This is in response to Jonathan Carter’s guest column, “The false promise of mountaintop industrial wind” (July 25).

Carter has distorted the facts to the Maine public through exaggeration. It is time for the conversation to become centered on reasonable discussion with supportive evidence.

The wind industry is required by law to go through extensive review and provide scientific studies on social and environmental impact with each proposed project.

Furthermore, there are a number of studies refuting Carter’s arguments against wind. A recent report from the European Union shows that Europe’s significant development of wind energy has caused a decline in the use of coal and nuclear energy.

Berkley labs conducted a complete review of property values and concluded that wind development has not had a measurable impact on values in the U.S.

And, finally, wind development in Maine is not removing mountaintops.

The facts: Cleared area around a wind turbine is limited to between 1.5 and 2 acres. Projects use existing logging roads when possible. New road impact is limited to 6 acres per mile of road. Minimal tree-harvest impacts in all cases. Foundation size: 24 feet in diameter, 5 feet deep.

Unfortunately, 80 percent of Mainers use heating oil. As a potential solution, 80 percent of Mainers support wind energy as part of new energy solutions because it does hold real promise.

Maine has a chance to demonstrate leadership in helping the nation solve the daunting problem of our addiction to fossil fuels.

Paul Williamson, Portland, coordinator

Maine Wind Industry Initiative

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