St. Joseph submits bid for Boeing plant

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce submitted a bid last week for a Boeing 7E7 final assembly plant.

About two dozen states have submitted bids for the plant, though Boeing officials declined to say how many proposals were received by Friday's deadline. They said the company was heartened by the enthusiastic response and would announce its decision by the end of the year.

It will be months before Boeing even decides whether to go ahead with the 7E7, a mid-sized, fuel-efficient jetliner that would be its first all-new jet since the 777 entered service in 1995.

The company, hit by the downturn in the airline industry, has cut about 34,000 jobs since December 2001.