Committee: Assessment of Technologies for Improving Fuel Economy of Light-Duty Vehicles

Committee Membership Information


Project Title:	Assessment of Technologies for Improving Fuel Economy of Light-Duty Vehicles – Phase 2
PIN:	DEPS-BEES-11-02
Major Unit:	Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences Transportation Research Board
Sub Unit:	DEPS Board on Energy & Environmental Systems Studies and Special Programs Division
RSO:	Holmes, John
Subject/Focus Area:	Energy and Energy Conservation; Engineering and Technology; Policy for Science and Technology; Transportation and Infrastructure

Committee Membership

Date Posted: 06/19/2012

Dr. Jared L. Cohon - (Chair)
Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Jared L. Cohon, Ph.D. serves as the President of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Dr. Cohon has more than 25 years of technology, research, policy and management experience. Dr. Cohon was also appointed Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Professor of Engineering and Public Policy. He was a Professor of Geography and Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, where he also served as Vice Provost for Research from 1986 to 1992, ... Associate Dean of Engineering from 1983 to 1986, and Assistant Dean of Engineering from 1981 to 1983. Dr. Cohon began his teaching career at Johns Hopkins University, where he served as Assistant, Associate, and full Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering. Following his tenure at Johns Hopkins, he became Dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Professor of Environmental Systems Analysis at Yale University. Dr. Cohon also served as Legislative Assistant for Energy and Environment on the staff of U.S. Senator Moynihan from 1977 to 1978. He has been a Director of American Standard Companies Inc. since October 1999. Dr. Cohon has been a Director of Mellon Financial Corp. since 1998 and also serves as a Member of the Audit Committee, Corporate Governance, and Nominating Committee. He has been a Director of Freemarkets Inc. since July 21, 2003 and is a Director Emeritus of Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. President George W. Bush appointed him in 2002 to serve on his Homeland Security Advisory Council. In January 1995, Dr. Cohon was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. In 1997, he assumed the role of Chairman of the Board, a position he held until 2002. Dr. Cohon is a national authority on environmental and water resource systems analysis and is the author, co-author or editor of more than 80 professional publications. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master's Degree and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Khalil Amine
Argonne National Laboratory

Khalil Amine is Senior Scientist and Manager of the Battery Technology Department within Argonne’s Chemical Engineering Division. He received both the Electrochemical Society Battery Technology Award and International Battery Association Award in 2010 for his advanced research on cathode materials for safe, long-lasting lithium ion batteries. Dr. Amine founded the annual International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications (ABAA) and chaired the inaugural meeting in 2008 in Chicago. He received his Ph.D. in materials science from the University of Bordeaux, France, in 1989 and has studied various aspects of new materials for next-generation batteries throughout his career. Before joining Argonne in 1998, Amine led a number of advanced R&D projects at the Japan Storage Battery Company, now a subsidiary of GS-Yuasa. Prior to his private sector service, he oversaw research projects in the public sector during his tenure at the Osaka National Research Institute and Kyoto University. He was the most cited scientist in the world in the field of battery technology from 1998-2008 and has written the largest number of papers in the world on battery related topics from 2000 to 2011.

Chris Baillie
GE Aviation Engines

Chris Baillie is currently the Supervisor of Transmission and Driveline Design at FEV, an internationally recognized powertrain and vehicle engineering company that supplies the global transportation industry. Mr. Baillie has extensive experience in light duty vehicle transmission and hybrid powertrain design. He previously worked at GE Aviation as a lead engineer for gearboxes on turbine engines. He has served as lead design engineer and program manager for two parallel electric hybrid transmissions, four AMTs, a CVT, and two series hybrid powertrains. He has also has experience with the design of DCTs, automatics and two-mode transmissions. He served as a consultant for the National Research Council’s Committee on Assessment of Technologies for Improving Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy. Chris Baillie has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Boston University.

Dr. Jay Baron
Center for Automotive Research

Jay Baron is President and Director of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). He is also the director of CAR’s Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology Group. Dr. Baron’s recent research has focused on developing new methods for the analysis and validation of sheet metal processes including die making, tool and die tryout, and sheet metal assembly processes. He also developed functional build procedures that result in lower tooling costs and shorter development lead times, while improving quality—particularly with sheet metal assemblies. He also has been researching new technologies in the auto industry, including looking at body shop design and flexibility and evaluating the manufacturing capability of evolving technologies. He recently completed investigations on the state-of-the-art of tailor welded blank technologies, economics of weld-bond adhesives, and the analysis of car door quality and construction methods. Prior to becoming the director of Manufacturing Systems at CAR and subsequently president, Dr. Baron was the manager of Manufacturing Systems at the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. He also worked for Volkswagen of America in quality assurance and as staff engineer and project manager at the Industrial Technology Institute in Ann Arbor and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Center for Manufacturing Productivity in Troy, New York. Dr. Baron holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He served on the National Research Council’s Committee on Assessment of Technologies for Improving Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy.

Dr. R. Stephen Berry
The University of Chicago

R. Stephen Berry (NAS) is the James Franck Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Chicago and holds appointments in the College, the James Franck Institute, and the Department of Chemistry. He has also held an appointment in the School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago and has worked on a variety of subjects ranging from strictly scientific matters to a variety of topics in policy. He spent 1994 at the Freie Universität Berlin as an awardee of the Humboldt Prize. In 1983 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. His experimental research includes studies of negative ions, chemical reactions, detection of transient molecular species, photoionization, and other laser-matter interactions. Other research has involved interweaving thermodynamics with economics and resource policy, including efficient use of energy. Since the mid-1970s, Dr. Berry has worked on issues of science and the law, and with management of scientific data, activities that have brought him into the arena of electronic media for scientific information and issues of intellectual property in that context. Dr. Berry is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and has served on a number of National Research Council committees, including current service on the Committee on Review of the U.S. DRIVE Research Program, Phase 4. He attended Harvard University, where he received an A.B. and an A.M. in chemistry and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry.

Dr. L. Catherine Brinson
Northwestern University

L. Catherine Brinson is currently the Jerome B. Cohen Professor of Engineering at Northwestern University and Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department with a secondary appointment in the Materials Science and Engineering Department. After receiving her Ph.D. in 1990 from Caltech, Dr. Brinson performed postdoctoral studies in Germany at the DLR and since 1992 she has been on the faculty at Northwestern University. Her primary research focus is on the modeling and characterization of advanced material systems, including polymers, nanocomposites and intelligent materials. Current research investigations involve characterization of nanoparticle reinforced polymers, the phase transformation response of shape memory alloys, nano and microscale response of bone, and investigation of microstructure effects on properties of microporous materials for bioengineering, where investigations span the range of molecular interactions, micromechanics and macroscale behavior. Dr. Brinson has received a number of awards, including a 2006 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Prize of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the 2003 ASME Special Achievement Award for Young Investigators, and an NSF CAREER Award; she is a Fellow of the Society of Engineering Science and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering; she served as a member of the Defense Science Study Group (1998-99); and she just completed 2 terms on the National Materials Advisory Board of the National Academies. She has served as a member of three NRC committees and chaired the Committee on Benchmarking the Technology and Application of Lightweighting. She has given many invited technical lectures on her research and has authored one book and 100 refereed journal publications. She is a member of several professional societies and served 5 years on the Society of Engineering Science Board of Directors, including one year as President of the society. She has also been an Associate Editor of the Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures and the Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology.

Matthew Fronk
Matt Fronk & Associates, LLC

Matt Fronk is President of Matt Fronk & Associates, LLC. He has more than 30 years of experience leading both research and product development teams in advanced technology, fuel cells and energy storage. He spent 20 years leading General Motors’ Fuel Cell Research and Development program in Honeoye Falls, New York (Monroe County). During his tenure at GM, development of these electrochemical devices advanced from lab-scale 50cm2 cells to 100 operating vehicles -- the largest of any OEM auto company. This involved advancement from research into product development and then execution for a large fleet build up. Matt also has extensive global supplier community experience. After GM, Matt served as Director of the Center for Sustainable Mobility at Rochester Institute of Technology and was instrumental in developing durability and life cycle analyses for new product design as they moved from concept to product. Matt is an expert consultant to the energy storage and fuel cell. He also participated in the development of the recently released New York Climate Action Plan draft as a contributor in the Transportation Segment.

Dr. David L. Greene
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

David L. Greene is a Corporate Fellow of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Senior Fellow of the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy and a Research Professor of Economics at the University of Tennessee. He is an author of more than 250 publications on transportation, energy and related issues, including 100 refereed journal articles. He is an emeritus member of both the Energy and Alternative Fuels Committees of the Transportation Research Board and a lifetime National Associate of the National Academies. He is currently a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels. He is a recipient of the TRB’s Pyke Johnson Award, the Society of Automotive Engineers’ 2004 Barry D. McNutt Award for Excellence in Automotive Policy Analysis, the Department of Energy’s 2007 Hydrogen R&D Award and 2011 Vehicle Technologies R&D Award, the International Association for Energy Economics’ Award for Outstanding Paper of 1999 for his research on the rebound effect, the Association of American Geographers’ 2011 Edward L. Ullman Award, and was recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for contributions to the IPCC’s receipt of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an M.A. from the University of Oregon, and a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University.

Roland Hwang
Natural Resources Defense Council

Roland Hwang is the Transportation Program Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and works on sustainable transportation policies. He is an expert on clean vehicle and fuels technologies, and was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Mr. Hwang serves or has served on numerous advisory panels, including for the California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Collaborative, California Air Resources Board’s Alternative and Renewable Fuels and Vehicles program, the California Hydrogen Highway Network Advisory Panel, the Automotive X Prize, and the Western Governors’ Association Transportation Fuels for the Future Initiative. Prior to joining the NRDC, he was the director of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ transportation program. He has also worked for the U.S. Department of Energy at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Air Resources Board as an air pollution engineer, and was involved in forecasting residential and industrial energy demand, hazardous waste incinerator permitting, and evaluating toxic air emissions from landfills. Mr. Hwang has an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Davis and a Masters degree in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley.

Dr. Linos J. Jacovides
Paphos Consulting

Linos Jacovides (NAE) recently retired as director, Delphi Research Labs, a position he held from 1998 to 2007. Dr. Jacovides joined General Motors Research and Development in 1967 and became department head of electrical engineering in 1985. His areas of research were the interactions between power electronics and electrical machines in electric vehicles and locomotives. He later transitioned to Delphi with a group of researchers from GM to set up the Delphi Research Laboratories. He is a Fellow of both IEEE and SAE, he was President of the Industry Applications Society of IEEE in 1990. He received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering, and an M.S in machine theory from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, in 1961 and 1962, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in generator control systems from the Imperial College, University of London, in 1965.

Dr. Therese Langer
American Council for an Energy-Efficient

Therese Langer is the Transportation Program Director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy in Washington D.C. She supervises a program that analyzes and promotes strategies to reduce energy consumption in the U.S. transportation sector while protecting the environment and strengthening the economy. Her current activities include: analysis and advocacy in support of stronger fuel economy policies for light- and heavy-duty vehicles; assessment of opportunities to reduce transportation carbon emissions at the state level; improvements to consumer information on environmentally preferable vehicles; and development of an approach to stabilizing transportation energy use that integrates technological and demand reduction strategies. Dr. Langer provides guidance and analytical support on transportation energy policy issues to environmental groups, congressional offices, and agencies.

Rebecca Lindland
IHS Automotive

Rebecca Lindland is a private consultant. She was formerly the Director of Research for IHS Automotive where she was responsible for evaluating and assessing OEMs that participate in the U.S. and Canada marketplaces. She has a particular interest in how manufacturers’ decisions reflect consumer values. As a member of IHS Automotive, Rebecca was frequently quoted in the media, including The New York Times, Business Week, Reuters, Bloomberg News, Los Angeles Times, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, The Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio, for her coverage of new product launches and the balance sheet conditions of manufacturers and brands. Prior to her work at HIS, Rebecca worked at AlliedSignal in Rumford, Rhode Island, where she forecasted products such as Bendix brakes. A life-long automotive enthusiast, she began her career as a staff accountant with Mercedes-Benz Credit Corporation in Norwalk, Connecticut. Lindland holds a double major in accounting and business administration from Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts. She is a former board member of the Society of Automotive Analysts, the International Motor Press Association, Motor Press Guild, and was accepted into Strathmore's 2001 Who's Who in American Business.

Dr. Virginia McConnell
Resources for the Future

Virginia McConnell is a Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) in the Center for Energy Economics and Policy (CEEP). She is also Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her recent work has focused on the evaluation of policies to reduce motor vehicle energy use and emissions, particularly on the role of pricing and other incentive-based policies. She recently completed a study on hybrid vehicles and the effectiveness of policies designed to increase the share of hybrids and electric vehicles in the U.S. fleet; this was part of a larger effort at RFF to assess a range of transportation and other policies to reduce oil use and greenhouse has emissions in the U.S. by 2030. She was co-editor of the 2007 book, Controlling Vehicle Pollution, and has published on a range of transportation policy issues. In addition, she has served on a number of EPA, and state advisory committees related to transportation, energy use and air quality. She has been a member of several NRC panels in recent years, including current membership on the Committee on the Potential for Light-Duty Vehicle Technologies 2010-2050, the Committee on State Practices in Setting Mobile Source Emissions Standards, and the Committee for a Study of Potential Energy Savings and Greenhouse Gas Reductions from Transportation. Dr. McConnell received a B.S. degree in economics from Smith College and a Ph.D. degree in economics from the University of Maryland.

Mr. David F. Merrion
David F. Merrion, LLC

David F. Merrion is chairman of David F. Merrion LLC; and chairman of Truck Emission Control Technologies, Inc. He is the retired executive vice president of engineering for Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC). His positions at DDC included staff engineer, Emissions and Combustion; staff engineer, Research and Development; chief engineer, Applications; director, diesel engineering; general director, Engineering (Engines and Transmissions); and senior vice president, Engineering. Mr. Merrion has extensive expertise in the research, development, and manufacturing of advanced diesel engines, including alternative-fueled engines. He is a Society of Automotive Engineers fellow and a member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He served as president of the Engine Manufacturers Association, a member of Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mobile Sources Technical Advisory Committee, a member of the Coordinating Research Council; and a member of the U.S. Alternate Fuels Council. He has served on a number of National Research Council committees including the Standing Committee to Review the Research Program of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles; the Committee on Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership, Phase 1; and the Committee to Assess Fuel Economy Technologies for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. He has a bachelor of mechanical engineering from General Motors Institute (Kettering University) and a masters of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Anna Stefanopoulou
University of Michigan

Anna G. Stefanopoulou is the Director of the Automotive Research Center at the University of Michigan. Her current work addresses the control and automation issues associated with fuel cells, fuel processing, and internal combustion engines. She obtained her Diploma (1991, Nat. Tech. Univ. of Athens, Greece) in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and her Ph.D. (1996, University of Michigan) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. After completing her degree, she worked as a technical specialist at Ford Motor Company (1996-1997), where she developed nonlinear and multivariable models and controllers for advanced engines; her algorithms were implemented and tested in experimental vehicles. Following her work at Ford, she became an assistant professor (1998-2000) at the University of California, Santa Barbara and later a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan and a visiting professor (2006) at ETH, Zurich. She is an ASME Fellow (08), and an IEEE Fellow (09), a member of the IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS) Board of Governors, an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Control System Technology, and an Associate Editor on the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems Measurements and Control. She was Chair (2001-1999) and Co-Chair (1999-1997) of the Transportation Panel in American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in the Dynamics, Systems, and Control Division (DCSD). She is a recipient of the 2009 Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award, a 2008 Univ. of Michigan Faculty Recognition award, the 2005 Outstanding Young Investigator by the ASME DSC division, a 2005 Henry Russel award, a 2002 Ralph Teetor SAE educational award, a 1997 NSF CAREER award and selected as one of the 2002 world’s most promising innovators from the MIT Technology Review. She has a book on Control of Fuel Cell Power Systems, nine US patents, 4 best paper awards and 120 publications.

Mr. Wallace R. Wade
Ford Motor Company [Retired]

Wallace R. Wade (NAE) was chief engineer and technical fellow, Powertrain Systems Technology and Processes, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan, where he served for 32 years prior to his retirement. He was responsible for the development, application, and certification of emission and powertrain control system technologies for all Ford Motor Company’s North American vehicles. His technical responsibilities have included low emission technologies for internal combustion engines; analytical and laboratory based powertrain calibration with objective measures of driveability, the first domestic production OBD II (On-Board Diagnostic) system; technology for diesel particulate filters (DPF) with active regeneration; electronic control systems for gasoline and diesel engines; low heat rejection and low friction, direct injection diesel engines; and an ultra low emission, gas turbine combustion system. Today he is a consultant to industry and government. Mr. Wade was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2011 for implementation of low-emission technologies in the automotive industry. He is a fellow member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He received the Henry Ford Technology Award and has been recognized as a Distinguished Corporate Inventor by the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He has received five SAE Arch T. Colwell Awards and the SAE Vincent Bendix Automotive Electronics Engineering Award. He has received 26 patents related to improvements in powertrains and has written 25 published technical papers on powertrain research and development. He has an M.S.M.E. degree from the University of Michigan, and a B.M.E. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, both in Mechanical Engineering.

Mr. William H. Walsh, Jr.

William H. Walsh, Jr. is an automobile safety consultant. He consults on vehicle safety activities with several technology companies to speed the introduction of advanced life-saving technology into the automobile fleet as well as substantive involvement in corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rulemakings. He held several positions at the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) including Senior Associate Administrator for Policy and Operations; Associate Administrator for Plans and Policy; Director, National Center for Statistics and Analysis; Director, Office of Budget, Planning and Policy; and Science Advisor to the Administrator of NHTSA. He also held the position of Supervisory General Engineer at the DOE’s Appliance Efficiency Program. His expertise covers all aspects of vehicle safety performance; cost/benefit analyses; strategic planning; statistics analyses and modeling; and policy formulation. He serves on the Transportation Research Board’s Occupant Protection Committee and is currently serving on the National Research Council’s Committee on the Potential for Light-Duty Vehicle Technologies 2010-2050. He has a B.S. in aerospace engineering, University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in system engineering, George Washington University.

Dr. Clemens Schmitz-Justen
CSJ Schmitz-Justen & Company

Clemens Schmitz-Justen is founder and head of strategic consulting at CSJ Schmitz-Justen & Company. Concurrently with this appointment, he was Director of International Programs in the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University from 2008-2010. He is the former president of BMW Manufacturing LLC in Spartanburg, from 2004-2008, where according to the Automotive News he “led a major update of the company’s manufacturing operations in Spartanburg, S.C.” During Schmitz-Justen's term of executive leadership at BMW, the Spartanburg plant built its one-millionth vehicle in the U.S., underwent a multi-million dollar expansion, began using landfill methane gas to run the paint shop and added another generation of the popular X5 Sports Activity Vehicle to its line. He joined BMW in 1991 and served in a variety of senior management assignments within the company, such as Head of Painted Body Division, Research and Innovation Centre of BMW Group. Prior to that, Dr. Schmitz-Justen worked at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT from 1981 until 1991, where he also earned his doctorate in 1986 and served as managing chief engineer. Schmitz-Justen is an honorary adjunct professor at Chemnitz Technical University in Germany. He earned the equivalent of a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering in 1981 and a doctorate degree in manufacturing engineering in 1986 from Aachen Technical University in Aachen, Germany.

Statement of Committee Composition

Note: there has been a change in committee membership with the appointment of Clemens Schmitz-Justen effective June 1, 2012.

Note: Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Chris Baillie-May 15, 2013

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the "Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable." A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy's policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's financial and other interests and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include, among others, at least one person who possesses both broad industry-wide technical expertise in light-duty vehicle transmissions, and corresponding expertise in evaluating fuel economy benefits from multiple technologies.

To meet the need for this expertise and experience, Mr. Chris Baillie, an employee of GE Aircraft Engines, was appointed to the committee. Following Mr. Baillie’s appointment, he accepted a new position as Supervisor of Transmission and Driveline Design at FEV Inc., an internationally recognized powertrain and vehicle engineering company that supplies the global transportation industry (FEV). Mr. Baillie’s continued service on the committee is critical even though we have concluded that he has a conflict of interest because his new employer, FEV, has consulting relationships with vehicle manufacturers and government agencies.

As his biographical summary makes clear, Mr. Baillie’s technical and design experience covers both the technical and cost aspects of vehicle transmissions, and encompasses the full range of current and new transmission technologies, including transmissions for conventional vehicles as well as hybrid electric vehicles. Mr. Baillie also brings expertise in the estimation of fuel economy benefits from combining transmission and engine technologies. This expertise includes the modeling of fuel economy benefits using complex full system simulation models and aggregate lumped parameter models. We believe that Mr. Baillie can continue to serve effectively as a member of the committee, and that the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have been unable to find another individual who does not have a similar conflict of interest and who also has a comparable combination of specialized technical knowledge and corresponding expertise in evaluating the cost and fuel consumption aspects of transmission technologies. Therefore, we have concluded that the potential conflict described above is unavoidable.