Washington Business Fall 2016 | Washington Business | Page 13

washington business Boeing 777X Composite Wing Center Opens, Capping Century of Innovation Boeing is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with the opening of the $1 billion Boeing 777X Composite Wing Center (CWC) in Everett. As The Seattle Times put it, this new facility is the “major prize Washington state won with its $8.7 billion extension of the aerospace industry tax credits in 2013.” The center will manufacture the first-ever and largest composite wings that will be fitted to the 777X airliner. The lighter wing will help lower the airplane’s fuel consumption and lower emissions. Additionally, the plant will increase 777X employment by roughly 10 percent. Boeing reports that construction of the new CWC building required approximately 4.2 million hours of construction time, and at its peak, 1,700 contract employees worked on the project. The company also noted that the CWC spans more than 27 indoor acres — the equivalent to 25 football fields — and will contain three of the world’s largest autoclaves for “baking” the new carbon fiber wings. To date, Boeing reports 320 orders and commitments for the 777X. Washington Business magazine wrote about the new CWC facility in its summer 2015 cover story, which can be read here: bit.ly/ Summer15-Carbon. Business, Labor Express Support for Millennium Bulk Terminals Project, High-wage Jobs In an election year, the clash between red and blue in Longview, Wash., May 24 wasn't about a political party, but rather between family-wage job seekers and those opposed to the Millennium Bulk Terminals project that would create them. Almost 1,000 people — supporters in blue and opposition in red — showed up at the first of three public hearings May 24 to share their thoughts on the state Department of Ecology's (DOE) draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals project in Longview. “(Millennium) embraces this community like no other company has in a long time,” Jason Lundquist, president of International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union Local 21, said at the hearing. At the heart of the debate is job creation and the unprecedented 4,000-page, and long-delayed, DEIS report. SEPA, or State Environmental Protection Act, is the tool DOE used to promulgate the lengthy impact statement. The most controversial part of the DEIS is it proposes to make Millennium responsible for the carbon emissions of the end user of the products shipped from the terminal, a move that AWB Government Affairs Director Brandon Houskeeper said is “a vast departure from traditional use of the SEPA rule.” On the delayed DEIS and drawn-out permitting process, AWB President Kris Johnson said in a statement, “We need companies to continue to invest in manufacturing, construction, and infrastructure to support trade. Washington’s regulatory process has become longer and more uncertain, which sends the wrong message to employers.” The Millennium project is estimated to create more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs in Cowlitz County — a region of the state with 7.6 percent unemployment. The two additional public hearings took place May 26 in Spokane and June 2 in Pasco. Contact Houskeeper at [email protected] or 360.943.1600 to learn more about this issue. fall 2016 13