World Trade Center Investigation Seeks Public Comments

[NVMojo]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology




Request for Public Comments on World Trade Center Investigation
Draft Final Reports

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: World Trade Center Investigation Draft Final Reports; request
for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST), Technology Administration, United States Department
of Commerce, announces the availability for public comment of the draft
final reports of the study conducted by NIST into the technical causes
of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster on September 11, 2001, after
the terrorist attacks. NIST requests comments on any or all of the 43
draft reports issued by NIST concerning various aspects of the WTC
buildings, including their design, construction, maintenance and
evacuation. These reports total about 10,000 pages. NIST especially
encourages public comment on the approximately 200-page draft summary
report, which contains the principal findings and recommendations for
changes to codes, standards, and practices. NIST will consider all
comments received from the public on the 43 draft reports before they
are issued in final form.

DATES: The public comment period will commence with the release of the
draft reports. Comments on the draft reports must be received no later
than 5 p.m. EDT August 4, 2005.

ADDRESSES: A link on the WTC Investigation Web site, http://wtc.nist.gov
will take users to a page where comments may be entered.

The

<[Page 38106>]

Web page is the preferred method for submittal of comments as this will
allow NIST to electronically sort and group comments that address the
same issue.
Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to [e-mail], by fax to
[phone], or by mail to: WTC Technical Information Repository,
Attention: Mr. Stephen Cauffman, National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Stop 8610, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8610.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or if you have
questions, please contact Mr. Steve Cauffman by e-mail at
[e-mail] or by telephone at [phone].


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) released a total of 43 draft reports documenting the
Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation of the World Trade
Center Disaster. These reports include the draft summary report on the
Investigation of the WTC Towers, 8 project reports, and 34 supporting
technical topic reports. Fifteen of these reports, including three
project reports, were released on April 5, 2005.
These reports are being issued in draft form with a period for
public comment. Public comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. EDT on
August 4, 2005.
In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated a
formal Federal building and fire safety investigation of the World
Trade Center disaster on August 21, 2002. NIST issued two written
updates on its WTC investigation activities (December 2002 and December
2003) and detailed technical progress reports in May 2003 and June
2004.
The investigation objectives are:
1. To determine (a) why and how the WTC 1 and WTC 2 collapsed
following the initial impact of the aircraft, and (b) why and how the
47-story WTC 7 collapsed.
2. To determine why the loss of life and injuries were so low or so
high depending on location, including technical aspects of fire
protection, occupant behavior, evacuation, and emergency response.
3. To determine the procedures and practices which were used in the
design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the WTC buildings.
4. To identify, as specifically as possible, areas in national
building and fire codes, standards, and practices that warrant
revision.
Among the specific questions that NIST is investigating within the
above four objectives are the following:
How and why did WTC 1 stand nearly twice as long as WTC 2 before
collapsing (103 min versus 56 min), though they were hit by virtually
identical aircraft?
What factors related to normal building and fire safety
considerations not unique to the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, if any, could have delayed or prevented the collapse of the WTC
towers?
Would the undamaged WTC towers have remained standing in a normal
major building fire?
What factors related to normal building and fire safety
considerations, if any, could have saved additional WTC occupant lives
or could have minimized the loss of life among the ranks of first
responders on September 11, 2001?
How well did the procedures and practices used in the design,
construction, operation, and maintenance of the WTC buildings conform
to accepted national practices, standards, and codes?
The draft final report documents the investigation of the World
Trade Center Towers, the findings of the investigation, and the
recommendations resulting from the investigation. Additionally, NIST
has released in draft form the eight project reports, and 34 technical
topic reports that document all aspects of the investigation. All of
the reports are being released as drafts for public comment. NIST will
separately release a draft supplementary report documenting the
collapse investigation of World Trade Center 7 and allow a period for
public comment following its release.
Request for Public Comment: Persons interested in commenting on the
draft investigation reports should submit their comments as instructed
above. All comments received in response to this notice will become
part of the public record and will be available for inspection and
copying at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Freedom
of Information Act Reading Room, Gaithersburg, MD.
Comments submitted should be specific to the maximum extent
possible: they should clearly state the issue, location (report number,
page number, paragraph or sentence), provide a short reason for any
suggested change, and provide suggested language for the requested
revision. Due to the length of the reports, NIST cannot guarantee
consideration of comments submitted without this information.
Comments may be submitted to NIST in any of four ways. A link on
the WTC Investigation Web site, http://wtc.nist.gov will take users to

a page where comments may be entered. The Web page is the preferred
method for submittal of comments as this will allow NIST to
electronically sort and group comments that address the same issue.
Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to [e-mail], by fax to
[phone], or by mail to:

WTC Technical Information Repository, Attention: Mr. Stephen Cauffman,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Stop 8610,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8610.

All comments should contain the following information:

Name (Optional):
Affiliation (Optional):
Contact (Optional): Phone number or e-mail address where you can be
contacted in case of questions.
Report Number: (e.g., NCSTAR 1-1).
Page Number:
Paragraph/Sentence: (e.g., paragraph 2/sentences 2-4).
Comment:
Reason for Comment:
Suggestion for Revision:

Dated: June 24, 2005.
Hratch Semerjian,
Acting Director.


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[OneBlueSky]

1. now THERE's an appealing invitation! . . .

just send them a link to the Physics911 site . . .