Gov. Gregoire launches “U.S. Tanker 2010” effort

Published 3:14 pm Monday, February 22, 2010

Gov. Chris Gregoire and eight other governors today launched a coalition to lobby for the Boeing Co. in the U.S. Air Force tanker contest.

“There is only one competitor that has the capability to build this tanker now,” Gregoire said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. “We know the Boeing airplane will be the best.”

During the worst recession in 80 years, it’s important to make sure Americans get back to work and awarding Boeing the $35 billion deal will do that, she said.

The Air Force is expected to release its final requirements for its new tanker as soon as tomorrow. This is the Pentagon’s third attempt at replacing an aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers.

Gregoire noted that during Hurricane Katrina, Washington state was about to send aid to the Gulf Coast using those KC-135s. But many of those tankers have been retired due to age. The state wouldn’t be able to respond so quickly today, she said.

Governors from the states of Kansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, Oregon and Utah have joined Gregoire’s effort. Washington businesses and labor groups also have agreed to back the coalition.

“We think it’s important for the administration and for Congress to hear from the governors,” Gregoire said.

Washington’s governor said she hopes this coalition will work in a constructive manner unlike recent action taken by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala.

Shelby put a hold on 70 Obama administration nominations to protest what he feels like is an unfair tanker contest. Boeing’s competitor for the contract, Northrop Grumman and EADS, would assemble their tanker in Alabama. Northrop’s CEO has said the Air Force’s draft rules favored Boeing’s KC-767 tanker.

“It’s time to take the politics out of it,” Gregoire said.

For more on the coalition, visit its Web site.