BWXT launches info site after Jonesborough zoning decision

JONESBOROUGH — BWXT has launched a public information website outlining its history and operations in Jonesborough. The information comes following a divided Washington County Planning Commission vote recommending denial of the company's proposed zoning expansion. The planning commission voted 4-2, with one abstention, on Jan. 6 to recommend denying BWXT Ordnance Tennessee's request to rezone land for expanded industrial use. The decision came after hours of public testimony and discussion at the George P. Jaynes Justice Center, where residents raised concerns about environmental impacts, safety and future land use tied to depleted uranium manufacturing. BWXT initially sought to rezone 128 acres of company-owned property but later reduced the request to about 55 acres after public opposition. The land is currently zoned for agricultural and residential use, and the company asked that it be changed to high-impact manufacturing, expanding the existing M2 industrial zoning already in place on part of the site. Several planning commissioners, along with Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy, said they wanted more detailed information from BWXT before supporting the request. In response, BWXT created a website providing background on the Jonesborough facility, its ownership history and details about high purity depleted uranium, or HPDU, production. According to the website, HPDU was first produced at the Jonesborough facility in the early 1970s, and the site remains the only source of depleted uranium for the federal government. BWXT said it began working with the federal government in 2013 to restore production of unalloyed HPDU, progressing from laboratory-scale work to a pilot program that led to a 2023 contract to build a small-scale production plant. BWXT also highlighted a 10-year, $1.6 billion contract awarded by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration on Sept. 30, 2025, to establish a high purity depleted uranium manufacturing plant in Jonesborough. The contract calls for designing an initial production line in an existing building and planning a full-scale facility capable of producing up to 300 metric tons of HPDU annually. "The HPDU manufacturing process involves converting uranium oxide into usable metal, a method previously utilized at the Jonesborough site and at other U.S. locations," the company states on the website. BWXT said its plans emphasize engineered environmental controls and solid waste management, noting there would be no additional liquid discharge into local waterways such as Little Limestone Creek. The website notes that all proposed new facilities would be located outside the Little Limestone Creek floodplain and that the site has operated for more than 40 years under a state-regulated permit. BWXT said the proposed changes would not alter existing permits or liquid discharge levels and that environmental oversight would continue through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. BWXT also addressed comparisons raised by residents to the Piketon, Ohio, Department of Energy site, stating that the facility is not owned or operated by BWXT and is a legacy DOE site with ongoing cleanup needs. The company said it has previously assisted with cleanup efforts at Piketon and currently works on remediation projects at other DOE sites. The planning commission's recommendation now moves to the Washington County Commission for final consideration at a meeting scheduled for Jan. 26 at the George P. Jaynes Justice Center. More information is available at the company's new public information website at https://www.bwxt.com/who-we-are/bwxt-in-jonesborough/.