Rural Progressivism: How Rural Communities Can Adopt Progressive Ideals Without Sacrificing Cultural Identity

The Democratic party has long been associated with cities and geographic spaces with dense populations. California and New York have historically been strongholds for the Democrats while Republicans have been tied to rural areas like Wyoming and South Dakota. When we look at the electoral map, we can see that rural areas have historically voted Republican and urban areas have voted Democrat. 

One reason for this is because of the traditional  alliances the two parties have had with each demographic. Another reason has to do with how both parties gerrymandered geographic areas to fit their electoral ambitions. Despite all this, I would argue that progressive ideas can exist in rural communities. The best Democratic ideas can work in rural areas just as well as the best Republican ideas can work in our suburbs.

Progressive policies have a hard time gaining traction in rural areas like Western Colorado because they call for major structural shifts in our economy and culture. What we fail to recognize is that what might work for New York City won’t automatically work for a small rural town such as Parachute, CO. 

The Farmer Anthony Flaccavento wrote an article titled, “To Fix Stuff Democrats Have to Stop Being Stupid.” In the article, Flaccavento argues that there are three basic elements needed to build a rural progressive platform:  land, livelihood and community.

These three pillars of rural life are crucial in defining rural progressivism.  And land is the single most important element of rural life and rural culture.

Land

Where I grew up, Rifle, Colorado, my teachers in high school owned acres of land for the animals that provided them food and income. Cattle ranches were just as close to my childhood home as was the hospital. The horses would watch us drive our cars to and from work. You could grab a pizza from downtown and then find yourself at the lake all in a 20-minute drive.  In the town of Rifle, the land defined us and shaped our lives.  

In the same article, Flaccavento recognizes this ethos born of the  land when he says, “If we’re going to do a better job sustaining the environment while still meeting people’s needs, progressive policies must make partners of those who live from the land, rather than just regulating and restricting what happens in the countryside.” 

The best progressive policies never discard or belittle those living in rural areas. House Resolution 109 (otherwise known as The Green New Deal) is often seen as the premier progressive platform. Although this resolution is polarizing to some, it actually supports ruralites.

The resolution states the need to “[work] collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible, including—by supporting family farming; by investing in sustainable farming and land-use practices that increase soil health; and by building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food.”

While the progressive agenda supports family farms and ranches, it does not support investing in industrial farming and other corporate operations within our small towns. For large-scale livestock and crop practices are often inhumane and don’t return much to the surrounding communities. 

Another good example of progressive policy that supports the rural land ethic is Colorado Senate Bill 19-18 passed in 2019. This bill essentially shifted the focus of oil and gas companies from maximum economic return to the protection of public health and safety. SB 181 gave local governments more power in regulating where oil and gas companies can drill and set new sites. 

This bill was met with a lot of criticism because of its potential economic effect in rural areas. The big energy companies claim that economic growth in the oil and gas sector would be hindered due to stricter regulations. Even some residents were opposed to the new restrictions. But those supporting the bill argue that it gives rural communities more control over the health of the very land they live on.  

When Colorado passed Senate Bill 181, Garfield County and a coalition of nine other counties even sued the state of Colorado in response. Garfield County spent $1.5 million of taxpayer money to fund the lawsuit.

“I urge the Garfield County Commissioners to stop spending their taxpayers’ money to defend the energy industry and start working to protect residents in Battlement Mesa and elsewhere who live with the impacts of natural gas wells all day every day,” said Western Colorado Alliance Executive Director Emily Hornback.

There is space for humble living in a green economy. The farmers and ranchers of Western Colorado will be made friends of sustainable energy. At the end of the day, the farmers and ranchers are critical to how we operate as a country. This is how families keep the lights on and we must respect that.

Livelihood

A large portion of the Western Colorado population relies on oil and gas jobs to keep food on the table. A 2015 report by the American Petroleum Institute (API) concluded, “the natural gas and oil industry supports more than 232,900 jobs, provides nearly $23.1 billion in wages and contributes nearly $31.4 billion to the state’s economy.” It is next to impossible to convince oil-dependent communities to decarbonize because oil and gas supports economic success around the state. 

For a lot of honest folk, oil and gas jobs keep food on the table. It isn’t surprising that many communities in western Colorado reject renewable energy industries because they believe a new economy would jeopardize their livelihoods. 

It would be unrealistic to demand a structural change to a state’s economy without expecting a displacement of workers.  But what rural communities across America must note is that The Green New Deal calls for a transition for all workers displaced by decarbonization. The resolution states, “It is the sense of the House of Representatives to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers.” 

So how do we find jobs for the countless people that rely on oil and gas to put food on the table? How do we train the 45-year-old oil rig worker to adjust to a new industry?  There must be plans in place to make sure all workers in the petroleum and mining sector are able to find well-paying jobs as we make the transition to clean energy.

The progressive platform advocates for the individual. The Green New Deal has an entire section dedicated to protecting the individual during the proposed economic shift. There will be displacement and there will be growing pains. Progressives cannot hide the fact that a transition away from oil and gas will pose adversity to some families across the country. I argue, however, that this adversity is necessary if we want humankind to succeed for generations to come. 

So what replaces oil and gas? Biomass, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy come to mind. Although some are more viable than others, renewable energy is already surging in economic output.

For example, the geothermal HVAC market is predicted to grow to $16.4 billion by 2027. This growth would register a 7.2% compound annual growth rate (the mean annual growth rate of an investment lasting longer than one year).

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports, “Colorado's electricity from renewable sources has more than doubled since 2010 to 25% of net generation in 2019, led by increased wind and solar power.” 

Western Colorado does not need to be dependent on oil and gas for its survival. Oil and gas do not create or define the culture in which we live. The hard-working residents of rural Colorado are the sole masters of their culture.  The teachers, nurses, ranchers, truck drivers and retail workers in our area are the lifeblood of Western Colorado. Without them, we are nothing. Without oil and gas, we still have so much to look forward to.

This brings us to the third pillar of rural living: community.

Community

We come back to the notion that rural communities must be protected.  In my opinion, the sense of community in our western Colorado towns is the heart, soul, and fiber of our state. I remember growing up in Rifle, Colorado where I could walk to my friend’s house across town without fear. I spent late nights out in the park with the neighborhood kids. My teachers led both in the classrooms and in the community. I’d see my librarian at the coffee shop having Sunday brunch with my aunt. Some of the kids at school waited tables at the restaurants where I ate. What I took for granted was the connectivity between those I loved. Everyone knew everyone, for better or for worse. It wasn’t until I left for college that I realized not everyone’s graduating class was on a first name basis.  The connectivity is why some people stay in the place where they grew up, I like to think. 

News travels fast. Shared experiences are more common. The stories told and memories made are the history of a town’s people. A person can’t help but feel important in our small towns. I think this is because they are important and towns in Western Colorado remind us of this.

Western Colorado communities should not be made to feel that their way of life is in jeopardy, and understanding the importance of land, livelihood, and community to rural societies is where it all begins. As Flaccavento writes, “Over generations, these three pillars of rural life have shaped the economies and cultures of much of the countryside; they have forged our commitment to self-reliance and belief in hard work.”

Rural areas can be progressive without feeling like they are sacrificing their identity. They can advance into the next generation of leadership without bending under the weight of the urban zeitgeist. Put differently: the rural way of life is vital to our country functioning well. Yet rural life must also make significant changes so it can adapt to the evolving times. 

I would like to see our communities in Western Colorado grow, prosper and add to the global conversation. I don’t believe that the progressive platform is the socialist agenda. We can tailor progressive policies to the needs of Western Colorado without feeling like we’re becoming a socialist country. Progressivism is about protecting ourselves and those around us against the perils of the future. We must care for our neighbors as much as we care for ourselves. This is called decency, and it’s not a socialist term. It's rural and it’s progressive.