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September 23, 2002
Volume 80, Number 38
CENEAR 80 38 p. 17
ISSN 0009-2347
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GOVERNMENT
Congress Grants NIST Investigative Powers
WILLIAM SCHULZ
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Boehlert
PHOTO BY CHERYL HOGUE
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New investigative authority to examine building failures was granted to the National Institute of Standards & Technology last week when Congress passed the National Construction Safety Team Act. The legislation—sent to President George W. Bush for his signature—was spurred by the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City.
The bill (H.R. 4687) makes NIST the lead federal agency for determining the cause of building failures, evaluating evacuation and emergency procedures, and recommending building code changes. NIST has had a long history of research and involvement in building technology and codes. NIST investigation teams will have the authority to access the site of a building disaster, subpoena crucial evidence, and analyze important documents and evidence. The lack of such investigative authority hindered the World Trade Center collapse investigation.
“The emergency response and evacuation procedures in response to the attack on the Towers indicate that we need to know more about skyscraper safety,” says Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Science Committee and a cosponsor of the legislation.
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Chemical & Engineering News
Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society |
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