Speeches

Governor Gary Locke’s Remarks
Weekly News Conference—Tax Incentives Bill Signing
June 18, 2003


Good morning, and thank you for coming.

Joining me this morning are:

· Representative Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle
· Senator Dino Rossi, R-Issaquah
· Martha Choe, Director, Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development
· Linda Lanham, Political and Legislative Director, IAM 751
· Steve Reynolds, CEO, Puget Sound Energy

Also here today are:

· Senator Luke Esser, R-Bellevue
· Frank Anderson, Mayor of Everett
· Lee Blackwell, Mayor of Moses Lake
· Grant County Commissioners Kent Jones and Tim Snead
· Chris Marr, President of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce
· Paul Roberts from the City of Everett. Mayor Frank Anderson was unable to attend due to a prior commitment.
· County and Port Commissioners from Snohomish and Grant Counties
· [other legislators in attendance]
· [other business or labor leaders in attendance]
· Representative Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes, hoped to be here but has another commitment. He will try to be present for questions at the end.

This is a great day for the future of Washington state. This morning I’ll be signing into law the tax incentive package we passed last week. This is an important part of our effort to keep Boeing jobs in Washington.

This package reflects extraordinary bipartisan commitment and effort. We set aside political differences to take bold steps for the future of our state. We want to land 7E7 final assembly for Washington state. The package I’m signing into law is a resounding statement that we intend to do just that. We are walking the talk.

Aerospace is our state’s most dominant industry. It accounts for 200,000 jobs, direct and indirect. $700 million per year in state tax revenue. We will not stand by and watch our state start to lose this industry, these jobs, and this revenue.

We know that what’s at stake in the long run is not only 7E7 final assembly, but other Boeing product lines as well. The replacement of the 747 and the 737. And we are not about to let our future start to slip away—not on our watch. Not ever.

Two days from now, we will deliver our proposal to keep the 7E7 Dreamliner in Washington. We are ready. We have a highly competitive proposal—an exceptional proposal. Our proposal includes this tax incentive package, which is contingent on building the 7E7 in Washington.

We have the best aerospace workers in the world in Washington. We have a well-developed infrastructure and an extensive supplier network. We have a new $4 billion transportation improvement package passed this session. We are tooled up and ready to build the next great Boeing commercial airplane, the 7E7 Dreamliner. And we are confident that Boeing will choose wisely by choosing Washington.

And now it’s my pleasure to introduce Representative Eric Pettigrew of Seattle . . .

Thank you, Representative Pettigrew. Next, here’s Senator Dino Rossi . . .

Thank you, Senator Rossi. Now we’ll hear from the director of our state’s Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, Martha Choe . . .

Thank you, Martha. Next up is Linda Lanham of IAM 751 . . .

Thanks Linda. Now I’d like to introduce the CEO of Puget Sound Energy, Steve Reynolds . . .

Thank you Steve. And thanks again to all our speakers this morning.

We want Boeing and our other great companies to stay here. And we want to attract new great companies for a vibrant future economy. Washington is changing to become a better friend and a stronger partner for business and job growth. We want our state to always be a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

I will now enthusiastically sign the tax incentive package into law . . .

This is a great step forward in making Washington more competitive to win the 7E7 final assembly. Now we’ll take your questions….

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