President Bush's economic stimulus plan could triple the size of a little-known tax loophole that some small business owners are using to finance purchases of large SUVs.

One of Bush's proposed tax cuts would raise from $25,000 to $75,000 the amount small business owners -- including doctors, lawyers and financial advisers -- can write off when buying an SUV for business purposes.

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CBS article

They became the status symbol for politicians in the 1990s: big, tinted-windowed, extra-loaded SUVs that ferried around the governor, the mayor, Cabinet secretaries, and other government officials who shunned the plain sedans of their predecessors.

Now, as environmental concerns over the gas-guzzlers mount, the Romney administration is considering eliminating all but the most essential sport utility vehicles in the state government fleet, in favor of lighter, smaller cars that get better mileage.

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A group of faith leaders recently went to Detroit and challenged carmakers with the question: "What would Jesus drive?"

He'd take the bus, of course. Not because public transit saves hydrocarbons or slows global warming, though those are worthy reasons.

No, he'd be on the bus because that's where the humanity is. Not much happens in a car in the way of human interaction. None of the kindness or unkindness of strangers has a chance to rub off on you. A bus ride might be crowded, loud and maddening, but it is vital and alive.

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Voices are questioning our energy-hungry lifestyles, and their arguments for moving toward more efficiency go beyond basic economics.

After 9-11, environmentalists' longstanding advocacy for energy and oil conservation took on added resonance as America contemplated its Mideast oil dependency. As war with Iraq edges closer, some activists are appealing to our patriotism to encourage efficiency.

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Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California said she will battle with the auto industry again later this month by reintroducing legislation to tighten fuel-economy standards for the popular, but controversial, sport-utility vehicles. Her legislation, and similar legislation by other senators, died in the last Congress.

Feinstein's effort comes amid a rising chorus of SUV criticism

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Chevy Tahoe driver Karen Gilley of Marietta considers herself neither self-absorbed nor a demon. She's just a suburban mom who finds solace in her sport utility vehicle.

Includes poll

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An unsettling thought is starting to nag at automakers who rely on sport-utility vehicles for a big chunk of their profits: The biggest SUVs may be becoming uncool.

The death of the SUV has been falsely proclaimed off and on throughout its decadelong rise as an American consumer icon. But now some of the Big Three's top executives themselves say they see distinct signs that an important segment of cutting-edge consumers -- not just environmental activists -- are starting to sour on monster SUVs.

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In an effort to influence the transportation choices of their congregations, the Pennsylvania-based Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) launched a campaign in November called "What Would Jesus Drive."

They have partnered with the National Council of Churches and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life to encourage the development of fuel-efficient cars by the automobile industry and to urge faithful members to buy cars that pollute less and are environmentally friendly.

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Caught in traffic the other day (at least what passes for traffic in Kingman) on Stockton Hill Road, I used an unmobile moment to observe the behemoth in front of me.

I was stuck behind a massive luxury SUV. From my vantage point far below the beast I noticed something funny. Adorning the beast’s hind end was a specialty licenses plate – the kind that you pay extra for at the motor vehicle department and the extra money goes to some worthy cause. This one was one of the state’s environmental license plates that is supposed to encourage people to respect and care for their planet.

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By now you've probably heard of the "What would Jesus drive?" campaign. That's the one where a group of sincere clergymen got together and grabbed some media attention for their anti-SUV initiative.

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Our very garbage contains riches scarcely imaginable in many of the nation's poorest regions. We buy, use and discard in an endless cycle. Oh, we give lip service to recycling, but only if we deem it to be cost-effective.

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If you are a motorist, you may be worried about the safety threat posed by all those hulking sport utility vehicles. But if you are an automaker, your big worry until now has been regulation. S.U.V.'s have been a godsend, after all, to the auto companies, providing enormous profits and a bulwark against the foreign competition that has made the car business so tough.

Customers liked S.U.V.'s, and Washington hadn't seemed to be in any mood to regulate, so the profits kept coming. All that may soon change, however, and for automakers, it's time to be afraid — very afraid.

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