Index: shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorScript.java
===================================================================
--- shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorScript.java	(revision 453789)
+++ shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorScript.java	(working copy)
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@
              }
          } else {
             if (value != null && value instanceof String
-                && UIComponentTag.isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
+                && this.isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
 
                 value = tagUtils.eval((String) e.getValue());
             }
@@ -652,4 +652,22 @@
       writeValidationFunctions(writer, context);
       writeScriptEnd(writer);
    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return true if the specified string contains an EL expression.
+     * <p>
+     * This is taken almost verbatim from {@link javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag}
+     * in order to remove JSP dependencies from the renderers.
+     */
+    private static boolean isValueReference(String value)
+    {
+        if (value == null) return false;
+
+        int start = value.indexOf("#{");
+        if (start < 0) return false;
+
+        int end = value.lastIndexOf('}');
+        return (end >=0 && start < end);
+    }
+
 }
Index: shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorInputRenderer.java
===================================================================
--- shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorInputRenderer.java	(revision 453789)
+++ shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorInputRenderer.java	(working copy)
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@
                           Map.Entry e = (Map.Entry) vi.next();
                           // only override if the var contains a value binding expression
                           if (e.getValue() != null && e.getValue() instanceof String
-                              && UIComponentTag.isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
+                              && isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
 
                              localVars.put(e.getKey(), tagUtils.eval((String) e.getValue()));
 
@@ -179,5 +179,20 @@
         return defaultRenderer.getRendersChildren();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Return true if the specified string contains an EL expression.
+     * <p>
+     * This is taken almost verbatim from {@link javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag}
+     * in order to remove JSP dependencies from the renderers.
+     */
+    private static boolean isValueReference(String value)
+    {
+        if (value == null) return false;
 
+        int start = value.indexOf("#{");
+        if (start < 0) return false;
+
+        int end = value.lastIndexOf('}');
+        return (end >=0 && start < end);
+    } 
 }