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Disagrees with "Call to Action"

Regarding Bill Manning’s "$elling Out the Investigation" (Editor’s Opinion, January 2002), the passion of this caustic diatribe caught my attention, but I was left cold by the vagueness of the accusations leveled at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Manning’s suggestion that the ASCE/FEMA investigation of the World Trade Center collapse is the "official investigation" and that "no one’s checking the evidence for anything" is misleading at best.

In fact, as reported by Structural Engineer magazine (Mercor Media, www.gostructural.com, January 2002), there are several investigations being funded through research grants provided by the National Science Foundation. These investigations include research being done at the University of California at Berkeley on the mechanical and structural properties of the WTC steel affected by heat, fire, and impact, as well as research regarding the performance of WTC fire protection materials and systems being conducted by a University of Maryland professor. These are only two other "official" investigations being performed; there are several more.

Manning's call for "a fully resourced blue ribbon panel to conduct a clean and thorough investigation" would most certainly stifle the most valuable facet of independent scientific investigation; that is the truth that is revealed when multiple investigators consistently arrive at similar conclusions through independent analysis. The "blue ribbon panel" already exists in the multiplicity of investigations and investigators. The ASCE/FEMA study includes participation by the National Fire Protection Association, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, as well as several other professionals involved with fire/structure interaction.

I do not believe that Manning’s "half-baked farce" accusation merits the "call to action" he is requesting.

David W. Clark P. E.
Member
ASCE Structural Engineering Institute
Training Captain
Pentz Valley Volunteer Fire Department
Butte Valley, California
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