New Legal Guide to Help Farmers Make the Most of Windy Land

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG) announces publication of the Farmers’ Guide to Wind Energy: Legal Issues in Farming the Wind. The guide contains important legal information for farmers interested in a range of wind energy developments, whether leasing land to a third-party developer, installing a small wind turbine for on-farm energy needs, or developing a large farmer-owned wind project for profit.

This unique book provides a comprehensive overview of the legal landscape in which wind projects are built, with an emphasis on issues that matter for farmers. It contains critical legal information about regulation of the electric industry; project siting and financing, including government incentives; choice of business structure; property agreements; liability risks; turbine purchase and installation; tax benefits and obligations; and contracts with utilities to connect the wind project to the existing electric grid and sell the generated electricity.

“There are important legal issues in any type of wind-related investment, but these issues are often overlooked in other educational materials on the subject,” explains FLAG staff attorney Jessica A. Shoemaker. “Although this book does not eliminate the need to hire a lawyer, it is intended to empower farmers to make informed decisions in the face of increasing interest in wind energy.”

In addition to this new Farmers’ Guide to Wind Energy, FLAG has recently published other legal education materials related to wind energy. These include a discrete article on negotiating wind-related property agreements and a comprehensive report on state and federal incentives for farmer-owned wind projects.

To request a copy of the Farmers’ Guide to Wind Energy, or any other FLAG publication, call FLAG’s office at 651-223-5400. In Minnesota, the phone call is toll-free at 1-877-860-4349. Bound copies are available without charge to financially distressed farmers in Minnesota; for all others, a bound copy costs $35 plus shipping. The book can be also downloaded free from FLAG’s Web site at: www.flaginc.org. The Farmers’ Guide to Wind Energy was made possible with the generous support of the Bush Foundation.

FLAG is a nonprofit law center in St. Paul, Minnesota, dedicated to providing legal services to family farmers and their rural communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land. Wind and other renewable energy sources are changing the face of American agriculture. FLAG is committed to providing legal information and education to assist farmers and rural landowners as they respond to these changes.

###