[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38643-38644]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14082]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Public Meeting To Gather Comments and Suggestions Related to the 
Scope of the Pending NIST Building and Fire Safety Investigation of the 
World Trade Center Disaster

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of 
the United States Department of Commerce has scheduled a public meeting 
to be held on June 24, 2002, to gather comments and suggestions related 
to the scope of its pending building and fire safety investigation of 
the World Trade Center disaster. A draft of the proposed NIST 
investigation plan with details on its scope will be made available 
June 10, 2002 on the Web site http://wtc.nist.gov. A review of the 
recently completed report ``World Trade Center Building Performance 
Study: Data Collection, Preliminary Observations, and Recommendations'' 
sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and led by 
the American Society of Civil Engineers may be useful in formulating 
comments and suggestions. This report (FEMA 403, May 2002) may be found 
at http://www.fema.gov/library/wtcstudy.htm. Individuals and 
representatives of organizations who would like to offer comments and 
suggestions related to the scope of the pending NIST investigation are 
invited to request a place on the agenda. The total number of speakers 
and organizations, and the time

[[Page 38644]]

available for each, will be determined by the number of requests, but 
the time is likely to be 5 to 10 minutes each. Speakers who wish to 
expand upon their oral statements, those who had wished to speak but 
could not be accommodated on the agenda, and those who are unable to 
attend in person are invited to submit written statements and 
supporting material to the WTC Technical Information Repository 
preferably before June 30, 2002. This meeting is being re-scheduled 
from April 22, 2002.

DATES: The meeting will be held on June 24, 2002, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 
PM.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Marriott New York East Side 
Hotel, 525 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Telephone number is: 
(212) 755-4000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen Cauffman, (301) 975-6051 or by 
e-mail at [email protected]. Written statements and supporting 
material should be submitted to the WTC Technical Information 
Repository, Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute 
of Standards and Technology, MS 8610, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8610 or 
electronically by e-mail to [email protected] or by Fax to (301) 975-6122.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: President Bush has proposed to Congress that 
NIST investigate the building construction, the materials used, and the 
technical conditions that combined to cause the World Trade Center 
disaster following the airplane impacts. The scope of the NIST 
investigation will address the following primary objectives, which are 
to:
     Determine the probable technical causes of the collapse of 
the World Trade Center buildings (the Twin Towers and WTC 7);
     Determine the factors that led to the injuries and 
fatalities, including all technical aspects of fire protection, 
response, evacuation, and occupant behavior and emergency response;
     Determine the procedures and practices that were used in 
the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the World Trade 
Center buildings; and
     Identify building and fire codes, standards, and practices 
that warrant revision.
    The investigation is to be part of a broader NIST response plan to 
the WTC disaster, which also is to include research and development and 
information dissemination and technical assistance.
    To request an opportunity to speak, NIST must receive the following 
information via e-mail ([email protected]) or FAX ((301)-975-6122) no later 
than 5:00 PM on June 17, 2002:
     Name and contact information (including FAX, phone and/or 
e-mail) of individual who will be speaking.
     Name and complete address of organization(s) speaker 
represents.
     A 150-200 word summary of key points to be made by the 
speaker relating to the scope of the pending NIST investigation.
    Those who are selected to speak will be contacted by 12 noon on 
June 19, 2002, using the FAX, phone or e-mail address provided, and 
informed of the decision and the maximum amount of time allotted to 
each speaker. Speakers will be selected based on the following 
criteria: (1) Relevance of the 150-200 word summary to the primary 
objectives of the NIST investigation listed previously, (2) order in 
which requests are received, (3) balancing interests and perspectives, 
and (4) avoidance of duplication in comments and suggestions.
    Speakers who wish to expand upon their oral statements, those who 
wish to speak but cannot be accommodated on the agenda, and those who 
are unable to attend in person are invited to submit written statements 
and supporting material to the WTC Technical Information Repository, 
Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards 
and Technology, MS 8610, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8610 or electronically 
by e-mail to [email protected] or by Fax to (301) 975-6122.
    Statements made at the meeting and/or submitted to NIST may be 
recorded and transcribed and made available to the public at a later 
date. The meeting will be Web cast and linked to the NIST home page, 
http://www.nist.gov/. Details will be available on that Web site before 
the meeting.

    Dated: May 31, 2002.
Arden L. Bement, Jr.,
Director.
[FR Doc. 02-14082 Filed 6-4-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P