Gregoire pitches state wine, chocolate during D.C. trip

LES BLUMENTHAL - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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WASHINGTON - Amid all the talk this week in the nation's capital about sharply higher unemployment rates, a crashing stock market and nationalizing banks, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire did a little quiet lobbying at the White House for her own, small stimulus plan involving chocolates and wine.

Gregoire brought a box of Fran's salted caramels from Seattle for First Lady Michelle Obama. The candy is evidently the favorite of the First Family.

During the black-tie dinner for the nation's governors, waiters carrying Fran's chocolates on silver trays made the rounds after the meal, Gregoire said.

Gregoire also said she sat next to the First Lady during the dinner and pitched Washington wines.

"I had to whisper because (California Gov.) Arnold Schwarzenegger was on her other side," Gregoire said.

On a more serious note, Gregoire said while the nearly $7 billion in stimulus funding Washington will receive would help stabilize the state's economy, the state will have to make some tough decisions when the money runs out in two years.

"We've talked about the bow wave and how we will have to have smart budgeting," Gregoire said. Even after the recession ends, it may take the budget more than a year to recover and revenues to start growing.

Some Republican governors have said they might not take the stimulus funding because it would be hard to replace the federal money with state dollars when the stimulus ends.

Gregoire said she would be more than willing to take any money rejected by such Republican governors as Louisiana's Bobby Jindal.

"Washington state would be happy to take the money," Gregoire said. "We could put it to good use."

Gregoire said she was convinced Louisiana could certainly use the money for such things as education, roads and levees.

During her four days in Washington, D.C., Gregoire, along with a handful of other governors, met with the administration's environmental team, including Energy Secretary Stephen Chu and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, to discuss green energy and climate change. Obama had singled out Washington state and Michigan for taking the lead in creating green jobs when meeting with the governors, Gregoire said.

The governor also met one-on-one with Chu and Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss Hanford and the state's lawsuit over federal foot-dragging in cleaning up the nuclear reservation.

Despite the criticism, Gregoire said she filed the lawsuit to force the new administration to "hit the ground running" when it came to Hanford cleanup. She thinks it got their attention.

Gregoire said Holder suggested a small team be assembled to negotiate a settlement, and if that didn't work, he said he was willing to sit down with her and solve the problem.

"I'd be willing to do that," she said.

Les Blumenthal covers issues about Washington state from the McClatchy bureau in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at lblumenthal@mcclatchydc.com.