Fuel economy standards for cars and trucks have not been upgraded since 1975. They must be now. New Hampshire Sens. Judd Gregg and John Sununu should vote yes on the higher standards on the table in the Senate and reject the auto industry's low-octane substitutes. They should do so to save the lungs of their constituents, free America's economy from the grip of hostile oil-producing nations, keep consumers from driving their way to the poorhouse, increase security for the United States and its troops, and rescue America's auto industry from self-inflicted irrelevance.

The Senate proposal would require cars, pickups and SUVS to attain a combined average fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

"Can't be done without ruining us," say what used to be known as the Big Three automakers. They prefer a weaker substitute bill sponsored by Michigan lawmakers that sets the bar at 30 mpg by 2022. By then, of course, unless they change their energy-wasting ways, Detroit car makers probably won't be in business.

Chrysler, Ford and GM rode the SUV wave too long. Driven by gas prices that could top $4 per gallon before price increases stall, consumers are switching to fuel-efficient vehicles like those made by Toyota and Honda. If Congress, which has smiled on the automakers for decades, gives the industry what it wants, it's doomed.

Gregg and Sununu have another reason to get tough. The biggest source of air pollution in New England is not the filth that blows east from Midwestern coal plants, but tailpipe exhaust and other local sources of smog that have helped make New Hampshire the national leader in adult asthma.Some distinction.

Every gallon of gasoline burned puts about 20 pounds of climate-warming carbon dioxide in the air. Increasing vehicle fuel efficiency to 35 mpg from the current 27.5 mpg for cars and 24 mpg for trucks would make a big difference.

It will save drivers money, too. With gas at $2.85 a gallon, it costs $1,781 a year to drive a 24-mpg car 15,000 miles but only $1,257 if that car gets 34 mpg - a savings of $524. If gas climbs to $3.75 per gallon, the savings grows to $689.

Detroit dinosaur makers claim that the higher mileage goals can't be achieved economically, because the technology isn't in place yet. They also claim it can't be done without compromising safety. But the National Academy of Sciences, the International Council on Clean Transportation, The Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency and other groups whose experts have studied the problem disagree.

The Volkswagen Jetta, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry have lower driver fatality rates than SUVs and pickup trucks, which also do much more damage to other vehicles in accidents.

The ability to achieve better mileage exists now. It can be done by using materials that make cars both lighter and stronger and accomplished with modest changes in engine, transmission and tire design. Making more vehicles hybrids capable of running on electricity or alternative fuels would mean even bigger energy savings.

America's reliance on imported oil is its biggest national security threat. The $500 million per minute motorists spend on imported oil is paying for the bombs that are killing U.S. soldiers and keeping dictators in power. If only to keep us safer, Gregg and Sununu should support a rapid increase in mileage standards.