PRESS RELEASE

February 3, 2004

Boeing 7E7 details still missing: Day 46

Governor Locke has asked the legislature to approve the contract and funding package for his recent deal with Boeing, including a new shift in $6 million the governor now wants from the 2003-05 Capital Budget instead of the 2005-07 Capital Budget. Yet he still withholds valuable information from legislators that they must have before proceeding—information related to whether or not the contract is legal in its entirety.

The two most important Exhibits related to this are still under lock and key, yet by law, they should have been available to everyone well before now. Still missing 46 days after the contract was signed are the following documents:

1. A copy of the "Governor's Executive Order or clear directive," which is required by Section 7.3 of the contract. This executive order/directive details the duties of the Workforce Development Coordinator (WDC) and the responsibilities of state agencies in assisting the WDC. This was required by the contract to be issued "concurrently with the execution" of the Agreement. (Section 7.3).

2. Exhibit F: Copies of whatever authorizing (statutory) actions are required to satisfy the commitments to the contract. The document sent was blank—not redacted, but blank.

3. Exhibit G: Copies of the opinions of counsel related to whether or not the elements of the contract are legal. The document sent was blank—not redacted.

4. A copy of Schedule 1: Site application questionnaire for Project Olympus. The document sent was blank, not redacted.

5. A copy of Schedule 2: Project Olympus Legal Questionnaire – Washington State Response. The document sent was blank, not redacted.

6. Restatement of commitments dated November 10, 2003. The document sent was blank, not redacted.

After learning that the state had a separate contract with a consultant regarding the Boeing site selection, on January 21 EFF requested a copy of the contract and that consultant's report. On January 23, CTED denied that the state had such a contract. Despite providing CTED with the name and details of that Boeing consultant on January 28, CTED still has not provided a copy of the contract (nor even acknowledged the additional details we provided regarding the contract). A Seattle Times January 31, 2003 story reported that the state paid $715,000 to consultants from Deloitte & Touche to assist the state in securing the Boeing 7E7.

EFF is now considering legal action against both the governor and Ms. Choe in order to bring about full disclosure of the Boeing agreement and relevant documents.

Contact: Jason Mercier | Budget Research Analyst | 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