Profile
Hannes Zetzsche represents clients in zoning, land use, energy, water, and environmental matters at Baird Holm LLP in Nebraska. He helps clients develop energy, infrastructure, commercial, and industrial projects throughout Nebraska and the surrounding region, including in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, and Wyoming. Hannes’s experience includes:
- Utility-scale wind and solar energy generation facilities
- Battery energy storage systems
- Data centers
- Carbon capture and storage projects
- Hydrogen production facilities and transportation infrastructure
- Mining, oil and gas pipelines, and midstream infrastructure
- Water-dependent agricultural, industrial, and municipal projects
- Liquor licenses and medical cannabis licenses
- Industrial and manufacturing operations
- Hotels, stadiums, mixed-use developments, and other large-scale commercial developments
Hannes helps clients secure local zoning and land use approvals, state-level permits and water rights, and federal regulatory compliance. He regularly appears before planning commissions, county boards, and state and federal agencies. Hannes is also a registered lobbyist in Nebraska. He has helped advance bills on issues including battery energy storage systems, data centers, natural gas distribution, municipal authority, and land use regulation.
Before joining Baird Holm, Hannes served as a judicial law clerk to Chief Justice Michael G. Heavican of the Nebraska Supreme Court. Hannes earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Portland. After college, Hannes worked on a large hay farm in Oregon.
Areas of Practice
Education
- University of Nebraska College of Law, J.D., with distinction, Concentrations in Real Estate and Water Law
- University of Denver Sturm College of Law, visiting student, Junior Staff Editor for University of Denver Water Law Review
- University of Portland, B.A., cum laude
Bar & Court Admissions
- Colorado
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Oregon
- US District Court, District of Nebraska
- Wyoming
Professional & Civic Affiliations
- American Bar Association: Leadership Development Program Alumnus, Vice Chair of Project Development Committee and Vice Chair of Water Resources Committee
- Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law: Programs Committee Member
- Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln/Lancaster County, Board of Directors
- Kids Can Community Center, Chair of Board of Directors
- Nebraska State Bar Association: Leadership Academy Graduate and Vice Chair of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy Law Section
Selected Recent Publications
- “Midwest High Courts Uphold Carbon Pipelines’ Authority to Survey Private Property,” Institute for Energy Law Energy Law Advisor (Dec. 2024)
- “Agrivoltaics as a Means of Preserving Agricultural Land,” Progressive Cattle Magazine (Oct. 2024)
- “Whose Pore Space Is It? Carbon Capture and Storage Prompts New Questions in Property Law,” American Bar Association Natural Resources & Environment Magazine (Aug. 2024)
- “How to Address Water Rights in an Agricultural Transaction,” Progressive Cattle Magazine (Jan. 2024)
- “Nebraska’s Groundwater Law Turns 90,” Nebraska Lawyer Magazine (Nov. 2023)
- “Seven Best Practices for Making Mixed Use of Cattle Grazing Land,” Progressive Cattle (July 2023)
- “After AltEn Spill, Legal Claims Sink In,” Nebraska Lawyer (June 2022)
- “Severance: Ownership of Land and the Right to Withdraw Groundwater in Nebraska,” 23 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 2 (2020)
- “Engineering a Water Case and Ethical Considerations,” 22 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 847 (2019)
- “Not All Agua is Caliente: Proposing the Winters Groundwater Test,” 98 Neb. L. Rev. 220 (2019)
Recent Speaking Engagements
- “The Life Cycle of Utility-Scale Renewable Energy Projects,” American Agricultural Law Association Webinar (Aug. 2026)
- “Renewable, Energy Transition and Electricity Law Update,” Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law Institute, Seattle, Washington (Jul. 2026).
- “A Deep Dive into Energy Policy in Nebraska and Beyond,” Nebraska State Bar Association Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy Legislative and Policy Update (June 2026)
- “Water and Zoning Needs for Future Development Alongside Agriculture,” American Agricultural Law Association Annual Symposium (Nov. 2025)
- “Water Needs for Renewable-Energy Development,” Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference (Oct. 2025)
- “Updates on Solar Energy Law,” Nebraska State Bar Association Business Law Seminar (Aug. 2025)
- “Agrivoltaics,” Ag Law in the Field Podcast (June 2025)
- “Overcoming Regulatory Hurdles for Carbon Capture and Storage,” Carbon Capture and Storage Summit (June 2025)
- “Carbon Markets: Coastal Climate Goals Create Opportunities in the Midwest,” Nebraska State Bar Association Annual Meeting (Oct. 2024)
- “Permitting a Carbon Capture, Transportation and Storage Project,” American Coalition for Ethanol Biofuels Conference (Aug. 2024)
