Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Congressional allies have a tough task blocking the Air Force tanker deal
By Michelle Dunlop
Herald Writer
SEATTLE -- The Boeing Co.'s supporters in Congress face a tough task of convincing colleagues that the Pentagon erred in awarding a lucrative aerial tanker to a consortium with European ties.
"We are behind the eight-ball here in having members of Congress truly understand what's going on here," said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
Murray met with representatives of local aerospace companies Tuesday to discuss Boeing's loss of an Air Force tanker contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS, the parent company of Airbus. Last week, Boeing filed a protest over the roughly $35 billion deal preventing it, at least temporarily, from going forward. In the meantime, Boeing's congressional allies -- primarily politicians from the states of Kansas and Washington -- also are pondering steps to block the deal.
The Air Force's snub of Boeing creates concerns over national security and raises questions about the laws governing the acquisition process, Murray said.
"If our laws don't reflect the current situation and protect national security ... then maybe we need to change those laws," Murray said.
While many members of Congress find the Air Force decision "shocking," few lawmakers understand the ramifications of the decision, Murray said.
"The knowledge base of what has happened is very shallow," she said. "We have sold the backbone of the Air Force's knowledge."
Tom Welsch, with Valley Machine in Renton, said his company primarily supplies spare parts for Boeing aircraft. The company still makes spare parts for the KC-135 tankers that the Air Force would replace with the Northrop-EADS tankers.
Welsch worries about what will happen 30 or 40 years down the road if the spares provider for the Northrop-EADS tanker decides to close shop. If the supplier is in Europe, the U.S. Air Force won't have much say or stake in keeping that supplier going and would be at the mercy of Northrop-EADS supply base.
"Our problem is the proprietary information being shipped overseas," Welsch said.
Dan Lyon, with Bothell-based Accra Manufacturing, suggested that the economic significance of Boeing losing the tanker contract shouldn't overshadow other implications.
"Having the 767 product go away is not going to have a huge financial impact" on Accra, Lyon said.
However, that didn't stop his employees from being angry over the government "sending tax dollars overseas," Lyon said.
Deborah Knutson, president of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council, reminded the group of the work the county and state have done to provide Boeing with a trained workforce. Boeing would have primarily assembled its KC-767 tanker in Everett, using that same workforce. Instead, leaders in Mobile, Ala., where the KC-30 will be assembled, have reached out to the EDC and both Edmonds and Everett community colleges for assistance with workforce development, Knutson said.
Murray said she thinks the country and its government have reached an important point and need to weigh decisions like the Air Force's carefully.
"Regardless of how Boeing does in this protest before the (Government Accountability Office), there are serious political questions that need to be asked," Murray said.
Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
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