Tennessee's nuclear revival stirs fears of toxic contamination

BWX Technologies is expanding a Tennessee plant to process depleted uranium for nuclear weapons, part of a regional nuclear renaissance. Longtime residents worry the project will add to the area's legacy of pollution and health problems. The state is also a finalist for a federal nuclear waste management campus.

The Jonesborough site was previously operated by Aerojet, a rocket and missile manufacturer, before BWX Technologies acquired it last year. The facility will process depleted uranium oxide from the Department of Energy into high-purity material destined for the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, which maintains the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal. The company has committed to creating 175 permanent jobs over the project's 10-year, $1.6-billion contract term.

Tennessee is competing against Utah, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho for the federal nuclear lifecycle innovation campus. The nation's 85 interim storage sites currently hold more than 86,000 tons of radioactive waste, with no permanent repository established since the Yucca Mountain proposal in Nevada stalled amid political opposition. Oak Ridge's history as a Manhattan Project site gives Tennessee particular expertise in nuclear operations.