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If Washington Gov. Jay Inslee‘s recent comments to a reporter recently are any indication, there may be some bad blood brewing between the state and the general contractor for the Seattle tunnel project.

How bad? Consider this: The state has rejected 80 percent of the $192 million worth of cost change orders submitted so far by general contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners. The overruns mainly are associated with the breakdown of Bertha, the boring machine that was being used to dig the tunnel.

That state’s unwillingness to OK overruns on the project likely won’t change anytime soon, either. In a with Grist reporter David Roberts, Inslee is clear not just about the level of his frustration, but also where he stands when it comes to the increasing costs of the at-a-standstill project.

For starters, Inslee says Seattle Tunnel Partners, not Washingtonians, are on the hook for the overruns on the project.

Furthermore, while Inslee acknowledges that Seattle Tunnel Partners has a reputation for being 鈥渁ggressive鈥� when it comes to recouping costs for projects, he also points out his 20 years spent as a litigator. That experience, he says, means he’s no pushover when it comes to donning legal gloves to duke it out in a courtroom.