By Jamie Burch
.
Published: Fri, June 27, 2008 - 4:33 pm
Last Updated: Fri, June 27, 2008 - 4:40 pm
The website started by Mobile County after Boeing filed it's protest of the $40 billion tanker contract continues to soar.Between 20-30,000 people visit keepourtanker.com every day.
“It’s great to see the response,” said Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean. “Despite the recent GAO ruling, this community will continue to fight for the KC-45.”
On February 29, the Air Force awarded the contract to build its next generation of refueling tankers to Northrop Grumman/EADS. Boeing protested the award and on June 18, the Government Accountability Office upheld eight of Boeing’s 111 claims. The Department of Defense is now reviewing the GAO findings.
If Northrop Grumman/EADS keep the contract, they would assemble the planes at Brookley Field in downtown Mobile. The companies say the project would create 48,000 jobs in 49 states.
“That’s why this contract is so important, not just to Mobile or the Gulf Coast, but to the entire nation,” said Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood.
The majority of hits on keepourtanker.com come from states in the southeast. But the website is also getting visitors from New Jersey, New York, Texas, California and from overseas: the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, and Japan.
Almost 45,000 people have signed a petition on keepourtanker.com in favor of the KC-45.
“I encourage people to sign the petition to send a message to Washington that despite a lot of noise from Boeing, there is tremendous support to give our fighting men and women the better plane,” said Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine.
On June 18, following the release of the GAO report, keepourtanker.com had almost a half million visitors.
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The Airbus plane is not flawed. The GAO ruled on the process and not the AF choice. I believe the AF knows what is best for it’s military men and women, not the people on Capitol Hill.The reason there is so much fuss, is that a select few who are supported by Boeing stand to lose a lot. Tiahrt and Dicks both have Boeing as one of their main campaign contributors.