High-Tech Is Great But Not Sufficient

Those who say technology alone can give the Inland Northwest a marvelous “new” economy haven’t paid enough attention to Wall Street lately. The speculative bubble has popped and glamorous firms with big plans and no profits are going down. Even Microsoft is under attack, not only by its competitors but by a federal government that seems bent on punishing competitive success.

Still, high-tech has done great things for the Pacific Northwest, and will continue doing so in the future. Service jobs, including high-paying jobs in computer-related fields, occupy a larger share of Washington’s economy (28 percent), while manufacturing jobs occupy a shrinking though still significant piece (14 percent).

Our region’s effort to plan a future with good-paying jobs should lead us, then, to do what?

In spite of the recent turmoil, technology will play a key role. As the leading edge of our economy, where new jobs appear, technology requires a well-educated work force with strong communication and computer skills. These workers prefer vibrant cities with good schools, safe neighborhoods and an attractive environment for outdoor recreation.

All of which leads to a controversy that now hangs like a cloud over our region’s “old” industries and their supportive infrastructure.

Mining is nearly dead - even though technology hinges on advanced metals.

The timber industry, particularly the portion rooted in national forests, is a withered branch. Logging has shifted to private lands, which can be managed with relatively little political obstructionism.

Agriculture is in serious trouble. The price for wheat has fallen below the cost of production for many farmers, who also are beset with hostile regulations. Their best hope lies in the vast China market, which might now open to their commodities.

Aluminum rolling and manufacturing, a mainstay in several Northwest communities and a basic ingredient for Boeing’s airplanes, also faces difficult times. The Bonneville Power Administration has decided to reduce aluminum’s supply of cheap federal power and to raise the price.

Meanwhile, forecasters say the Northwest lacks enough electrical generating capacity to meet peak demand, raising the odds of blackouts in the next few years. Loud voices call for shutting off four dams that generate more than enough power to supply Seattle. Other large dams face license renewal battles in the near future.

Has the Northwest fallen for the charms of the new economy to such an extent that it no longer cares to preserve the old?

If so, we are gambling. We continue to need and consume the products the old economy generates. Many smaller cities will die without old-economy jobs. If we don’t make basic products here, we’ll have to get them from abroad, where industrial practices tread far more heavily on the earth. And there is no way we can prosper without an ample supply of clean, low-cost power.

A wiser, more mature region would work harder to keep and improve the old and, at the same, keep working to nourish the new.