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Thumb of Michigan | I'm assuming that there are a number of people being approached. Have limited experience, but let me offer a couple of things:
1. Pool acres with others in the area. Hire an attorney familiar with wind (or oil and gas) and have them design a lease for the pooled landowners. The wind leasing folks sign your lease- not the other way around. No matter what they say. Don't yield on that concept.
2. They will destroy roads, tile, driveways, and other infrastructure. Didn't see where you were from- in Michigan, they have to get permitted from the county road commission. I was involved in writing such an agreement here. Its a 30 page plus document. Wind company paid to rebuild anything they damaged. All road crossings had a lot of sand poured on them as well as crane crossing pads. The pads and sand started far enough off the road that the crane was level as it crossed. The cement trucks are real road killers as well, just due to the large volume of trips they make. Dealt with 2 companies now, the roads have been (or are going to be) put back in the same condition or better than they were. But, the critical part of this is like the wind lease- they signed our road agreement, not the other way around. Both companies were good to work with after we got going.
3. Not sure what to tell you on "Lease Signers remorse". I leased one farm, its one I live 7 miles from. I'd specified where the roads and the wire went, and where the turbine was sited. Turns out that that parcel is too close to an airport, so nothing happened. Lease expired, and didn't bother me much that it did. Lots of them in my 'hood now, most are happy with the check and disappointed with things like compaction and broken tile.
4. The change in land values is probably overstated- but overstated both ways. Depends on who's cashing the check. | |
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Wind farm lease--pros and cons
