Some don’t like S.C.’s "secret" Boeing deal

Published 10:47 am Thursday, November 5, 2009

South Carolina put up $450 million in incentives to land the Boeing Co.’s second 787 production line.

But the full details of the state’s deal with Boeing may not be made public to the residents of South Carolina for a year, reports The Post and Courier.

Some people in South Carolina aren’t happy about the state’s deal with Boeing or the lack of transparency.

Read the South Carolina Policy Council’s initial response to Boeing’s announcement.

“Boeing’s decision to expand in South Carolina is good news. Unfortunately, South Carolina taxpayers will have to pay them to do it,” said Ashley Landess, president of the council. “Clearly, legislative leaders misled the public and rank-and-file lawmakers about the purpose of this special session. … A handful of politicians crafted a secret deal to take money from South Carolina businesses and taxpayers and give it to a billion dollar company.”

Here’s more from the council on “Boeing’s bailout.”

A couple South Carolina lawmakers have responded to the South Carolina Policy Council’s claims.

Washington residents won’t be too surprised to hear that portions of the S.C. deal with Boeing aren’t being made public. When Washington lawmakers passed more than $3 billion in incentives to land Boeing’s first 787 line, they agreed to black out some of the agreement, saying that the information was confidential to Boeing.