Defense contractor Pratt & Whitney appears to have received special treatment from North Carolina officials at its Asheville plant in the form of expedited state funding and accountability loopholes. Who exactly took the steps on the company’s behalf isn’t always clear from the record.
An amendment in a Helene disaster relief bill fast-tracked money to Pratt & Whitney, the manufacturer of jet engine components in Asheville, sidestepping an opportunity for public comment. Plus, the company, which is a division of Raytheon, failed to meet job creation requirements in 2022 but collected local taxpayer subsidies anyway due to a provision in its contract with the state.
Carolina Public Press researched this article in collaboration with Inkstick Media, a nonprofit news site that focuses on coverage of the military-industrial complex. Inkstick obtained records from the NC Department of Commerce and Buncombe County that raise questions about unique arrangements for the military contractor…