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We've devoted part of this month's issue to intriguing fuel-economy solutions. So, ladies and gents, I give you Oklahoma.

Yes,Oklahoma, Will Rogers's famously horizontal birthplace and the golden buckle of the wheat belt where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain. In Oklahoma, only the harvest dominates conversation more than God, guns, and diesel pickups. Except that these days, with diesel running more than $4 per, folks are all a-gab about those little used mini-trucks, the ones that get 40 mpg with their itty-bitty three-cylinder engines. Some even have the dang steering wheel shoved over to the right side!

People call them "mini-trucks," "micro trucks," "K trucks," and "kei trucks" (say "kay trucks"). They're built by Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Suzuki, mainly to cart sake barrels and other goods down Japan's squeezed streets. Several Chinese makers also build them, and a Poteau, Oklahoma, startup called Tiger Truck, LLC, assembles mini-trucks from Chinese blueprints and parts. Hi Ho Silver, meet Hello Kitty.

Federal regulators consider mini-trucks invasive pests from Asia, no better than the long-horned beetle or soybean rust. That's because mini-trucks don't come within a good hog call of meeting safety or emissions standards. In a 35-mph offset-barrier test, a mini-truck might just vaporize.

Well, Oklahoma's farmers don't mind the odd government subsidy, but they sure don't want to be told what is and isn't safe to drive into town, especially when 30 states allow adults on motorcycles without helmets and nobody in Washington says boo. In November, Oklahoma became the 10th state to allow registration and limited operation of mini-trucks on public roads. Arizona and Texas are also considering exceptions. Meanwhile, federal government lawyers are stone grinding their quills, and no one will be surprised if the whole kerfluffle lands in the Supreme Court.

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