New coalition pushes for splitting Air Force tanker contract
Published 1:09 pm Monday, February 22, 2010
As Gov. Chris Gregoire prepares to launch today a coalition to back the Boeing Co.’s efforts to win the U.S. Air Force tanker contest, another group is gearing up to push for a split-buy.
BuildThemBoth.com has launched a campaign, well, to build both Boeing and duo Northrop Grumman and EADS’ tanker. The result, the group says, would be 100,000 American jobs.
Carrie Giddins, a spokeswoman for Build Them Both, said the nonpartisan coalition was started recently by a couple of concerned individuals. They’ve reached out to Northrop Grumman, EADS, Boeing, labor unions and suppliers to join their coalition.
The larger effort, Giddens said, is to create more jobs in this country (American Jobs Now).
The coalition placed its first advertisement this morning in Politico.
The new coalition has been featured on the Web sites of both the Aerospace Alliance and KeepOurTanker.com. The first is a coalition based in the Gulf Coast region, with member states Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana. The second is an effort by Mobile County, where Northrop and EADS would assemble their tanker.
The Air Force is expected to release its final set of requirements for its $35 billion contest to replace its KC-135 tankers as soon as Tuesday.
