Congressman Rips Into NTSB Chair Over Collapse Hearing

More at http://www.theuptake.org
Like a lot of Minnesotans, Representative Jim Oberstar can't understand why there isn't going to be a public NTSB hearing on the collapse of the 35W bridge. Just like confidence in the Minnesota Department of Transportation has been spiraling down since the August disaster, confidence in the NTSB has been declining as rumors and conspiracy theories multiply. Simply put, if there isn't a transparent public hearing, the public is not going to believe the report on the cause of the collapse.

Earlier this year the NTSB voted 3 to 2 not to hold a hearing based on staff recommendations that a hearing would delay the report.

Rep. Oberstar, who chairs the House committee that recommends funds for the National Transportation Safety Board, was angry over the decision for several reasons. Originally the NTSB told him it was an unanimous decision. Also, NTSB Chair Mark Rosenker erroneously told reporters that a design flaw was the cause of the collapse, a statement that Rosenker later retracted. Those actions plus Rosenker's long history as a Republican campaign organizer dating back to the Nixon administration has Oberstar suspecting that politics, not policy is driving the decision to avoid a public hearing. Oberstar told Rosenker that he values accuracy and transparency over a speedy report.

Rosenker agreed with Oberstar that public hearings can be a both a teaching moment and a learning moment for the board, but did not commit to a public hearing. Instead he promised "an excellent sunshine presentation where this will get a public airing like nothing we have done before" when the investigation and report is complete. Rosenker said the investigation would be complete before the end of the year. Oberstar responded that Rosenker had just made the best argument for an open public hearing.

"How Conspiracy Theories Get Born"

Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon quizzed Rosenker on why the staff memo recommending no public hearing was a confidential document. Rosenker replied that sometimes it contains information that "is sensitive".

DeFazio then tore into Rosenker. "This is how conspiracy theories get born. It's like your staff secretly makes a recommendation. You have a split vote, three to two. You decide not to hold a public hearing. I understand what you say, the end point disclosure is going to be. But that's going to be the point at which you've made conclusions.

"I also understand that a fair amount of work goes into holding a hearing, but I don't see why it would cause four months delay in the process unless you're saying that something might come up at the hearing that would trigger further investigation or a different direction in that investigation".

Rosenker said he was going on historical data that shows a public hearing adds "two to four months" to an investigation.

Rep. DeFazio said he didn't find the two to four month delay "credible". Rep. Oberstar echoed that opinion.

"Last year our committee, our various subcommittees held 17 hearings. We heard from 710 witnesses. 394 hours of hearings. If your board staff can't conduct a hearing on one issue, then they need to come and take lessons from ours."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• 35w
• bridge
• collapse
• oberstar
• rosenker
• minnesota
• defazio
• congress
• investigation
• politics
• NextNewNetworks

[Richardgwm]

Typical Bush Administration action. The public be damned.

[snarkwaupaca]

Public Hearings are delayed because they want to be sure to fully filter anything critical the staff might say/write. This is indicative of the current administration that sees two kinds of staff recommendations

1. Those that agree 100% with administration policy

2. Those that never see the light of day.

[FanFisique]

This looks like a CAPO from the MAFIA saying...

I don´t know where the money is....

Maybe if You wait 2-4 months I can actually remember...and I´ll give you back.

LOL

[datruesouljah]

i can absolutly guarentee you that probably, with out a doubt in my mind that i may have some doubts. that is to say... I promise that any half truth, is in fact...half lie. ofcourse this goes without saying,however 9 out of 10 dentists cant be wrong. which is why there is no reason what so ever that this reason is not a good reason. in closing, i would like to say... i will always be on time, unless im late. thank you and we will win this war on terror.

[vibraphonusrex]

What a hypocrite! This guy is in the pocket of a union and won't allow Congress to vote on the saving of an American national treasure, namely the steamboat Delta Queen. He has no business being in charge of a transportation committee, because he has no clue about anything to do with transportation. How can someone like Oberstar, who has no respect for the democratic process, make the comments he does and get away with it? Another one who's bad for America.

[GretchenDawntreader]

that was ripping into? or is the title supposed to be sarcasm?

[privatelifer]

...but he sure can 'run' a Campaign, he ran it all the way to the White House, TWICE !

[flyingdrake]

"you can never say you're not going to learn anything from this because, you never know what you're not going to learn". "you never know what you don't know".. huh, i might start using that

[rgood711]

Dick Cheney is the common patron of NTSB chair Rosenker (White House) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (2002 campaign). In Jan. 2008, Rosenker issued a premature opinion, protested by Oberstar and later retracted by Rosenker, attempting to dismiss Pawlenty's possible/likely role in the collapse stemming from Pawlenty's appointment of an unqualified partisan as transportation commissioner, vetoes of 2 transportation packages, and ignoring the lessons of the 1996 Grand River, OH bridge failure.

[776281]

First rule of goverment: Never hold an inquiry unless you know the answer.

[hellshade2]

if you know george bushs history you'll know that he can't even run a business.....

[revelwoodie]

Because we have a government that doesn't believe in government. Bush and his buddies aren't politicians; they're businessmen. Businesses are run for profit, as they should be. But America is not a business, it is a nation. Run a nation like a business and what do you get? Collapsed bridges and lead-painted toys. It's time to vote the profiteers out and elect some real public servants. Democrats '08 and FOREVER.