Rural jobs historically have revolved around what Nathan Ohle of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership calls an “extraction economy.”
But as rural areas in Utah and elsewhere in the nation move into the future, Ohle said his organization is trying to help them shift toward innovation and wealth creation.
Utah Sen. David Hinkins offered a different perspective during a Friday panel discussion at the National Governors Association summer meeting at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.
“The extraction industry is not going to go away,” said the Emery County Republican whose district covers a swath of rural communities.