We appreciate the factual look at the issue of wind farms and bird safety in the Sun Journal (March 21), “Peru committee learns about wind turbine impact on wildlife.”

It sounds like environmental consultant Steve Pelletier did an excellent job conveying the fact that wind energy is far less harmful to the environment than any of the other more traditional sources of energy generation.

It is important to realize that the wind industry makes a point to set itself apart from other sources of energy production by collaborating with wildlife conservation groups to further limit its effect on birds and other wildlife.

An example of that is the three-and-a-half-year process in which the wind industry collaborated with a broad group of stakeholders, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies, environmental organizations, and native American tribes to provide protections for migratory birds and other wildlife that go far beyond what is required by the various federal wildlife laws.

The good news is that those efforts are working to reduce wind’s impact on wildlife.

A recent report noted that repowering of old turbines in Altamont Canyon, Calif., site of the most conflicts between wind turbines and birds (golden eagles in particular), has reduced collisions by around 80 percent.

Wind energy is a growing industry that offers clean, inexpensive and environmentally friendly power for the citizens of Maine. The wind industry currently supports nearly 80,000 American jobs. The case for continuing to invest in it is very strong.

John Anderson, Washington, D.C.

Director of Siting Policy,

American Wind Energy Association