Abstract
Given the strong political, market, and policy forces driving the rise of renewable energy generation in the US, the siting of an increasing number of renewables projects on state trust lands over the next several years is all but assured. This is good news for state trust land managers, who are ever cognizant of their fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries of these lands. It is also, however, a challenge. To meet this challenge, state trust land departments that are accustomed to leasing trust lands for comparatively low impact and less complicated uses, such as grazing leases, must grow their knowledge about and comfort with renewable energy projects. While these projects are generally viewed as an environmental good and typically provide significantly more revenue to the state than do traditional uses of trust lands, they are also more complicated, longer lasting, and more demanding on the limited resources of most state trust lands departments.