SEATTLE (AP) — A study commissioned by Washington says the state is the most competitive for aerospace manufacturing.
The Daily Herald reports that the study released Wednesday measured key factors such as electricity costs, the percentage of state residents with engineering degrees — “anything that could be quantified” — using public and government sources. The report was written by Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace-industry analyst.
It found that— in order — Washington, Ohio, North Carolina, Kansas and Colorado offer “the most competitive environments for the manufacture of aerospace equipment.”
“This isn’t a close call,” Gov. Jay Inslee said at a news conference Wednesday.
The report was commissioned by the governor’s Choose Washington New Middle-Market Airplane Council, which hopes to convince the Chicago-based Boeing Co. that the best place to build its next passenger airplane model is in Washington.
In a statement Boeing said it was “premature to provide comment at this time as we have not begun the formal process of site selection for the New Mid-Market Airplane.”