Having wind turbines installed on your land can be part of a great solution for our environment. It can also be quite lucrative.
Yet you need to protect your long-term financial and property interests, too. Will you be able to farm or ranch near the turbines? What will happen if they are uninstalled? Can you still pass your land down to your children and grandchildren? What condition will the land be in when it’s time to pass it down.
You may not even have been contacted yet, but your land could be in just the right place to be included in, or right next to, a wind farm, which could stretch for thousands of acres. Even if you haven’t been asked to locate turbines on your property, you could still have property interests that would be affected by the project. You may have legal rights that should be protected.
An experienced energy attorney can be of assistance. The goal is to maximize your potential royalties while protecting your future monetary interests and protecting your land for the future. A lawyer could be helpful with:
- Negotiating, drafting or review of wind energy leases, including rents and royalties, along with meteorological tower and option agreements
- Developing easements for access, transmission, collection systems and non-obstruction
- Resolving any title issues
- Negotiation and preparation of tax abatement agreements
- Dealing with transmission and regulatory issues
You may wish to have your own attorney, or a group of landowners in similar positions might band together to hire an attorney to protect their interests.
When seeking an attorney, consider their experience in the field and other credentials such as board certification in oil, gas and mineral law. You need someone who has handled wind energy deals before and who knows what to expect.