Stacy Garrity’s Corporate Past Under Scrutiny Amid Gubernatorial Campaign
Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity’s leadership at Global Tungsten & Powders, a company with a controversial environmental and labor history, has drawn attention in Pennsylvania. Her tenure there has become a focal point as she seeks to challenge incumbent Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro.
Garrity, who served in various capacities at Global Tungsten & Powders from 1987 to 2021, including as vice president of government affairs, highlights her corporate experience as a key asset. Her campaign emphasizes her journey from an accountant to a pioneering female vice president at the company.
According to Garrity, her role involved extensive international negotiations, claiming she was “in a different country every month.” However, during her time with the company, significant layoffs occurred. Between 2008 and 2019, the workforce at the Towanda, PA, facility shrank by 48%, from 980 to 500 employees, with 200 workers taking voluntary furloughs to stave off layoffs.
Simultaneously, Global Tungsten & Powders expanded its operations abroad. The workforce grew at a Czech site, where Garrity was managing director from 2011 to 2019, though her involvement in the decision-making process regarding these changes is unclear. The company also increased hiring at a Finnish facility, which Garrity claims she helped acquire in 2015.
Environmental Concerns and Regulatory Issues
Global Tungsten & Powders has been embroiled in environmental controversies. In 2018, the Environmental Integrity Project labeled the company as a super polluter, following a $22,281 fine from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not reporting a release of 213 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, a substance the EPA considers extremely hazardous.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PDEP) is currently investigating allegations that 100 gallons of naphthalene, a chemical harmful to aquatic life, were discharged into the Susquehanna River, a critical drinking water source for six million residents.
Having been elected as Pennsylvania treasurer in 2021, Garrity now seeks to leverage her previous experience in the business sector to take the governor’s office, with an endorsement from former President Donald Trump bolstering her campaign.
The post Garrity helped lead super polluter that offshored jobs appeared first on American Journal News.
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