Congressman: WTC collapse analysis should be open to public

By The Associated Press

10.01.02

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NEW YORK — The most detailed analysis of how and why the World Trade Center collapsed could be forever kept from the public because it was compiled as part of an insurance lawsuit, lawyers for victims' families say.

The experts who gathered the information are forbidden by confidential agreements from discussing their findings, except with federal investigators, said Gerald McKelvey. McKelvey is a spokesman for Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of the World Trade Center property involved in the lawsuit.

Structural engineers and victims' families say they're concerned the confidential material may be sealed or destroyed if the lawsuit is settled before trial.

"This information should be released now," said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York. "It should be released now in honor of the memories of those who lost their lives and perhaps even more important, that the legacy of their loss should be that we improve the way that we construct buildings."

However, McKlevey said yesterday that some of the material was on its way to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is also investigating the collapse.

"The whole of the material is being shared with NIST, so it will not be lost," McKelvey said. He added, however, that because the case is in court, it is unclear if or when the data will be made public.

The material contains documentary evidence, including maps of the debris piles, as well as three-dimensional computerized images of the fallen towers, The New York Times reported yesterday. Rare photos and videos also have been collected.

The analysis is considered more authoritative than an earlier investigation conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which suffered from too few resources and a lack of access to critical information.

The information was gathered largely in secret as part of a lawsuit involving a group of insurance companies and Silverstein. The insurance companies say the hijackings constituted a single terrorist attack, while Silverstein maintains the planes hit the towers in separate occurrences.

Silverstein says he believes he's entitled to a $7 billion payment; the insurance companies say he should be paid half that amount.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owned the World Trade Center complex, said in a statement that access to documents would be decided on a "case-by-case basis consistent with applicable law and policy."