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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 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.

END