LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The U.S. is running out of a key ingredient for nuclear weapons, high purity depleted uranium. Now one of Tennessee's smallest towns finds itself at the center of a renewed global arms race. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Pierce Gentry reports.
PIERCE GENTRY, BYLINE: Jonesborough, Tennessee, population 6,000, is one of the oldest towns in all of Appalachia. It's perhaps best known for its annual storytelling festival. Its scenic downtown looks like something out of a Christmas card. It's what drew Suzanne Fort (ph) and her husband here 25 years ago. They bought a rundown piece of Civil War era property right along a lazy stream known as Little Limestone Creek.
SUZANNE FORT: We love history, OK? This is the heart of Tennessee. It took me seven years every single day to search for a historic brick house.
GENTRY: Unbeknownst to most residents, in September, nuclear technology company BWXT signed a federal contract worth $1.6 billion to expand a munitions plant on the edge of town. The project would refine depleted uranium into a metallic form the government needs to build nuclear weapons. It's not the same as the enriched uranium used in the warhead's core. Instead, it acts as a shield, which makes the explosion stronger for longer. Many community members say they didn't learn about the plans till the last minute.
FORT: I said, oh, my gosh, no. We have got to get the word out and get it out fast. We have to stop this.
GENTRY: The company has received state permission to emit over 250 pounds of radioactive dust per year, which environmental advocates say is dangerous to people's health and can raise cancer risks. Locals are worried the dust could end up in Little Limestone Creek, which runs right through the company's property and feeds the Nolichucky River, a drinking water source for millions. All BWXT needs to proceed with its project is local rezoning approval.
FORT: I don't know if we can stay. This is our dream. And how do you make a dream happen when they contaminate everything around you?
GENTRY: Fort is one of thousands living nearby who feel they're the casualty of years of federal maneuvering, beginning with President Donald Trump's desire to build a new nuclear warhead during his first administration.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but making it so strong and so powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression.
GENTRY: During his second term, Trump directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing just weeks after BWXT signed its federal contract. Now, many people in Jonesborough are pushing their county commission to reject the project. Here's Luther Miller (ph), a retired veteran of the Vietnam War, who lives next door to the plant.
LUTHER MILLER: I feel like every commissioner on that panel should say no. There should be no question about it.
GENTRY: Most of the 15 county commissioners haven't said how they'll vote on the project, which the company says will bring 175 jobs and investment to the region. Commissioner Jodi Jones says she's weighing these promised economic benefits against potential impacts to local residents.
JODI JONES: I have an interest in the health of my community probably above all.
GENTRY: BWXT declined an interview for this story but said in a statement that the company has been transparent with the community and will operate the facility safely. The county commission plans to vote on the company's rezoning request at the end of the month.
For NPR News, I'm Pierce Gentry in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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