtil/CullVisitor
+++ b/include/osgUtil/CullVisitor
@@ -92,9 +92,6 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT CullVisitor : public osg::NodeVisitor, public osg::CullStac
         virtual void apply(osg::Camera& node);
         virtual void apply(osg::OccluderNode& node);
 
-        void setClearNode(const osg::ClearNode* earthSky) { _clearNode = earthSky; }
-        const osg::ClearNode* getClearNode() const { return _clearNode.get(); }
-
         /** Push state set on the current state group.
           * If the state exists in a child state group of the current
           * state group then move the current state group to that child.
@@ -286,8 +283,6 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT CullVisitor : public osg::NodeVisitor, public osg::CullStac
             else acceptNode->accept(*this);
         }
 
-        osg::ref_ptr<const osg::ClearNode>                          _clearNode;
-
         osg::ref_ptr<StateGraph>                                   _rootStateGraph;
         StateGraph*                                                _currentStateGraph;
 
diff --git a/src/osgUtil/CullVisitor.cpp b/src/osgUtil/CullVisitor.cpp
index b62458ee7..73655cbaa 100644
--- a/src/osgUtil/CullVisitor.cpp
+++ b/src/osgUtil/CullVisitor.cpp
@@ -1090,7 +1090,17 @@ void CullVisitor::apply(LOD& node)
 void CullVisitor::apply(osg::ClearNode& node)
 {
     // simply override the current earth sky.
-    setClearNode(&node);
+    if (node.getRequiresClear())
+    {
+      getCurrentRenderBin()->getStage()->setClearColor(node.getClearColor());
+      getCurrentRenderBin()->getStage()->setClearMask(node.getClearMask());
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      // we have an earth sky implementation to do the work for use
+      // so we don't need to clear.
+      getCurrentRenderBin()->getStage()->setClearMask(0);
+    }
 
     // push the node's state.
     StateSet* node_state = node.getStateSet();
diff --git a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
index 730641769..1aedf8916 100644
--- a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
+++ b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
@@ -764,9 +764,6 @@ bool SceneView::cullStage(const osg::Matrixd& projection,const osg::Matrixd& mod
 
     cullVisitor->inheritCullSettings(*this);
 
-
-    cullVisitor->setClearNode(NULL); // reset earth sky on each frame.
-    
     cullVisitor->setStateGraph(rendergraph);
     cullVisitor->setRenderStage(renderStage);
 
@@ -829,22 +826,6 @@ bool SceneView::cullStage(const osg::Matrixd& projection,const osg::Matrixd& mod
     if (_globalStateSet.valid()) cullVisitor->popStateSet();
     
 
-    const osg::ClearNode* clearNode = cullVisitor->getClearNode();
-    if (clearNode)
-    {
-        if (clearNode->getRequiresClear())
-        {
-            renderStage->setClearColor(clearNode->getClearColor());
-            renderStage->setClearMask(clearNode->getClearMask());
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            // we have an earth sky implementation to do the work for use
-            // so we don't need to clear.
-            renderStage->setClearMask(0);
-        }
-    }
-
     renderStage->sort();
 
     // prune out any empty StateGraph children.