THE INVESTIGATION OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSE: FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND NEXT STEPS HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 26, 2005 Serial No. 109–28 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/science U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 24–133PS WASHINGTON : 2006 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:09 Mar 20, 2006 Jkt 024133 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\WORKD\FULL05\102605\24133 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE HON. SHERWOOD L. BOEHLERT, New York, Chairman RALPH M. HALL, Texas BART GORDON, Tennessee LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois CURT WELDON, Pennsylvania EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas DANA ROHRABACHER, California LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California KEN CALVERT, California DARLENE HOOLEY, Oregon ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland MARK UDALL, Colorado VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan DAVID WU, Oregon GIL GUTKNECHT, Minnesota MICHAEL M. HONDA, California FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma BRAD MILLER, North Carolina JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri W. TODD AKIN, Missouri DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia BRAD SHERMAN, California JO BONNER, Alabama BRIAN BAIRD, Washington TOM FEENEY, Florida JIM MATHESON, Utah BOB INGLIS, South Carolina JIM COSTA, California DAVE G. REICHERT, Washington AL GREEN, Texas MICHAEL E. SODREL, Indiana CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana JOHN J.H. ‘‘JOE’’ SCHWARZ, Michigan DENNIS MOORE, Kansas MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas VACANCY VACANCY (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:09 Mar 20, 2006 Jkt 024133 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\FULL05\102605\24133 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 C O N T E N T S October 26, 2005 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Sherwood L. Boehlert, Chairman, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ........................................................ 21 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 22 Statement by Representative Brad Miller, Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 23 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 23 Statement by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers, Chairman, Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives .................................................................................... 25 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 26 Prepared Statement by Representative Jerry F. Costello, Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ........................................................ 27 Prepared Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Member, Com- mittee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................ 27 Prepared Statement by Representative Russ Carnahan, Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ........................................................ 28 Prepared Statement by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, Member, Com- mittee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................ 28 Prepared Statement by Representative Dennis Moore, Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives ........................................................ 29 Panel I: Ms. Sally Regenhard, Chairperson, Skyscraper Safety Campaign Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 29 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 31 Panel II: Dr. William Jeffrey, Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 33 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 35 Biography .......................................................................................................... 48 Ms. Nancy McNabb, Director, Government Affairs, National Fire Protection Association Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 49 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 51 Biography .......................................................................................................... 55 Dr. James R. Harris, President, J.R. Harris and Company; Member, American Society of Civil Engineers Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 55 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 56 Biography .......................................................................................................... 60 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:09 Mar 20, 2006 Jkt 024133 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\FULL05\102605\24133 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 IV Page Mr. Glenn Corbett, Assistant Professor of Fire Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Member, NIST National Construction Safety Team Advisory Board Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 62 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 64 Biography .......................................................................................................... 65 Mr. Henry L. Green, President, International Code Council Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 66 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 69 Biography .......................................................................................................... 75 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 75 Appendix 1: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Dr. William Jeffrey, Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ................................................................................................................... 96 Ms. Nancy McNabb, Director, Government Affairs, National Fire Protection Association ............................................................................................................ 113 Dr. James R. Harris, President, J.R. Harris and Company; Member, American Society of Civil Engineers .................................................................................... 116 Mr. Glenn Corbett, Assistant Professor of Fire Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Member, NIST National Construction Safety Team Advisory Board ..................................................................................................... 121 Mr. Henry L. Green, President, International Code Council ............................... 124 Appendix 2: Additional Material for the Record Statement by The American Institute of Architects ............................................. 138 Letter to Chairman Boehlert from James A. Thomas, President, ASTM Inter- national, dated January 11, 2006 ....................................................................... 149 An Analysis of the NIST Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers for potential recommendations and impacts on ASTM standards, prepared on behalf of ASTM International by Vytenis Babrauskas, Fire Science and Technology Inc. ................................................................................ 151 Letter to Chairman Boehlert from Ron Burton, Vice President for Advocacy and Research, Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA), dated October 26, 2005 ........................................................................ 184 BOMA Comments on NIST Recommendations Contained in the Report on the WTC Disaster ................................................................................................. 186 Statement by James G. Quintiere, Professor, Department of Fire Protection Engineering, University of Maryland ................................................................. 191 Statement by Jake Pauls, CPE, Consulting Services in Building Use and Safety, dated October 26, 2005 ........................................................................... 193 Fireproofing Blown Off Twin Towers, article by Michelle Garcia, The Wash- ington Post, Wednesday, April 6, 2005 ............................................................... 194 Staircases in Twin Towers