In its 2002 report, many contend the National Academies of Sciences underestimated how rising fuel efficiency standards for automobiles were adversely impacting public safety. Now it appears a new panel has been convened to review this assessment, but according to Joe Bast of the Heartland Institute, it appears politics is playing a role in the selection process. “This new panel offers an opportunity to fix errors in the 2002 report, but this won’t likely happen because, in clear violation of NAS policy, three people on it have previously served on the original panel, and the fourth individual has mostly worked for the left-leaning Union of Concerned Scientists. It’s a shame when politics is introduced into a matter which so greatly impacts public safety.”