I wasn't sure if I had heard correctly.

One of the local government folks was explaining their request for monies to buy what would essentially be anti-wind easements. Like conservation easements, where you buy or lease out the development rights to a piece of private property, thereby ensuring it stays as green space or valuable wildlife habitat, these folks were proposing to lease private land rights to preclude development of wind farms.

Okay, sounds good so far. Sage grouse would certainly benefit, and ranchers who don't want giant turbines criss-crossing their lands can still get some extra revenue that will allow them to stay ranchers, rather than windfarm landlords.

But the stunning part was... they're only trying to buy 20-year leases.

Now the best conservation easement (or "CE" as most folks in the business were calling them at this meeting) is permanent. You simply buy those development rights, and the land stays open space thereafter. But that is expensive, and many landowners aren't willing to permanently part with some of their property rights.

So many conservation easements are 50 to 100 year leases. (I suspect this time frame is so common because most folks figure "At least it'll be protected as long as I'm around. After that it is someone else's problem.")

But when queried on why they were only opting for 20-year leases, the fellow's response was "We all kinda figure this wind power thing is just a fad, and in 20 years' time it'll all be over."

Ummm, whaaat?

I looked at the warden sitting next to me. She had the same incredulous look.

Okayyy, we've got an industry where all you have to do is pay for this expensive tower, and then after that all it does is make money for you. Year after year, with little cost. Once you've built the roads and powerlines, this stuff is practically free money.

How could you even think it was going to just "go away"?

Unless he knows something about fusion research that we don't...