The Tri-City Herald has an examination today of Christine Gregoire's support - or lack thereof - of a major effort to attract and retain quality jobs. The lede:
OLYMPIA - Gov. Chris Gregoire was repeatedly pressed to support Areva's $2 billion uranium enrichment plant and told her help was critical to luring its 400 high-paying jobs to the Tri-Cities, according to e-mail and other communications obtained by the Herald.She also was warned the company's existing fuel fabrication plant in Richland and its more than 600 jobs could be lost if Washington didn't beat four other states in the competition for the new plant - raising the potential stakes to more than 1,000 jobs and about $80 million in annual payroll.
But rather than champion a project she feared would be controversial in some environmental circles, Gregoire deployed a "balanced approach" of not publicly promoting or opposing the project.
The paper's coverage includes additional blog attention from story writer Chris Mulick, as well as further thoughts from the locals.
Of note, the story is now on the AP wire too.
I don't have time to dig any deeper on the story myself for now, but thought readers would be interested.
Posted by Eric Earling at June 29, 2008 05:17 PM | Email ThisIdaho Falls is the home of Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which is a technical ''jewel in the crown'' for nuclear research; and the primary designated national lab on leading-edge nuclear power technology. See:
www.inl.gov
Idaho State government is behind INL from top to bottom. So; yeah: Surprise, surprise: Areva went where the State and local governments would welcome them.
Posted by: Methow Ken on June 29, 2008 05:59 PMThat should tell it all!
Hell even the Spokane Indians who got 140 mil from her have no Gregoire signs.
Posted by: gs on June 29, 2008 08:29 PMBut it also belies another interesting point: Gregoire apparently doesn't count nuclear energy as "green" power, even though nuclear energy generation has become a much safer and cleaner industry. The question should be this: if Gregoire doesn't embrace nuclear power, how is she going to move this state even an inch in the direction of energy independence?
And what about those 25,000 "green collar" jobs she keeps promising? I guess she's going to need to find 25,600 now...
Posted by: NewsWatcher on June 29, 2008 09:34 PMAnd it's typical Gregoire, when the going gets tough, she hides under the desk.
Posted by: Jeff B. on June 29, 2008 10:21 PMHate to say it but Gregoire is a typical Democrat. People feel that nuclear plants are bad, and feelings are more important than facts.
Dino Rossi picked up 67% of the vote in the Tri-Cities in 2004 to Gregoire's 30%. This after Gregoire had secured the biggest boost to economic development in Hanford's history: the Tri-Party Agreement.
Sure, the Governor has friends in the Tri-Cities, just not many votes.
The newspaper also failed to mention that Ariva would have violated long standing state policy of no new nuclear waste until we have less of it at Hanford.
Looks to me like she tried to help lure the plant away from Idaho while also being real about the prospects, unlike a few of the economic development leaders in the Tri-Cities who have mounted a blame the Governor campaign.
Posted by: jan on June 30, 2008 08:01 AM
"Ariva would have violated long standing state policy of no new nuclear waste until we have less of it at Hanford."
ummm- that's where leadership from the Governor's office would have been helpful. So far Gregoire's leadership extends as far as giving Norm Dick's son a big fat paycheck warming a chair for the environment.
I take that back- he doesn't even have to warm a chair...he just collects the money.
There hasn't been any Obama like peices on Rossi (which is fine, because he doesn't need them). However, not having the press fauning over Gregoire because she has a (D) by her name is refreshing indeed. Let's see how long that lasts.
On the naitional level, it would be nice to see this level of scrutiny happen to Mesiah... maybe that will happen after Jimmy Carter's second term.
Posted by: Andy on June 30, 2008 09:16 AMThat sure didn't take off.
Calif spent 3 billion on this foolish idea and it hasn't gotten them zip.
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on June 30, 2008 09:45 AMWake up west siders....there is a difference between defense nuclear waste (bad) and commercial nuclear waste (bad, but manageable). The waste involved in this plant would have been so minor...but if people actually took time to learn more about this industry instead of having knee-jerk reactions, they would already know that.
It would be really nice if instead of listening to the misinformation proffered by the Gerry Pollet's of the world, that more people worked a little harder on educating themselves about the nuclear industry as a whole. Every other country in the world is turning back to nuclear because its clean, efficient, and RENEWABLE and produces no carbon emissions. In the last 30 years, the nuclear industry has made huge strides in waste management and the industry is still one of the safest industries in the world today.
Basically, AREVA was not trying to get a better deal, they just know what kind of emotional ignorance exists in the state of Washington and what the politics are when it comes to the nuclear industry. AREVA was just trying to make sure if they spent the money on this project in the state of WA, that at least they would be afforded a fair shake in the permitting process.
It's amazing that in the entire 7-8 month process, the governor picks up the phone only once?? And then, it's not to say how can wwe make this a win win for AREVA and the folks of Washington? No, she goes into her diatribe about waste issues. Doesn't sound like a welcome message to me. And she never meets with the business recruitment folks in TC or AREVA so they can talk to her in more detail about the opportunity to expand here in the state?
Nope, she just didn't want to deal with this industry because she is again more worried about her politics and getting the King County votes than the welfare of her state and constituents.
Bottom line is she did not engage at all in the process, and neither did her staff even though many people tried to get her to become involved. I don't think it's too much to ask for your state to get more hands on when it comes to looking at a possible investment of $2Billion (yes, I said billion) in your economy.
True, this was a loss for the Tri-Cities; but on a much bigger scale --it was a loss to the state of Washington...union workers who would have benefited from lots of work building the plant (3 yr process), almost four hundred $60K jobs and establishing a greater partnership with AREVA who also is involved in R&D for wind, solar, etc. There are definitely more opportunities coming out of AREVA and they were looking to increase their footprint in the U.S. Now that footprint is going to be in Idaho and not Washington.
And, folks this wasn't a federal job...this is a private corporation already in-state who already employs 625 people with high paying jobs...anybody ever heard of business retention and expansion??
AREVA also didn't demand tax based incentives....we already have one of the most competitive corporate business climates. Ironically, it was the state of Idaho who had to run and hurry to their legisalture a Bill to get the same tax incentives that WA already has in place...just to even the playing field for IDAHO.
This business recruitment opportunity was a no brainer for this state...and an economic developer's dream... a home run. The only reason this was not sited in WA was because our state refused to even open the door or even put out a welcome mat....period.
Gregoire just blew off the biggest single private investment this state has seen in over a decade....after this debacle, and the fact she gave away casino $...not to mention the prevalent tax and spend mentality....it is time for her to go.
Posted by: DLS on June 30, 2008 05:28 PMSee Chris Mulick's follow up.
Posted by: NewsWatcher on June 30, 2008 08:22 PMOf course not. Politics is about rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies? Why would she want to do a favor for people who didn't vote for her and probably won't vote for her? Better to depopulate the east, so it can be resettled by her followers than aid the people who live there. It's not as if she's governor for a whole state. She beholden (pwned) to her faction.
Posted by: tehag on July 3, 2008 06:11 AM