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. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. Now the energy proposal that I made to Congress last April has three basic elements to ensure that it is well balanced. Supplies will be uncertain. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977. And this year we may spend $45 billion. There is something especially American in the kinds of changes that we have to make. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. We've always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own. In it, Carter singled out a pervasive "crisis of confidence" preventing the American people from moving the country forward. It has been an extraordinary 10 days, and I want to share with you what I've heard. Let us commit ourselves together to a rebirth of the American spirit. Little by little we can and we must rebuild our confidence. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. This is the direct cause of the long lines which have made millions of you spend aggravating hours waiting for gasoline. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. National Energy Plan: Address to the Nation. | The American Presidency It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. ." President Jimmy Carter Address to the Nation, April 18, 1977 The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. It is a certain route to failure. Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem? We know the strength of America. Jimmy Carter November 08, 1977 Source National Archives Amid looming concern regarding the scarcity of oil resources President Carter delivers a message in stark terms, urging Americans to band together in order to eliminate the wasting of energy resources. 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. It's worse because more waste has occurred and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. That is the concept of the energy policy that we will present on Wednesday. For the fifth time I would have described the urgency of the problem and laid out a series of legislative recommendations to the Congress. But if we fail to act boldly today, then we will surely face a greater series of crises tomorrowenergy shortages, environmental damage, ever more massive Government bureaucracy and regulations, and illconsidered, last-minute crash programs. We will act together. It pushes up international energy prices because excessive importing of oil by the United States makes it easier for foreign producers to raise their prices. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. 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. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. There should be only one test for this program--whether it will help our country. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. ", "Some of your Cabinet members don't seem loyal. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past. There's Still Time to Speak Ill of Jimmy Carter - PJ Media So, the solution of our energy crisis can also help us to conquer the crisis of the spirit in our country. With every passing month, our energy problems have grown worse. We often think of conservation only in terms of sacrifice. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. Our farmers are the greatest agricultural exporters the world has ever known, but it now takes all the food and fiber that we export in 2 years just to pay for 1 year of imported oilabout $45 billion. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. January 23, 1979. 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. Imports have doubled in the last 5 years. In 1979, America could still feel the effects of OPECs (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 1973 cuts in oil production. In the late 1970s, the United States faced a variety of challenges, including high inflation, rising interest and unemployment rates, and an energy crisis created by . 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. I've given you some of the principles of the plan. You can help me to develop a national agenda for the 1980's. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977 (excerpts). So, I decided to reach out and listen to the voices of America. Copyright 2023. This major legislation is a necessary first step on a long and difficult road. We can delay insulating our homes, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste. The energy crisis is real. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search . Just as a similar synthetic rubber corporation helped us win World War II, so will we mobilize American determination and ability to win the energy war. God Bless You Jimmy Carter, Pioneer Deregulator | Newsmax.com These proposals would provide adequate incentives for exploration and production of domestic oil and gas, but some of the oil companies want much moretens of billions of dollars more. Within 10 years, we would not be able to import enough oil from any country, at any acceptable price. All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. The Congress is facing very difficult decisions, courageously, and we've formed a good partnership. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. Selected Speeches of Jimmy Carter Tonight, at this crucial time, I want to emphasize why it is so important that we have an energy plan and what we will risk, as a nation, if we are timid or reluctant to face this challenge. Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: "The Malaise Speech This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. 4. The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. Unless we act, we will spend more than $550 billion for imported oil by 1985more than $2,500 for every man, woman, and child in America. I can't be too concerned about other things when I have a 10-year-old daughter to raise and I don't have a job and I'm 56 years old." This from a young woman in Pennsylvania: "I feel so far from government. This energy plan is a good insurance policyfor the future, in which relatively small premiums that we pay today will protect us in the years ahead. Obviously, this cannot continue. Address to the Nation on Energy | The American Presidency Project Now we have a choice. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. FILE - Lillian Carter is flanked by her sons Jimmy, right, and Billy as she met them down at Billy's gas station, where the Carters and neighbors cleaned fish prior to a town cookout, June 26, 1976. Thank you very much, and good night. And you are also deeply involved in these decisions. But if we wait, we will constantly live in fear of embargoes. "I am a farmer, an engineer, a businessman, a planner, a scientist, a governor, and a Christian," Jimmy Carter said while introducing himself to national political reporters when he announced his campaign to be the 39th president of the United States in December 1974.. As journalists and historians consider Carter's legacy, this prelude to Carter's campaign offers insight into how he . These are all controversial questions, and the congressional debates, as you can well imagine, are intense. Born as a side project apart from Odeos main podcasting platform, the free application allowed users read more, The unmanned spacecraft Mariner 4 passes over Mars at an altitude of 6,000 feet and sends back to Earth the first close-up images of the red planet. If we wait and do not act, then our factories will not be able to keep our people on the job with reduced supplies of fuel. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. Remember, you can't sell anything on Wall Street unless someone digs it up somewhere else first. We waste more energy than we import. Extra to study for big quiz- history Flashcards | Quizlet President Jimmy Carter's Address to the Nation on Energy 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. In order to conserve energy, the Congress is now acting to make our automobiles, our homes, and appliances more efficient and to encourage industry to save both heat and electricity. 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. Tonight I want to examine in a broad sense the state of our American Union--how we are building a new foundation for a peaceful and a prosperous world. What is being measured is the strength and will of our Nationwhether we can acknowledge a threat and meet a serious challenge together. I feel like ordinary people are excluded from political power. April 18, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. We have the natural resources. New oil prices would also rise in 3 years to the present world level and then be increased annually to keep up with inflation. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. The selection of this time span made perfect sense from a Hollywood read more, On July 15, 1988, Die Hard, an action film starring Bruce Willis as wisecracking New York City cop John McClane, opens in theaters across the United States. This is an effort which requires vision and cooperation from all Americans. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. President Jimmy Carter - Address to the Nation on Energy [Historical Every $5 billion increase in oil imports costs us 200,000 American jobs. Iran hostage crisis ", "Mr. President, we're in trouble. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent o Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption, we now believe that early in the 1980's the world will be demanding more oil than it can produce. This summer we used more oil and gasoline than ever before in our history. Other generations of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. Although all countries could, of course, be more efficient, we are the worst offender. Although the energy crisis and recession were the main topics of conversation, Carter heard from the attendees that Americans were also suffering from a deeper moral and spiritual crisis. In fact, it is the most painless and immediate way of rebuilding our Nation's strength. For Jimmy Carter, protecting environment has been an "exhilarating The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. 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. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. It makes it harder for us to balance our Federal budget and to finance needed programs for our people. These were the promises I made 3 years ago, and I intend to keep them. In a few years, when the North Slope is producing fully, its total output will be just about equal to 2 years' increase in our own Nation's energy demand. These are the three standards by which the final legislation must be judged. We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. 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. A Democrat, he was governor of Georgia from 1971-1975, and a member of the state Legislature (in the Senate) from 1963 to 1967. Carter was unable to solve most of the problems plaguing the country during his administration, including an ailing economy and a continuing energy crisis. 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. Talk to us about blood and sweat and tears. Conservation is the only way that we can buy a barrel of oil for about $2. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. Gradually, you've heard more and more about what the Government thinks or what the Government should be doing and less and less about our Nation's hopes, our dreams, and our vision of the future. 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. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. These are the purposes of the new energy legislation. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford. Jimmy Carter: Family affair to the White House and beyond | Nation Details for: The Library of Congress presents historic presidential Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. We waste more energy than we import. The statement marked a dramatic turning point in U.S.-China relations, as well as a major shift in American foreign policy. But we can make that transition smoothlyfor our country and for our children and for our grandchildrenonly if we take careful steps now to prepare ourselves for the future. 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. As president, Jimmy Carter advised Americans to set their thermostats to 55 degrees overnight during the winter months to "waste less energy," offering his guidance in a televised address to the nation on February 2, 1977, in the midst of a national natural gas shortage. We've recommended that the price, for instance, of new natural gas be raised each year to the average price of domestic oil that would produce the same amount of energy. This has already started. The nation is shocked when the President tells them to "put on a sweater" instead of turn up the heat (using energy and fuel). Another very important question before Congress is how to let the market price for domestic oil go up to reflect the cost of replacing it while, at the same time, protecting the American consumers and our own economy. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our Nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny. The tenth and last principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy that we will rely on in the next century. We've always been proud of our ingenuity, our skill at answering questions. Many groups have risen to the challenge. Center on Global Energy Policy in Boydton, VA Expand search. Whether this plan truly makes a difference will not be decided now here in Washington but in every town and every factory, in every home and on every highway and every farm. We can regain our confidence. Moreover, I will soon submit legislation to Congress calling for the creation of this Nation's first solar bank, which will help us achieve the crucial goal of 20 percent of our energy coming from solar power by the year 2000. On July 15, 1979, amid stagnant economic growth, high inflation, and an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter delivered a televised address to the American people. One problem is that the price of all energy is going up, both because of its increasing scarcity and because the price of oil is not set in a free and competitive market. 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 the ability to administer the new energy legislation, and congressional work on the National Energy Plan has now reached the final stage. Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this period, and we have never known anything different. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. We are at a turning point in our history. First of all, I got a lot of personal advice. ", "If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow. Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern this Nation. We can begin to prepare right now. By 1972, we were importing about 30 percent. The Secretary of Defense said recently, "The present deficiency of assured energy sources is the single surest threat to our security and to that of our allies." This button displays the currently selected search type. One of the most enduring aspects of Jimmy Carter's presidency is his green legacy he embraced environmental stewardship and renewable energy with an . There, in the next few weeks, the strength and courage of our political system will be proven. What can we do? The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly. Two days from now, I will present to the Congress my energy proposals.. Its Members will be my partners, and they have already given me a great deal of valuable advice. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency . Amid looming concern regarding the scarcity of oil resources President Carter delivers a message in stark terms, urging Americans to band together in order to eliminate the wasting of energy resources. I believe that the duties of this office permit me to do no less. The world price is set by a foreign cartelthe governments of the so-called OPEC nations. 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. current level; 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. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. The energy. Confidence has defined our course and has served as a link between generations. President Jimmy Carter - Address to the Nation on Energy - YouTube 0:00 / 4:35 President Jimmy Carter - Address to the Nation on Energy MCamericanpresident 10.4K subscribers Subscribe 830. We have more coal than any nation on Earth. These 10 days confirmed my belief in the decency and the strength and the wisdom of the American people, but it also bore out some of my longstanding concerns about our Nation's underlying problems. You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift. 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 . Forty years ago tonight, President Jimmy Carter delivered his Address to the Nation on National Energy Policy, better known as the "Moral Equivalent of War" speech. American wisdom and courage right now can set a path to follow in the future. With God's help and for the sake of our Nation, it is time for us to join hands in America. If this trend continues, the excessive reliance on foreign oil could make the very security of our Nation increasingly dependent on uncertain energy supplies. 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. Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change--to strict conservation and to the renewed use of coal and to permanent renewable energy sources like solar power. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. Carter also addresses his ideas to improve the economy and reduce the size of government. It's important that we promote new oil and gas discoveries and increased production by giving adequate prices to the producers. ", This was a good one: "Be bold, Mr. President. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. ", "You don't see the people enough any more. It unbalances our Nation's trade with other countries. ", And this one from a labor leader got to the heart of it: "The real issue is freedom. READ MORE: Jimmy Carter: His Life and Legacy, Jimmy Carter speaks about a national crisis in confidence, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jimmy-carter-speaks-about-a-national-crisis-in-confidence. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. It is the idea which founded our Nation and has guided our development as a people. to use solar energy in more than 2 1/2 million houses. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. But we still have another choice. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. The strength we need will not come from the White House, but from every house in America.". Working together with our common faith we cannot fail. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. Intense competition for oil will build up among nations and also among the different regions within our own country. The Middle East has only 5 percent of the world's energy, but the United States has 24 percent. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. It hurts every American family. Good evening. Carter, who after the presidency would teach Sunday School, tried to rally the public to have faith in the future of America. Point one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. And above all, I will act. Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. President Jimmy Carter delivered this speech on July 15, 1979, exactly three years after accepting the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for president. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. Pike was instructed to seek out headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers and to investigate read more, Spree killer Andrew Cunanan murders world-renowned Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace on the steps outside his Miami mansion. Ten days ago I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject--energy. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. A look at Jimmy Carter's legacy in Georgia and around the world Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices. Address to the Nation on Energy | The American Presidency Project Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States: 1977 1981 Address to the Nation on Energy April 18, 1977 Good evening. I will be working closely with them. We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. 12874 Into Law," November 4, 1978. Die Hard also became read more, John Christie, one of Englands most notorious killers, is executed. Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. When Jimmy Carter stepped onto the national stage, he brought along those closest to him, introducing Americans to a colorful Georgia family that helped shape the 39th president's public life The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. I believe that this can be a positive challenge. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third changeto strict conservation and to the renewed use of coal and to permanent renewable energy sources like solar power. I'm sure that each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. The confidence that we have always had as a people is not simply some romantic dream or a proverb in a dusty book that we read just on the Fourth of July. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, and every interest group. This from a southern Governor: "Mr. President, you are not leading this Nation you're just managing the Government. We can take the first steps down that path as we begin to solve our energy problem. He also admitted that part of the problem was his failure to provide strong leadership on many issues, particularly energy and oil consumption. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Although journalists and historians say the address ultimately undermined his presidency, the Democratic candidates vying to challenge President Trump in 2020 have much to learn from Carter's . We will monitor the accuracy of data from the oil and natural gas companies for the first time, so that we will always know their true production, supplies, reserves, and profits.
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