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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release November 7, 1994

PARTNERSHIP FOR A NEW GENERATION OF VEHICLES Statement on the National Research Council Peer Review Report

Two weeks ago, the Partnerhip for a New Generation of Vehicles marked the first anniversary of the historic announcement of the project, and reported on the significant progress that had been made during the year. We are pleased that an independent peer review committee of the National Research Council has confirmed our view of the historic importance of this project and recognized that its success will improve the quality of life for all Americans. In addition, we are gratified that the committee agrees that the project has made good progress in a relatively short time.

Specifically, the committee has acknowledged our successful efforts in establishing an unprecedented effective working relationship between diverse cultures of government and industry, with the support of labor. In addition, the committee has recognized that the project is addressing all of appropriate technical priorities that are important to reach the goal of a breakthrough vehicle.

This independent peer review, which will be conducted on an ongoing basis, is extremely valuable to the project for its ability to provide unbiased, constructive suggestions for improvement. In this regard, the committee has suggested that a national commitment to the project is important to maintaining the momentum that has been created. PNGV agrees completely and believes, as the committee does, that the project's success will have enormous benefits for the public both economically and environmentally. We will redouble our efforts to increase public awareness of the project and to obtain public input on its implementation.

In addition, the committee suggests that certain management course corrections be considered. PNGV has always recognized that the project presents unique management challenges since it merges a number of diverse agency and business cultures in a virtually unprecedented way. We believe that the management structure must be creative and not necessarily wed to traditional techniques. With respect to the need for detailed technical plans, PNGV agrees completely with the peer review that planning should be as detailed and as rapid as possible, is working hard toward that end.

We greatly appreciate the committee's rapid response in conducting this first peer review, and its members' willingness to give of their time in this effort. We believe that the report provides valuable insight into our program, and we will closely consider all of its recommendations. We look forward to continued feedback from the committee as it conducts follow-up reviews of the PNGV program.