[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 126 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38105-38106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13091]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No: 050621163-5163-01]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 [email protected], by fax to 
(301) 975-6122, 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 
[email protected] or by telephone at (301) 975-6051.

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 [email protected], by fax to 
(301) 975-6122, 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.
[FR Doc. 05-13091 Filed 6-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P