Rural Prospects Are Good Long-term

03/13/2007

Paul Munnis


Rural residents of Minnesota are not too happy as they watch their roads disintegrate, their sewage and disposal systems decay, and the GOP pulling money from their communities even as their property taxes rise. They are right to be upset but there is a sunbeam starting to shine through those clouds.

It is alternative energy and simply put that translates into rural jobs creating a demand for housing and services.

Corn and switch-grass needs to be processed and the refineries are local and located near to where the product is grown. No matter who owns the processing facilities it takes hands and minds to make those processing plants operate. That means jobs and jobs are the lifeblood of rural America.

As we look at each technology for alternative energy, the rural areas of Minnesota will benefit. Solar means that lots of farm and community buildings will need retrofit. Wind turbines mean lots of towers need to be put up and a number of turbine repair facilities and parts centers will be needed for maintenance. Bio-mass is a farm technology that is also applied to rural community sewage and waste processing. The list goes on and on.

Rural communities are in despair sensing a lack of representation because they do not command enough votes. As the new technology grows so too will rural America. Suddenly the needs for clean affordable energy will impact the urban area dwellers and at St. Paul the legislature will hear plenty about the need to get product to market. That will fix rural roads real quick as they count the amount of revenue being generated by rural America.

We live in a situation where the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Rural Americans can see that their turn is coming up fast.