Changes To Be Made in Response to 3/6 Hearing on WTC Collapse:

Committee on Science
SHERWOOD BOEHLERT, CHAIRMAN
Ralph M. Hall, Texas, Ranking Democrat
www.house.gov/science
March 19, 2002

Press Contacts:
Heidi Mohlman Tringe (Heidi.Tringe@mail.house.gov)
Jeff Donald (Jeffrey.Donald@mail.house.gov)
(202) 225-4275

FEMA ANNOUNCES POLICY SHIFTS

IN LETTER TO BOEHLERT

Changes To Be Made in Response to 3/6 Hearing on WTC Collapse

WASHINGTON - In response to a March 6th House Science Committee Hearing on the investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced several significant shifts in policy yesterday, in a letter to Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). FEMA's proposed changes include:

• frequent press briefings to keep the public and the media up-to-date on the federal investigation;
• a broader scientific review of the pending investigation of the WTC collapse; and
• a new agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to enable the agency to respond more quickly and to deploy an official investigation team promptly.

The changes respond to criticisms leveled at the Science Committee hearing. "We need an enhanced disaster investigation protocol in place so that from minute one, someone will assume a recognized leadership role. Someone has to be in charge or no one is, and that is unacceptable," said Chairman Boehlert on March 6th. "Second, NIST needs to move forward with its more extended work on the lessons of the collapse."

Robert F. Shea, Jr., Acting Administrator of the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, testified on behalf of FEMA at the hearing, and sent the letter to Boehlert. "Please be assured that I share your concern that the Federal government develop a more comprehensive and coordinated process from which to better conduct the necessary research and investigation in the aftermath of tragedy to save lives in the future," wrote Shea.

In response to the letter Boehlert stated, "I'm pleased that FEMA is taking the first steps to correct the problems that emerged so graphically at our hearing. There is still more to do, including enabling NIST to conduct a thorough follow-up investigation. We will be having further hearings to ensure that the problems uncovered after this tragedy are corrected in the future."

Click here to read view FEMA letter: Click Here