Rural interests in Oklahoma form a lobbying group

The declining potency of rural interests in state legislatures, as most states become more urban, is freshly reflected by the formation of a lobbying group aimed at "improving rural parts of the state" of Oklahoma, reports Dale Denwalt of The Oklahoman. The state's population at the 2010 census was one-third rural.

The Oklahoma Rural Association will recruit members from the energy, agribusiness, manufacturing, financial services, equipment and utilities sectors, President Monica Miller told Denwalt, who reports, "The organization also plans to address issues in education and health care."

Miller, who until recently was executive director of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, told Denwalt, "Over time there has been an erosion of rural community and economy. This association came together with like-minded individuals who saw a void that needed to be filled on a variety of fronts."

The group will also lobby in Washington, D.C., but there the Senate, which has two senators from every state, helps ensure that many rural interests are represented.