Missouri stands at a crossroads. The state can cling to the past and watch economic opportunity flow to neighboring states, or it can embrace the energy economy of the future and secure prosperity for generations to come. The choice isn’t between old energy and new energy. It’s about leveraging every resource Missouri has to build an economy that works for everyone, especially the rural communities that have been the backbone of this state since its founding.
An “all of the above” approach to power generation isn’t just good policy. It’s the only strategy that makes economic sense for Missouri consumers and the only path that positions the state to compete in a rapidly changing energy landscape. By combining renewable energy with natural gas, Missouri can deliver what families and businesses need most: affordable, reliable, and abundant power.
The economics are straightforward. Wind and solar are now the cheapest forms of new electricity generation available. When paired with natural gas, which can quickly ramp up or down to meet demand when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining, these resources work together to keep costs low and the lights on. Natural gas and renewables aren’t competitors. They’re partners in delivering the kind of power system that Missouri’s economy demands.
But this is about more than just keeping electric bills manageable, as important as that is. This is about economic development and opportunity in the places that need it most. Missouri’s rural communities have watched manufacturing plants close, family farms consolidate, and their children move away in search of better opportunities. Renewable energy offers these communities something they haven’t seen in decades: major capital investment coming to them rather than passing them by.
When a wind farm or solar project comes to a rural Missouri county, it becomes one of the largest taxpayers in that county, often the largest. That tax revenue flows directly to school districts that are struggling to keep teachers, hospitals that are fighting to keep their doors open, and county governments that are stretched thin trying to maintain roads and provide basic services. These aren’t abstract benefits. They’re real dollars showing up in real budgets at exactly the moment rural Missouri needs them most.
For Missouri farmers and ranchers, renewable energy represents something even more valuable: a hedge against the uncertainty that has come to define modern agriculture. Commodity prices swing wildly. Weather patterns have become less predictable.
Input costs keep rising. Trade policies shift with every election. And yet, the bills keep coming due. Land leases from wind and solar projects provide stable, long-term income that doesn’t depend on rainfall, commodity markets, or Washington’s latest farm policy. That steady check in the mail can mean the difference between keeping the farm in the family and selling to a corporate consolidator.
The beauty of renewable energy development on agricultural land is that it doesn’t force an either-or choice. A farmer doesn’t have to choose between growing crops and hosting a wind turbine. The turbine takes up a tiny footprint, the rows of corn or soybeans run right up to the base, and the farmer collects lease payments on top of whatever the harvest brings. Solar arrays can be designed to allow grazing underneath or between the panels. And when these projects reach the end of their useful lives in twenty or thirty years, they’re decommissioned and the land is returned to agricultural use. Farmland stays farmland. Ranchland stays ranchland. Families can pass their land to the next generation knowing it served them well without being permanently removed from production.
This matters in a state like Missouri, where agriculture isn’t just an industry. It’s a way of life and a cultural identity. Rural communities don’t want to become industrial parks or housing subdivisions. They want to stay rural. Renewable energy allows them to do exactly that while generating the revenue they need to thrive.T
he economic ripple effects extend far beyond individual landowners and county budgets. As Missouri builds out its renewable energy capacity, the state will need construction workers to build the projects, electricians and technicians to maintain them, engineers to design them, and lawyers and accountants to structure the deals. These aren’t jobs that can be shipped overseas or automated away. They’re middle-class careers that can support families and anchor communities. And many of them will be in rural areas where good jobs have been scarce for far too long.
Missouri also has the opportunity to attract energy-intensive industries that are looking for states with abundant, affordable power. Data centers, advanced manufacturing facilities, and industrial operations all need reliable electricity at competitive prices. An energy mix that combines cheap renewables with flexible natural gas gives Missouri exactly the kind of power system these industries are seeking. That’s economic development on a scale that can transform entire regions of the state.
The alternative is to sit on the sidelines and watch other states capture this opportunity. Iowa has already built a massive wind industry that generates billions in economic activity. Kansas and Oklahoma have followed suit. Texas leads the nation in both wind and solar deployment while also being America’s top natural gas producer. These states didn’t achieve this by picking winners and losers. They succeeded by creating a level playing field and letting every energy resource compete. They embraced an all-of-the-above strategy, and their economies are stronger for it.
Missouri can do the same. The state has excellent wind resources in the northern and western regions. It has strong solar potential across much of the state. It sits on natural gas pipelines that connect to major production areas. And it has farmers and ranchers who are ready to diversify their income and help power America’s future. All the ingredients are in place. What’s needed now is the political will to let Missouri’s energy economy reach its full potential.
The misinformation campaigns funded by those who profit from limiting competition will inevitably push back. They’ll claim that renewable energy is unreliable, even though the data shows wind and solar paired with natural gas and energy storage deliver excellent reliability. They’ll argue that renewables hurt property values, even though study after study shows no such effect. They’ll say these projects industrialize the countryside, even though they allow land to remain in agricultural production. These arguments don’t hold up under scrutiny, but they’re loud and well-funded.
The facts tell a different story. Renewable energy is lowering electricity costs for consumers across the country. It’s providing stable income for farmers who are struggling with volatile commodity prices and uncertain weather. It’s generating tax revenue for rural communities that have been starving for investment. And when combined with natural gas, it’s delivering the reliable, affordable power that Missouri’s economy needs to compete.
Missouri doesn’t need to abandon any of its energy resources. It needs to use all of them strategically. Natural gas will continue to play a vital role in the state’s energy mix, providing the flexibility and reliability that keep the grid stable. But by adding wind and solar to that mix, Missouri can drive down costs, create jobs, support rural communities, and position itself as a leader in the energy economy rather than a follower watching opportunity go elsewhere.
This isn’t about ideology. It’s about economics. It’s about opportunity. And it’s about giving rural Missouri the tools it needs to build a prosperous future rather than watching prosperity happen somewhere else. An all-of-the-above approach to energy isn’t just good policy. For Missouri, it’s the path to a stronger, more resilient economy that works for everyone.
The question isn’t whether Missouri should embrace this opportunity. The question is whether it will move quickly enough to capture the economic benefits before other states take them instead. Missouri’s farmers, its rural communities, and its consumers all stand to gain from a balanced energy strategy. The only thing standing in the way is the choice to act.