Climate and energy

Sounds like the Kingman wind forum – sponsored by Kansas Rural Center, the Sumner County Economic Development Commission, Sunflower Resource Conservation and Development, and others – went pretty darn well. Two more forums have been scheduled – Colby, KS on April 14, and Phillipsburg, KS on April 17. CEP is hoping to make the Phillipsburg event.

Over one hundred people attended the Kingman forum. Lincoln County Commissioner Steve Errebo spoke about the recently completed wind farm in his county, and talked in detail about the commission’s successful organization and recruitment efforts to land the wind farm, including working with the KEO, procuring wind data, and outreach to developers.

Kimberly Gencur-Svaty spoke for ITC Great Plains and explained transmission line issues (for CEP’s interview with Kimberly, click here). By remote from his home, Tom Wind spoke on community wind and gave a powerpoint presentation – ain’t technology grand? – and stressed favorable public policies are crucial to making community wind financing work out. (For Dan Nagengast’s interview with CEP on community wind, click here.)

One of the event’s major highlights during the afternoon, though, was Mike Irvin of Kansas Farm Bureau Legal Foundation, and his presentation on wind leasing agreements. According to KRC Executive Director Dan Nagengast’s notes:

It became clear that there is a substantive difference between leases presented by developers who are actually putting a project together that they will own, and what was termed “Lease Hounds” by participants. These latter are going door-to-door in good wind resource areas, seeking to tie up contiguous land into packages to be sold to legitimate developers. The latter were disparaged by the attorneys who were present, and participants were strongly warned against signing them as the terms are unfavorable, and can actually negatively impact owner’s rights. Questions were many, and continued in the wrap up session.

If you’d like to read a little bit online about wind leasing and issues with some of the contracts offered, see SWKROA’s .pdf handout, Guidelines for Landowners in Negotiating Wind Energy Leases.

Dan Nagengast has generously allowed CEP to post his handouts from the event. (Yay Dan.) Download them here – How to Get Started on Wind, and Wind Leasing Information for Landowners.

REMEMBER: TALK TO A LAWYER BEFORE YOU SIGN ANYTHING. NOTHING – NO CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT, NOTHING – CAN TAKE AWAY YOUR RIGHT TO LEGAL CONSULTATION.

Also – don’t be afraid to sit on it a bit, and to evaluate your options. Your rights to lease or otherwise develop wind on your land will likely only increase in value. You don’t have to rush.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org