Nilson & Stedman: Reacting to the Rural Burden

In Reacting to the Rural Burden: Understanding Opposition to Utility-Scale Solar Development in Upstate New York, authors Roberta Nilson and Richard C. Stedman (both Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University) examine how rural perceptions of a long history of rural spaces being exploited as a natural resource is impacting large-scale solar development today.

Large-scale solar “farms” have increased exponentially in recent years as a response to climate change. This article examines what factors have most strongly affected opposition to such developments in rural communities. Specifically, the authors argue that a perception by rural residents of a long legacy of being exploited by urban cities—including being used to supply their power—generates much of the current opposition.

Nilson and Stedman found that many variables associated with support of renewable energy—including belief in climate change as a pressing concern and overall political ideology—had almost no effect on opposition to local solar farms. Instead, the authors found that feelings of perceived injustice, burden, and place attachment contributed most to rural opposition to solar developments.

The authors present qualitative examples of rural citizens’ feelings of exploitation by urban communities. For example, the authors note how rural residents feel they do not have a voice in policy decisions regarding the construction of solar farms in their communities. In general, the authors show that much of the opposition to solar development is not a reaction to climate change policy or beliefs, but of a perception that rural residents will bear a larger and unjust burden.

Through their research, Nilson and Stedman demonstrate how a recognition of a historical rural burden to supply resources contributes to opposition to large-scale solar development. These perceptions of distributive and procedural injustice reflect a history of production and consumption patterns between rural and urban society that have contributed to spatially based socio-economic inequalities. By examining the factors that underlie many rural citizen’s beliefs, the authors provide tools and new understanding for future policy makers in renewable energy.