COMMENTARY

September 10, 2003

If only happy-talk was enough to land the 7E7

Bob Williams | Evergreen Freedom Foundation
If happy-talk can win the bid for Boeing’s new 7E7 jet project, Washington will no doubt beat out the competition. But if meaningful action is also required, our chances are more slim.

Last week, Governor Locke proudly announced that Washington is on the "short list" among states vying for Boeing’s business. The governor is "relentlessly engaged" with company officials and feels "optimistic about the chances of Washington landing the 7E7."

That’s happy news.

But now to business. Literally. If our state loses its bid for the 7E7, blame can be laid squarely at the feet of the governor and agency bureaucrats. Talking and feeling optimistic won't solve the problems Washington businesses face.

Long-term tax incentives and promises to pour billions more dollars into the transportation system sound nice, but they don’t make our state competitive. Consider:

• The Department of Labor and Industries just proposed a 19.4 percent rate increase for workers’ compensation. That’s on top of a 29 percent increase adopted earlier this year. High workers’ compensation rates kill businesses, and Boeing has clearly identified this issue as a major concern. Rates are high because the system is openly vulnerable to fraud and abuse.
  
  
• New agency rules on ergonomics are onerous and costly, to say the least.
  
  
• Plans are afoot to breach the Snake River Dams. A report published by the Washington Research Council says this would increase electric bills around the state by a staggering $300 million a year.
  
  
• Storm water rules adopted by the Pollution Control Hearings Board are costly and unmanageable. The rules will require the Department of Energy to rewrite permit conditions, compliance schedules and monitoring requirements, and may result in unavoidable liability for those seeking permits.
  
  
• Some good unemployment insurance reforms were passed by the Legislature this year, but the Department of Employment Security is dragging its feet with implementation.

None of these issues require legislative action. They’re the result of out-of-control bureaucracy in agencies that answer to Governor Locke. Governor Locke answers to the people of this state—many of whom may lose their jobs if we lose the bid for Boeing’s project.

Meaningful action will do more to land the 7E7 than mere rhetoric.

Bob Williams is President of the Olympia-based Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a free-market public policy research organization.

Contact: Marsha Richards | Communications Director | 360.956.3482

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org