jimmy carter address to the nation on energy jimmy carter address to the nation on energy

Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. We will have to have a crash program to build more nuclear plants, strip mine and bum more coal, and drill more offshore wells than if we begin to conserve right now. to insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings; Within 10 years, we would not be able to import enough oil from any country, at any acceptable price. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. ", "We've got to use what we have. Thank you very much. If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we use today. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency . It's clear that the true problems of our Nation are much deeperdeeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession. ", "If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow. to use solar energy in more than 2 1/2 million houses. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. I do not promise you that this struggle for freedom will be easy. The generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil will be stopped dead in its tracks right now and then reversed as we move through the 1980's, for I am tonight setting the further goal of cutting our dependence on foreign oil by one-half by the end of the next decade--a saving of over 4 1/2 million barrels of imported oil per day. It's always been easier to wait until the next year or the next term of office, to avoid political risk. Supplies will be uncertain. It costs about $13 to waste it. The intent of the event was to call attention to issues affecting read more, On July 15, 2006, the San Francisco-based podcasting company Odeo officially releases Twttrlater changed to Twitterits short messaging service (SMS) for groups, to the public. Carter became a one-term president after Reagan defeated him in a blowout victory in 1980, but Carter's political defeat intensified his lifelong quest to know whether he had done his best and . I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy. It makes it harder for us to balance our Federal budget and to finance needed programs for our people. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. These changes did not happen overnight. A few weeks ago, in Detroit, an unemployed steelworker told me something that may reflect the feelings of many of you. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oil--nearly 10 times as much. The first principle is that we can have an effective and comprehensive energy policy only if the Government takes responsibility for it and if the people understand the seriousness of the challenge and are willing to make sacrifices. But you did not choose your elected officials simply to fill an office. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. President Carter speaks to the American people about the importance of an energy policy that focuses on conservation of the nation's natural resources and a new energy department. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. ", This kind of summarized a lot of other statements: "Mr. President, we are confronted with a moral and a spiritual crisis.". Will Obama and his ilk learn the lessons of history? The president was scheduled to deliver a speech on July 4 but canceled at the last minute. Obviously, this cannot continue. They are going up, whether we pass an energy program or not, as fuel becomes more scarce and more expensive to produce. We can drift along for a few more years. Our children who will be born this year will come of age in the 21st century. This from a southern Governor: "Mr. President, you are not leading this Nation you're just managing the Government. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. The fifth principle is that we must be fair. The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day, and demand increases each year about 5 percent. It feeds serious inflationary pressures in our own economy. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent o With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. Although all countries could, of course, be more efficient, we are the worst offender. And I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might. We will not be ready to keep our transportation system running with smaller and more efficient cars and a better network of buses, trains, and public transportation. These efforts will cost money, a lot of money, and that is why Congress must enact the windfall profits tax without delay. A President is elected for just 4 years, a Senator for 6, and our Representatives in Congress for only 2 years. Then I became upstate New York chairman of Democrats for Reagan in 1984. I have no doubt that this is the right decision, because the other nations of the worldallies and adversaries alikeawait our energy decisions with a great interest and concern. It can rekindle our sense of unity, our confidence in the future, and give our Nation and all of us individually a new sense of purpose. Seated behind his ornate desk in the Oval Office and wearing a sober pinstriped suit, he offered a litany of dark predictions: We've always believed in something called progress. We've always been proud of our ingenuity, our skill at answering questions. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. He recounted a meeting he had hosted at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland, with leaders in the fields of business, labor, education, politics and religion. Carter, who after the presidency would teach Sunday School, tried to rally the public to have faith in the future of America. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. ", "There will be other cartels and other shortages. We can protect ourselves from uncertain supplies by reducing our demand for oil, by making the most of our abundant resources such as coal, and by developing a strategic petroleum reserve. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. All the traditions of our past, all the lessons of our heritage, all the promises of our future point to another path, the path of common purpose and the restoration of American values. We will not be ready to keep our transportation system running with smaller and more efficient cars and a better network of buses, trains, and public transportation. I've given you some of the principles of the plan. Let us commit ourselves together to a rebirth of the American spirit. The former . If it were possible to keep it rising during the 1970's and 1980's by 5 percent a year, as it has in the past, we could use up all the proven reserves of oil in the entire world by the end of the next decade. We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. The eighth principle is that Government policies must be predictable and certain. Now, I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. It will be money well spent. These are facts and we simply must face them: What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important. In fact, it is the most painless and immediate way of rebuilding our Nation's strength. During the next few weeks, attention will be focused on the Congress, but the proving of our courage and commitment will continue, in different forms and places, in the months and the years, even generations ahead. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great Nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence, and freedom. They are the ones that we must provide for now. In the 1970s, oil and gas shortages experienced in many parts of the U.S. were erroneously blamed on resource exhaustion rather than government price and allocation controls. I'm convinced that we can have enough energy to permit the continued growth of our economy, to expand production and jobs, and to protect the security of the United Statesif we act wisely. The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us. Our plan will call for strict conservation measures if we fall behind. He also pledged a massive commitment of funds and resources to develop alternative fuel sources including coal, plant products and solar power. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search . First of all, I got a lot of personal advice. Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my Presidential authority to set import quotas. place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. In this speech, Carter recognizes that Americans have lost faith in government, in part because of the energy crisis. Washington, D.C., has become an island. At one point, he talked about the possibility of read more, The critically acclaimed 2002 biopic Walk The Line depicts the life and career of Johnny Cash from his initial rise to stardom in the 1950s to his resurgence following a drug-fueled decline in the 1960s. Point one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. We have the natural resources. Thereafter, I was so dismayed by his presidency that I betrayed my natal Democratic Party and voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980. When we import oil we are also importing inflation plus unemployment. By acting now we can control our future instead of letting the future control us. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. We've always been proud, through our history, of being efficient people. The corporation will issue up to $5 billion in energy bonds, and I especially want them to be in small denominations so that average Americans can invest directly in America's energy security. ", "Don't talk to us about politics or the mechanics of government, but about an understanding of our common good. Just as the search for solutions to our energy shortages has now led us to a new awareness of our Nation's deeper problems, so our willingness to work for those solutions in energy can strengthen us to attack those deeper problems. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American retired politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. Our national energy plan is based on 10 fundamental principles. This is where another major controversy arises. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977 (excerpts). Point four: I'm asking Congress to mandate, to require as a matter of law, that our Nation's utility companies cut their massive use of oil by 50 percent within the next decade and switch to other fuels, especially coal, our most abundant energy source. Good evening. I said 6 months ago that no one would be completely satisfied with this National Energy Plan. I can't tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. This excessive importing of foreign oil is a tremendous and rapidly increasing drain on our national economy. These are all controversial questions, and the congressional debates, as you can well imagine, are intense. We can't continue to use oil and gas for 75 percent of our consumption, as we do now, when they only make up 7 percent of our domestic reserves. Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: "The Malaise Speech" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/249458, The American Presidency ProjectJohn Woolley and Gerhard PetersContact, Copyright The American Presidency ProjectTerms of Service | Privacy | Accessibility, Saturday Weekly Addresses (Radio and Webcast) (1639), State of the Union Written Messages (140). Versace is shot twice in the head, and Cunanan flees the scene. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis . The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. Die Hard also became read more, John Christie, one of Englands most notorious killers, is executed. Looking for a way out of this crisis, our people have turned to the Federal Government and found it isolated from the mainstream of our Nation's life. Carter then launched into his energy policy plans, which included the implementation of mandatory conservation efforts for individuals and businesses and deep cuts in the nations dependence on foreign oil through import quotas. This button displays the currently selected search type. Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. Three-quarters of them would carry only one person--the driver--while our public transportation system continues to decline. Meanwhile, although we have large petroleum supplies of our own and most of them don't, we in the United States have increased our imports more than 40 percent. This writer voted for Carter in 1976. It unbalances our Nation's trade with other countries. A year later, Ronald Reagan would frame his optimistic . The story of the human race is one of adapting to changing circumstances. This is one reason that I'm working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. Our energy plan captures and returns them to the public, where they can stimulate the economy, save more energy, and create new jobs. If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great Nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence, and freedom. The world price is set by a foreign cartelthe governments of the so-called OPEC nations. But we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources--America's people, America's values, and America's confidence. It hurts every American family. I believe that this can be a positive challenge. This means that just to stay even we need the production of a new Texas every year, an Alaskan North Slope every 9 months, or a new Saudi Arabia every 3 years. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. In 1979, America could still feel the effects of OPECs (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 1973 cuts in oil production. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. It is worldwide. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. In little more than two decades we've gone from a position of energy independence to one in which almost half the oil we use comes from foreign countries, at prices that are going through the roof. What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. Working together with our common faith we cannot fail. State of the Union Address 1979. The energy crisis is real. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems-wasteful use of resources. And I'm asking you for your good and for your Nation's security to take no unnecessary trips, to use carpools or public transportation whenever you can, to park your car one extra day per week, to obey the speed limit, and to set your thermostats to save fuel. Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year.