Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. It is a crisis of confidence. It unbalances our Nation's trade with other countries. Carter quoted one of the Camp David meeting participants as saying that Americas neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. In addition, inflation had reached an all-time high during Carters term. If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social, and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions. "We can't go on consuming 40 percent more energy than we produce. But we still have another choice. This effort will permit you to build conservation into your homes and your lives at a cost you can afford. ", And this from a young Chicano: "Some of us have suffered from recession all our lives. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problemswasteful use of resources. I believe that this can be a positive challenge. 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. These are facts and we simply must face them: What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important. These wounds are still very deep. The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. 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. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. It's crucial that you understand how serious this challenge is. You can help me to develop a national agenda for the 1980's. I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld from the market. 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 . There, in the next few weeks, the strength and courage of our political system will be proven. I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. By acting now we can control our future instead of letting the future control us. During the past 3 years I've spoken to you on many occasions about national concerns, the energy crisis, reorganizing the Government, our Nation's economy, and issues of war and especially peace. These quotas will ensure a reduction in imports even below the ambitious levels we set at the recent Tokyo summit. It's a problem that we will not be able to solve in the next few years, and it's likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century. Unless we act, we will spend more than $550 billion for imported oil by 1985--more than $2,500 for every man, woman, and child in America. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. 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. If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we use today. Carter, a liberal president, was heading into a presidential campaign just as a tide of conservatism was rising, led by presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan, who went on to win the 1980 campaign. America overseas is only as strong as America at home. We will act together. All rights reserved. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. Although all countries could, of course, be more efficient, we are the worst offender. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. It will lead to some higher costs and to some greater inconvenience for everyone. 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. current level; --to cut in half the portion of U.S. oil which is imported--from a potential level of 16 million barrels to 6 million barrels a day; --to establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than a 6-months supply; --to increase our coal production by about two-thirds to more than one billion tons a year; They will say that sacrifice is fine as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable or unfair or harmful to the country. Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift. 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. Intense competition for oil will build up among nations and also among the different regions within our own country. 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. 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. The congressional conference committees are now considering changes in how electric power rates are set in order to discourage waste, to reward those who use less energy, and to encourage a change in the use of electricity to hours of the day when demand is low. I promised you a President who is not isolated from the people, who feels your pain, and who shares your dreams and who draws his strength and his wisdom from you. President Jimmy Carter (b. His remarks were broadcast live on radio and television. This is a special night for me. ", "We've got to use what we have. It will demand that we make sacrifices and changes in every life. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process. These were the promises I made 3 years ago, and I intend to keep them. 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 must look back into history to understand our energy problem. One of the visitors to Camp David last week put it this way: "We've got to stop crying and start sweating, stop talking and start walking, stop cursing and start praying. I do not promise you that this struggle for freedom will be easy. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. But I'm confident that we can find the wisdom and the courage to make the right decisionseven when they are unpleasantso that we might, together, preserve the greatness of our Nation. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. ", "Some people have wasted energy, but others haven't had anything to waste. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. Politics, Carter said, was full of corruption, inefficiency and evasiveness; he claimed these problems grew out of a deeper, fundamental threat to American democracy. He was not referring to challenges to civil liberties or the countrys political structure or military prowess, however, but to what he called a crisis of confidence that led to domestic turmoil and the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation., At a time when Europeans and the Japanese began out-producing the U.S. in energy-efficient automobiles and some other advanced technologies, Carter said that Americans had lost faith in being the worlds leader in progress. He claimed that Americans' obsession with self-indulgence and material goods had trumped spiritualism and community values. Unless we act quickly, imports will continue to go up, and all the problems that I've just described will grow even worse. President Jimmy Carter asks Americans to sacrifice for the sake of greater energy conservation and independence. It causes unemployment. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. The second change took. I'm sure that each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. We have no choice about that. 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. Now we have a choice. We've always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own. So, the solution of our energy crisis can also help us to conquer the crisis of the spirit in our country. Remarks to the students and faculty at Moscow State University / Ronald Reagan -- Remarks to the residents of Leiden / George Bush -- v. 6. The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. --to insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings; These are the three standards by which the final legislation must be judged. 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. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. We always believed that we were part of a great movement of humanity itself called democracy, involved in the search for freedom, and that belief has always strengthened us in our purpose. The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. The former . Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices. Working together with our common faith we cannot fail. Will Obama and his ilk learn the lessons of history? Talk to us about blood and sweat and tears. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. Carter prefaced his talk about energy policy with an explanation of why he believed the American economy remained in crisis. And it will get worse every day until we act. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking 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. They will say that sacrifice is fine as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable or unfair or harmful to the country. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. ", And this from a religious leader: "No material shortage can touch the important things like God's love for us or our love for one another. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. There is some part of this complex legislation to which every region and every interest group can object. Second, as I've said before, it's designed to meet our important goals for energy conservation, to promote a shift to more plentiful and permanent energy supplies and encourage increased production of energy in the United States. This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future. This lack of moral and spiritual confidence, he concluded, was at the core of Americas inability to hoist itself out of its economic troubles. What I do promise you is that I will lead our fight, and I will enforce fairness in our struggle, and I will ensure honesty. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. 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. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States: 1977 1981 Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: "The Malaise Speech" July 15, 1979 Good evening. 1924) giving one of his fireside chats on energy. ", "Some of your Cabinet members don't seem loyal. A graduate of the U.S. American wisdom and courage right now can set a path to follow in the future. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! It gives us more freedom, more confidence, that much more control over our own lives. Supplies will be uncertain. Within 10 years, we would not be able to import enough oil from any country, at any acceptable price. read more. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oilnearly 10 times as much. The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. 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. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. 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. I will be working closely with them. The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. 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. The gap between our citizens and our Government has never been so wide. The productivity of American workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen below that of all other people in the Western world. Well, I understand how he felt, but I must tell you the truth. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. I will continue to travel this country, to hear the people of America. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. to insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings; Let me try to describe the size and the effect of the problem. 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. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices. And above all, I will act. With every passing month, our energy problems have grown worse. Point one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our Nation. January 23, 1979. Our Nation must be fair to the poorest among us, so we will increase aid to needy Americans to cope with rising energy prices. The third principle is that we must protect the environment. Thank you very much. . It's always been easier to wait until the next year or the next term of office, to avoid political risk. They want greatly increased prices for "old" oil and gasenergy supplies which have already been discovered and which are being produced now. It's important that we promote new oil and gas discoveries and increased production by giving adequate prices to the producers. What can we do? With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. This major legislation is a necessary first step on a long and difficult road. Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. Point six: I'm proposing a bold conservation program to involve every State, county, and city and every average American in our energy battle. Supplies will be uncertain. All Rights Reserved. That path leads to true freedom for our Nation and ourselves. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. 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. 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. The second change took. Carter was unable to solve most of the problems plaguing the country during his administration, including an ailing economy and a continuing energy crisis. Previous. 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. to cut in half the portion of U.S. oil which is importedfrom a potential level of 16 million barrels to 6 million barrels a day; ; Carter went on to serve in the US Navy and was sworn in as president in 1977. First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. This year, when foreign oil is very expensive, we are importing nearly 9 million barrels a dayalmost one-half of all the oil we use. We've always wanted to give our children and our grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we have had ourselves. During the subsequent campaign, Goldwater said that he thought the United States should do whatever was necessary to win in Vietnam. Die Hard also became read more, John Christie, one of Englands most notorious killers, is executed. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. On July 15, 1918, near the Marne River in the Champagne region of France, the Germans begin what would be their final offensive push of World War I. 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 kind of summarized a lot of other statements: "Mr. President, we are confronted with a moral and a spiritual crisis.". Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. It feeds serious inflationary pressures in our own economy. The . I can't tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Working with Congress, we've now formed a new Department of Energy, headed by Secretary James Schlesinger. You know we can do it. 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. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. The first was about 200 years ago, when we changed away from wood--which had provided about 90 percent of all fuelto coal, which was much more efficient. 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 could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. Iran hostage crisis For the fifth time I would have described the urgency of the problem and laid out a series of legislative recommendations to the Congress. ", This was a good one: "Be bold, Mr. President. The president was scheduled to deliver a speech on July 4 but canceled at the last minute. 12874 Into Law," November 4, 1978. 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. This excessive importing of foreign oil is a tremendous and rapidly increasing drain on our national economy. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual. He also pledged a massive commitment of funds and resources to develop alternative fuel sources including coal, plant products and solar power. The cost will keep going up. 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. 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. President Carter delivered this speech on the energy crisis in 1977. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. If this trend continues, the excessive reliance on foreign oil could make the very security of our Nation increasingly dependent on uncertain energy supplies. It is a clear and present danger to our Nation. State of the Union Address 1979. 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. Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem? What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. Carter didn't directly recommend rationing, but it's clear he . And I realize more than ever that as President I need your help. place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation via live television to discuss the nation's energy crisis and accompanying recession. We've always been proud of our leadership in the world. Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. 4 min read. View Transcript. 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. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. Ten days ago I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject--energy. After restoring faith in itself, the nation would be able to march on to the the battlefield of energy [where] we can win for our nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny.. We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. In this speech, Carter recognizes that Americans have lost faith in government, in part because of the energy crisis. They are the ones that we must provide for now. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. 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. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my Presidential authority to set import quotas. Now the energy proposal that I made to Congress last April has three basic elements to ensure that it is well balanced. I do not mean our political and civil liberties. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. Ours is the most wasteful nation on Earth. So, I decided to reach out and listen to the voices of America. A few weeks ago, in Detroit, an unemployed steelworker told me something that may reflect the feelings of many of you. The world has not prepared for the future. We will protect our environment. Jimmy Carter Has 'Still Got Some Time In Him,' So There's Still Time to Speak Ill of Him. ", "If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow. This from a young woman in Pennsylvania: "I feel so far from government. The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement cost of energy. 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. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don't act. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. As one of the world's largest producers of coal and oil and gas, why do we have this problem with energy, and why is it so difficult to solve? 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. This is where another major controversy arises. 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 This writer voted for Carter in 1976. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. ", And this is one of the most vivid statements: "Our neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. 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. Our biggest problem, however, is that we simply use too much and waste too much energy. What are his proposed solutions? I hope that, perhaps a hundred years from now, the change to inexhaustible energy sources will have been made, and our Nation's concern about energy will be over. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. 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.