LANDMEN and WIND ENERGY

While Oil & Gas Production will be with us for years, the volatility of Oil & Gas Exploration is manifest by the recent downturn in the Economy. Landmen are finding it increasingly difficult to find work once they are laid off. The Cellular industry is an alternative which carried landmen through the hard times in the past. Now, another alternative is emerging which bodes well for landmen - Wind.

The wind energy industry is not so new, but is a growth industry which offers landmen yet another opportunity to continue the tradition of the Road Warrior. The recent push for Green Energy and the dollars set aside by Congress to entice development of Green Energies gives landmen another avenue to pursue. The transition from landman to wind man is a small step. The Landman's abilities are many and diverse which dovetails into the Wind Energy Industry seamlessly.

The Top States for wind energy potential, as measured by annual energy potential in the billions of kWhs, factoring in environmental and land use exclusions for wind class of 3 and higher are: North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Michigan, New York, Illinois, California, Wisconsin, Maine and Missouri. Source: An Assessment of the Available Windy Land Area and Wind Energy Potential in the Contiguous United States, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, 1991.

For the most part, the States with the most potential for Wind Energy are inhabited by Landmen. Is it time for Landmen to further diversify their skills to be able to adapt, adjust and overcome the volatility of Oil & Gas Exploration? Landmen.net thinks it is. We have provided links below to help landmen get a sense of what is involved in the Wind Energy Industry and another tool to add to the landman's arsenal of skills.