America's love affair with the automobile may be driving roughshod over our energy and environmental security - and sending us to war. One quarter of the U.S. oil supply is imported from the volatile Middle East. Passenger cars consume 40% of that oil. Tailpipe emissions alone account for 20% of heat trapping "greenhouse" gases responsible for potentially perilous changes in our climate.

The Bush administration has announced a meager 1.5-mpg increase in fuel economy thresholds for SUVs and light trucks. Silverados to Suburbans have long been benefactors of lighter fuel economy requirements. Auto industry spokespeople call the boost "daunting." Independent experts say that while a step in the right direction, the move falls far short of what is technically achievable - and essential.

• Raising standards 10 mpg would save a billion oil barrels a year - enough to halt Persian Gulf imports.
  
  
• A 40-mpg average - nearly double current standards - is within easy reach.
  
  
• The 70 million SUVs roaming our roadways spew as much pollution as 110 million cars.
  
  
• The EPA's budget for fuel economy has been slashed by a third.

Japan is miles ahead of the U.S. in fuel-efficient auto technology. Gas-saving hybrids from Honda and Toyota have already hit the pavement, while U.S. automakers' plans remain parked on the drawing board. The Bush administration mothballed the 80-mpg Supercar, a concept car built by the Big Three automakers.

Why does the U.S. auto industry resist changes in fuel economy standards? Must consumers choose between a Geo and a Jeep - or can we have room, comfort, and good gas mileage? Can changes be made now that would buffer the brunt of an inevitable shift away from finite fossil fuels?