He comes like a thief in the night. He knows where you live and knows your financial situation. You own 40 or more acres of land. He promises you riches. Promises you security for your family and heirs. “All you have to do is help the environment”, he says. He is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Everything he says seems great, helping the environment, getting checks in the mail. What could be better? And you don’t have to do anything--but sign on the dotted line.
This is happening now in Muscatine County. These people are salespeople working for giant mega corporations who want your 40 or more acres to put up wind turbines. The government right now is giving these corporations lots of money to come up with way to stop the global warming. Wind turbines they say will help. But hold on, at what cost? These companies want 40 or more acres of your land. Why? They call it land easement. But why 40 acres when one or two will do? Ask yourself, do you want to lease or allow easement onto your 40 or more acres of your land for life?
When you sign on the bottom line of their 30–40-page agreement (which you don’t understand), you are promising forever, not to disclose anything to anybody about this arrangement. Use of your land is now theirs (pipeline maybe later?) and all you can do is plant crops and nothing else. You’re stuck.
Don’t fall for these salesman’s tactics. This is a land grab. Nothing will ever be the same after you sign. When something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t sign your land away.
I am a concerned citizen of Muscatine County. Check out Concerned Citizens of Worth and Winnebago Counties-Facebook-happening now.
J.M. Lahey
Nichols