Not-in-my-backyard attitude a continuing problem

From an editorial in The Country Today:

We hear it all the time in rural Wisconsin communities: "We don't want that wind farm, large dairy operation or anaerobic digester in our neighborhood."

The not-in-my-backyard mentality hasn't gone away and it isn't likely to anytime soon.

The NIMBY attitude really isn't so hard to understand. If someone lived in a peaceful rural neighborhood and that person had a choice, he or she probably would opt not to have that tranquility disrupted by a large business being built next door, whether it be an ethanol plant, a hog confinement operation or a widget factory.

It would be quite unusual to hear, "Please don't build that in my backyard, build it in my front yard!"

Within the past week, stories have crossed our desks about a large dairy project near Rosendale, a Manitowoc County wind farm and a community animal-manure digester project in Dane County.

In all three cases, millions of dollars would be invested - during the toughest economic times in about 60 years - to help stimulate the economy. Each of the projects would provide good rural jobs. . . .

So herein lies the dilemma. The economy desperately needs stimulation, and agricultural and rural projects stand ready to meet the challenge. But many of the projects face opposition.

This problem could become even more widespread in the months ahead if, as expected, President Obama and Congress designate money to accelerate renewable-energy projects. The projects that could provide immediate economic stimulation could become bogged down by a plethora of opposition and regulations.

There is no easy solution to this dilemma. It's certainly not a new problem.

But some people might have to reconsider their opposition to reasonable projects that help the country climb out of its economic doldrums. The old economic structure in this country is broken and must be replaced by a new paradigm. That new paradigm will likely include new ways to generate energy and economic wealth that we might not be used to or familiar with. But they're not necessarily bad just because they're different.

We can't always have our cake and eat it too, as the old saying goes. We can't ask for projects that stimulate the economy but then always expect them to be built somewhere else.

If we want to put people back to work and get this country's economy back in gear, some people might have to change their mind-sets.