OPPOSE H.R. 45, NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACT OF 1999 -- (House of Representatives - February 02, 1999)

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   (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 month of January of this year has already come and gone. In just that one month, there have been seven major earthquakes in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This is a site where this city's powerful nuclear waste lobbyists want to bury their nuclear waste.

   This should not be a surprise, however, because Yucca Mountain, you see, is a mountain. It is not geologically stable. In fact, it is a mountain that is tectonically active.

   Jerry Szymanski, a former Department of Energy geologist, said seismic design for a facility to transfer nuclear waste canisters above ground at Yucca Mountain is not possible there. He said, with 32 faults in the area, the mountain is capable of a magnitude 8.5, folks, earthquake, and poses too many risks and variables to design seismic standards.

   Realize that one does not store nuclear waste in an area that ranks third in the country for seismic activity, an area that has more than 621 earthquakes in the past 20 years, and an area that had seven earthquakes in less than 30 days.

   Oppose H.R. 45, my colleagues. This could weigh heavily on my colleagues' souls.

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