Reaction to Boeing's Decision to Seek Permits in South Carolina

 The Boeing Company will file for permits that would allow for eventual development of a 787 production line in its new facility in South Carolina. The news broke yesterday and responses came fast and furious.

The Everett Herald carries statements from U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and from the Washington Aerospace Partnership. They also have this from Boeing:

“Understand this is a procedural step. It certainly recognizes Charleston is a candidate as is Everett, Wash., and other locations,” said Boeing spokesman Russ Young.

Seattlepi.com has comments from Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, Congressman Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, and Everett Mayor Ray Stephenson. Here's a bit of Reardon's statement:

Our goal as policy leaders must be clear, and that is to create the most competitive regional and state economic environment for the future of commercial aerospace. We must do whatever is necessary to keep the Boeing Company in Washington state, thus protecting tens of thousands of jobs related to the aerospace industry.

Television is also gathering reactions to the statement. Denise Whittaker, KOMO TV, interviewed me this afternoon. I focused on the economic impact of Boeing on the state, citing the WashACE brief, What if Boeing Left Washington? (It's not a rhetorical question.) Even if they cut the interview, I hope they use the data. Short form: Each of Boeing's 75,000 jobs supports nearly three others in the economy, for a total jobs impact of 300,000. That's more than 10 percent of all payroll jobs in the state.

We've had more wake-up calls than a reluctant teenager on the first day of school. It's time to wake up.

UPDATE Click here for the KOMO story.