Congressman considers hearings on Firestone recall

WASHINGTON (Aug. 17)—Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., chairman of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection, is "seriously considering" holding hearings on Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.´s recall of 6.5 million Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires. "There are an awful lot of unanswered questions out there, and we want to make sure a tragedy like this doesn´t happen again," said a spokesman for Tauzin´s office. Tauzin´s office will "collect as much information as possible" from Bridgestone/Firestone, Ford Motor Co. and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration before calling a hearing, he said.