Embedded Environmentalism: Understanding Rural Resistance to Renewable Energy in Maine

Abstract

This article offers a new perspective on rural opposition to solar and wind development in Maine. Rather than dismissing resistance as ideological or anti-environmental, we introduce the framework of embedded environmentalism — a place-based environmentalism rooted in identity, a sense of geographic fairness, and local control. Drawing on original survey data from nearly 700 Mainers, we find that attitudes toward renewable energy are better explained by concerns over land use, fairness, and governance than by partisanship or Left-Right ideology. This research suggests that to build sustainable solutions in rural places, environmental policy must engage local knowledge, respect rural identity, and be clear in the geographically-equitable sharing of benefits. The practice of environmental policymaking in rural places cannot be separated from the politics of place itself. Policies that fail to account for rural experiences and priorities risk deepening resentment and missing opportunities for durable collaboration. Embedded environmentalism offers a way forward: one that recognizes rural people as stewards rather than obstacles, and grounds policy in the places it aims to serve.