- Jimmy Carter, Energy Address to the Nation, April 18, 1977. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford. 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. The Middle East has only 5 percent of the world's energy, but the United States has 24 percent. This is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning. Three-quarters of them would carry only one person--the driver--while our public transportation system continues to decline. And you are also deeply involved in these decisions. National Energy Plan: Address to the Nation. | The American Presidency Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. ", This kind of summarized a lot of other statements: "Mr. President, we are confronted with a moral and a spiritual crisis.". They want greatly increased prices for "old" oil and gasenergy supplies which have already been discovered and which are being produced now. ", "Some people have wasted energy, but others haven't had anything to waste. Former President Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.), was the 39 th president of the United States, serving from 1977-1981. 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. We can begin to prepare right now. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. We have the ability to administer the new energy legislation, and congressional work on the National Energy Plan has now reached the final stage. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems-wasteful use of resources. 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. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. I do not mean our political and civil liberties. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. When we import oil we are also importing inflation plus unemployment. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our Nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny. For them to pass an effective and fair plan, they will need your support and your understandingyour support to resist pressures from a few for special favors at the expense of the rest of us and your understanding that there can be no effective plan without some sacrifice from all of us. "We can't go on consuming 40 percent more energy than we produce. 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. Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down. 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. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. We've always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own. The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce demand through conservation. It's always been easier to wait until the next year or the next term of office, to avoid political risk. Posted by RockyTCB 3/1/2023 6:11:41 AM. 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. They have never been healed. We will act together. We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process. A year later, Ronald Reagan would frame his optimistic . "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. 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. ; Carter went on to serve in the US Navy and was sworn in as president in 1977. We are only Cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford. Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem? ", "If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. It's important that we promote new oil and gas discoveries and increased production by giving adequate prices to the producers. 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. First of all, I got a lot of personal advice. Our children who will be born this year will come of age in the 21st century. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. In it, Carter singled out a pervasive "crisis of confidence" preventing the American people from moving the country forward. Jimmy Carter's Acceptance Speech, July 15, 1976 Inaugural Address as President, January 20, 1977 State of the Union Address, January 19, 1978 State of the Union Address, January 23, 1979 Energy and National Goals: Address to the Nation, July 15, 1979 State of the Union Address, January 23, 1980 State of the Union Address, January 16, 1981 This will not be the last time that I, as President, present difficult and controversial choices to you and ask for your help. We can decide to act while there is still time. 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. Three-quarters of them would carry only one personthe driverwhile our public transportation system continues to decline. Jimmy Carter: "Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978 Statement on Signing H.R. We can drift along for a few more years. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. Ten years ago, when foreign oil was cheap, we imported just 2 1/2 million barrels of oil a day, about 20 percent of what we used. We've always been proud of our leadership in the world. Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy, Transcript, Miller Center at University of Virginia, April 18, . The world has not prepared for the future. 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. 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. Remarks to the students and faculty at Moscow State University / Ronald Reagan -- Remarks to the residents of Leiden / George Bush -- v. 6. Naval Academy, he served in the submarine corps just after World War II. This from a young woman in Pennsylvania: "I feel so far from government. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. As you know, there is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions. We have no choice about that. During the subsequent campaign, Goldwater said that he thought the United States should do whatever was necessary to win in Vietnam. 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. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. 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 These are the purposes of the new energy legislation. But I think most of you realize that a policy which does not ask for changes or sacrifices would not be an effective policy at this late date. Now, I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social, and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions. Jimmy Carter Has 'Still Got Some Time In Him,' So There's Still Time to Speak Ill of Him. Supplies will be uncertain. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don't act. Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. The nation is shocked when the President tells them to "put on a sweater" instead of turn up the heat (using energy and fuel). What is being measured is the strength and will of our Nationwhether we can acknowledge a threat and meet a serious challenge together. God Bless You Jimmy Carter, Pioneer Deregulator | Newsmax.com Confidence in the future has supported everything else--public institutions and private enterprise, our own families, and the very Constitution of the United States. Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this Nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally. Our Nation must be fair to the poorest among us, so we will increase aid to needy Americans to cope with rising energy prices. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. We will use research and development projects, tax incentives and penalties, and regulatory authority to hasten the shift from oil and gas to coal, to wind and solar power, to geothermal, methane, and other energy sources. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent of war" and called on Americans to conserve energy. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. 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. Demand will overtake production. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, and every interest group. Our plan will call for strict conservation measures if we fall behind. 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. How does Carter link the energy crisis to a crisis of the American spirit? Now we have a choice. He proposed a plan to solve the crisis that focused on expanding the government's responsibility, promoting conservation, and expanding the search for oil to previously untapped areas. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. I believe that this country can meet any challenge, but this is an exceptionally difficult one because the threat is not easy to see and the solution is neither simple nor politically popular. Those citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury. This is an effort which requires vision and cooperation from all Americans. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. The second change took. 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. President Carter delivered this speech on the energy crisis in 1977. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. I believe that this can be a positive challenge. Jimmy Carter, "Malaise" Speech, July 15, 1979 - Bill of Rights Jimmy Carter. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past. This button displays the currently selected search type. For the first time in the history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next 5 years will be worse than the past 5 years. This lack of moral and spiritual confidence, he concluded, was at the core of Americas inability to hoist itself out of its economic troubles. But sometime in the 1980's, it can't go up any more. Ten days ago I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject--energy. We've also proposed, and the Congress is reviewing, incentives to encourage production of oil and gas here in our own country. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy. They are the ones that we must provide for now. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. ", And this is one of the most vivid statements: "Our neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. This summer we used more oil and gasoline than ever before in our history. to insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings; Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in the farming community of Plains, Georgia. History of Solar Power - IER A look at Jimmy Carter's legacy in Georgia and around the world The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement cost of energy. This incentive for new oil production would be the highest in the whole world. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search . His remarks were broadcast live on radio and television. Obviously, this cannot continue. Danny De Gracia: What Hawaii Legislators Can Learn From Jimmy Carter 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. In 1979, America could still feel the effects of OPECs (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 1973 cuts in oil production. Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. The American Presidency Project (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=7369). We can drift along for a few more years. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency . The cost will keep going up. Jimmy Carter: Family affair to the White House and beyond | Nation We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. The German general read more, Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) is nominated by the Republican Party to run for president. View Transcript. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oilnearly 10 times as much. Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. 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. The energy. But I think most of you realize that a policy which does not ask for changes or sacrifices would not be an effective policy at this late date. Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift. 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. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. 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. The cost will keep going up. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. 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. One such lesson is don't count conventional energy out. Other generations of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. We've always wanted to give our children and our grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we have had ourselves. And this year we may spend $45 billion. Intense competition for oil will build up among nations and also among the different regions within our own country. He had earned it. Die Hard also became read more, John Christie, one of Englands most notorious killers, is executed. It has been an extraordinary 10 days, and I want to share with you what I've heard. Carter ended by asking for input from average citizens to help him devise an energy agenda for the 1980s. Details for: The Library of Congress presents historic presidential Every $5 billion increase in oil imports costs us 200,000 American jobs. 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. If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we use today. 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. What are his proposed solutions? In the days to come, let us renew that strength in the struggle for an energy secure nation. The message was usually focused on energy conservation. It feeds serious inflationary pressures in our own economy. I've given you some of the principles of the plan. These are the goals that we set for 1985: --to reduce the annual growth rate in our energy demand to less than 2 percent; --to reduce gasoline consumption by 10 percent below its. Carter's Presidency Flashcards | Quizlet Center on Global Energy Policy in Boydton, VA Expand search. You don't like it, and neither do I. We've always believed in something called progress. Thank you very much, and good night. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. Jimmy Carter, "Crisis of Confidence" Speech, July - Energy History 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? Carter was unable to solve most of the problems plaguing the country during his administration, including an ailing economy and a continuing energy crisis. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. 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. The story of the human race is one of adapting to changing circumstances. There's Still Time to Speak Ill of Jimmy Carter - PJ Media This has already started. 1924) giving one of his fireside chats on energy. Following is a transcript of President Carter's address to the nation on energy problems last night in Washington, as recorded by The New York Times through the facilities of ABC News: It's. Point one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. The Congress has recognized the urgency of this problem and has come to grips . Demand will overtake production. Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: "The Malaise Speech Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. To further conserve energy, I'm proposing tonight an extra $10 billion over the next decade to strengthen our public transportation systems. 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 . And above all, I will act. But over those years the subjects of the speeches, the talks, and the press conferences have become increasingly narrow, focused more and more on what the isolated world of Washington thinks is important.