Toyota's Prius

Concern about America's oil dependence has risen sharply since September 11. But Phoenix resident Tom Shanahan, a Vietnam veteran, already had done something to build the country's energy security: He visited a local car dealership, cash in hand. "I figured buying a fuel-efficient hybrid car was something small I could do to help reduce America's dependence on oil," Shanahan explains. Evidently, many Americans agree, as sales orders for Toyota's 50-mpg, gasoline-electric Prius have surged.

With cars, trucks and buses responsible for two-thirds of U.S. oil consumption, Environmental Defense and others are pressing Congress to tighten the nation's fuel economy standards, which have barely budged since 1985. "This is the moment when our government can and should put policies in place that improve energy efficiency, " says our executive director Fred Krupp.