Values, jobs and Boeing
Published 5:10 pm Saturday, July 27, 2013
Is there an inclusive definition of the public interest? As Star Trek’s Spock observed, “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
For a nation conceived to protect the rights of all citizens, however, Spock-ian utilitarianism doesn’t cut it. Right action springs from core values of right and wrong, popular or no. That’s why human nature and politics muddle judgment, and the public interest often gets the heave-ho.
Consider two narratives, one promising, one unnerving.
Narrative one: As The Herald’s Michelle Dunlop reported Friday, the Snohomish County Council is likely to pony up $8 million in municipal bonds to fix up an industrial site on the west side of Paine Field. The purpose is to add a sweetener so that Boeing tilts Everett-ward in its 777X decision. If Boeing punts, the area could be leased to another manufacturer.
It’s a project predicated on uncertainty, but backed by the full council, County Executive John Lovick, and Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson. The effort adds teeth to Gov. Inslee’s “statewide significance” designation of potential 777X sites. Some infrastructure and permitting will be pre-set.
Because economic development and jobs are in the public interest, a compelling case can be made that the $8 million meets the core-value standard. A benefit-cost analysis pencils out, presupposing there’s investment that fosters or preserves jobs. Ironically, it may not be politically popular. How far is too far for government to go?
Narrative two illustrates that too-far line: The Washington Department of Ecology apparently is low-balling fish consumption rates that help determine water quality standards. Thanks to reporting by InvestigateWest’s Robert McClure, Washingtonians learned that Boeing and other industries have lobbied hard to keep estimates low. On Tuesday, a coalition of statewide clean water advocates put the EPA on notice that it could be sued under the federal Clean Water Act for failing to protect Northwesterners from toxic pollution.
“If there’s a false assumption that people eat less fish, regulators believe they can dump more pollution into our waterways. This is flat-out wrong,” said Chris Wilke of Puget Soundkeeper Alliance.
The coalition is doing the right thing in light of a fainthearted bureaucracy. Public health supplants economic self-interest.
The coalition’s effort may track the story arc of Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People.” In the 1882 play, the character Dr. Stockmann warned his community of water contamination. He was hailed as a hero, but quickly was marginalized once locals figured it could hurt business.
A reminder that just because you hold a mirror to the truth, no one is going to throw you a parade.
