To the editor:

I read with great interest the response by Tom Harris on Feb. 18 to an article by Rep. Dan Kelley regarding the positive impact of the wind energy industry on the Newton economy and the nation. Rep. Kelley did an excellent job of outlining the benefits of the wind energy industry and the need for a further extension of the Federal Production Tax Credit.

Much of Mr. Harris’ response is seriously flawed and disregards well documented facts about the wind energy industry. His claim that wind energy costs “between three and 10 times” as much as generation from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear is contradicted by studies by Lazard & Associates whose study determined that wind energy is cheaper than coal, oil, nuclear and about equal to natural gas at its historically low cost levels.