In this context, progress would probably refer to moving to a power source that doesn't kill people or destroy the planet. I think that is generally pretty agreeable even if you want to get into a definitional argument.

You can define it how you like, the nature of a NIMBY is that whatever it is, they don't want it near THEM (hence Not In My Back Yard) and affecting THEM, but they don't care about how it may affect others. If they were against whatever the thing is it wouldn't matter if it were their backyard or someone else's, they're only concerned with THEIR lives. When all you care about is you, you don't care about others and that's anti-progress.

Does your definition of progress say that a civilization that gets safer, cheaper, carbon-neutral power has progressed?