An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. His remarks were broadcast live on radio and television. The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. 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. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. Talk to us about blood and sweat and tears. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent o These changes did not happen overnight. But sometime in the 1980's, it can't go up any more. World oil production can probably keep going up for another 6 or 8 years. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. 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. Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense--I tell you it is an act of patriotism. It costs about $13 to waste it. ", "We've got to use what we have. 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. President Jimmy Carter (b. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! It is the idea which founded our Nation and has guided our development as a people. This effort will permit you to build conservation into your homes and your lives at a cost you can afford. Vast amounts of American wealth no longer stay in the United States to build our factories and to give us a better life. . Address to the nation on the War in Vietnam / Richard Nixon -- Remarks on taking the oath of office / Gerald R. Ford -- Energy and national goals : address to the nation / Jimmy Carter -- v. 5. I feel like ordinary people are excluded from political power. 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. And this year we may spend $45 billion. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. The statement marked a dramatic turning point in U.S.-China relations, as well as a major shift in American foreign policy. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual. 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. Those citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. 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. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. The message was usually focused on energy conservation. We will act together. The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. It is a true challenge of this generation of Americans. We are the heirs of generations who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oilnearly 10 times as much. Yesterday, after careful consideration, I announced the postponement of a major overseas trip until after Christmas because of the paramount importance of developing an effective energy plan this year. Now, I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. Thank you very much. The gap between our citizens and our Government has never been so wide. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. ", This kind of summarized a lot of other statements: "Mr. President, we are confronted with a moral and a spiritual crisis.". The history of our Nation is one of meeting challenges and overcoming them. 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. 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; This from a young woman in Pennsylvania: "I feel so far from government. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977 (excerpts). It's also especially difficult to deal with long-range, future challenges. The nation is shocked when the President tells them to "put on a sweater" instead of turn up the heat (using energy and fuel). It has been an extraordinary 10 days, and I want to share with you what I've heard. 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. Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America. 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. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future. Good evening. Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift. 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. He also admitted that part of the problem was his failure to provide strong leadership on many issues, particularly energy and oil consumption. We can regain our confidence. He also pledged a massive commitment of funds and resources to develop alternative fuel sources including coal, plant products and solar power. These wounds are still very deep. place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency I can't tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. We've always been proud, through our history, of being efficient people. This has already started. It will be money well spent. 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. Carter didn't directly recommend rationing, but it's clear he . 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? Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problemswasteful use of resources. First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we use today. 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. Ten days ago I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject--energy. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. Surprising viewers, who were expecting a laundry list of proposals to deal with the energy crisis, Carter took a different tack. They want lower taxes on their profits. On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation via live television to discuss the nation's energy crisis and accompanying recession. 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. 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. 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;
And we are the generation that will win the war on the energy problem and in that process rebuild the unity and confidence of America. Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this period, and we have never known anything different. 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." All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. 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. One choice, of course, is to continue doing what we've been doing before. The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. First, it's fair both to the American consumers and to the energy producers, and it will not disrupt our national economy. The question is, who should benefit from those rising prices for oil already discovered? This will not be the last time that I, as President, present difficult and controversial choices to you and ask for your help. Our national security depends on more than just our Armed Forces; it also rests on the strength of our economy, on our national will, and on the ability of the United States to carry out our foreign policy as a free and independent nation. Little by little we can and we must rebuild our confidence. 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 . 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. One choice, of course, is to continue doing what we've been doing before. We can spend until we empty our treasuries, and we may summon all the wonders of science. There is something especially American in the kinds of changes that we have to make. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. And this year we may spend $45 billion. 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. 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. These efforts will cost money, a lot of money, and that is why Congress must enact the windfall profits tax without delay. ", "Mr. President, we're in trouble. Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. View Transcript. I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld from the market. Copyright 2023. Launched in November 1964, Mariner 4 carried a television camera and six other science instruments to study Mars and interplanetary read more, Zebulon Pike, the U.S. Army officer who in 1805 led an exploring party in search of the source of the Mississippi River, sets off with a new expedition to explore the American Southwest. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Thank you very much, and good night. The second change took. We may make mistakes, but we are ready to experiment. 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. We respected the Presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Watergate. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. We've always been proud of our ingenuity, our skill at answering questions. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. ", "Some people have wasted energy, but others haven't had anything to waste. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977. We are the generation that dedicated our society to the pursuit of human rights and equality.
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