[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 8, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H7890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       EARTHQUAKES AND NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORIES, NOT A GOOD MIX

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, the two major earthquakes that hit Nevada 
on the morning of August 1 are further examples of why nuclear waste 
repositories should not, should not, be built at Yucca Mountain, 
Nevada.
  Nevada officials that oversee the DOE operations at Yucca Mountain 
stated, and I quote, ``In our minds, it sort of speaks to the fact that 
DOE, or anyone else, cannot really predict with any confidence what is 
going to happen in the future,'' end quote.
  The large earthquakes, registering between 5.6 and 5.2 in magnitude, 
occurred a relatively short distance from Yucca Mountain.
  Mr. Speaker, there are 32 separate earthquake faults in the area and 
scientists have concluded that Yucca Mountain is capable of a magnitude 
8.5 earthquake and poses too many risks and variables for adequate 
seismic design.
  Clearly, common sense tells us one does not store nuclear waste in an 
area that ranks third in the country for seismic activity, an area that 
had more than 630 earthquakes in the last 20 years.
  A recent editorial summed it up well when it stated, quote, ``Anyone 
who believes that it is safe to dump nuclear waste into that type of 
environment needs a brain scan,'' end quote.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of any time I may have, and the 
brains of the DOE that may be left to scan.

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