It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. 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 And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. We must deal with the energy problem on a war footing. 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 few weeks ago, in Detroit, an unemployed steelworker told me something that may reflect the feelings of many of you. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful--but so is any meaningful sacrifice. Demand will overtake production. We have the ability to administer the new energy legislation, and congressional work on the National Energy Plan has now reached the final stage. Well, I understand how he felt, but I must tell you the truth. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency . Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. Now, I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. More than 6 months ago, in April, I spoke to you about a need for a national policy to deal with our present and future energy problems, and the next day I sent my proposals to the Congress. But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. They are the ones that we must provide for now. You often see a balanced and a fair approach that demands sacrifice, a little sacrifice from everyone, abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends. 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. He had earned it. 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. We can regain our confidence. 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. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. On this day in 1979, with energy prices soaring and interest rates spiking, President Jimmy Carter told an anxious nation in a prime-time televised address that it faced "a crisis of. 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. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. We are the heirs of generations who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now. Our cars would continue to be too large and inefficient. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past. We will act together. He outlined the creation of a solar bank that he said would eventually supply 20 percent of the nations energy. 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. During the 1960's, we used twice as much as during the 1950's. ", "There will be other cartels and other shortages. 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. We've always been proud of our leadership in the world. This is a special night for me. Confidence in the future has supported everything else--public institutions and private enterprise, our own families, and the very Constitution of the United States. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. It hurts every American family. Unfortunately, that prediction has turned out to be right. 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 can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. Copyright 2023. 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. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, and every interest group. . Carter, who after the presidency would teach Sunday School, tried to rally the public to have faith in the future of America. The world has not prepared for the future. April 18, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy. Those citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury. President Jimmy Carter asks Americans to sacrifice for the sake of greater energy conservation and independence. By acting now we can control our future instead of letting the future control us. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. 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. His remarks were broadcast live on radio and television. And this year we may spend $45 billion. If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social, and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions. And it will get worse every day until we act. ", And this is one of the most vivid statements: "Our neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. Carter ended by asking for input from average citizens to help him devise an energy agenda for the 1980s. 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. The political pressures are great because the stakes are so high, billions and billions of dollars. Intense competition for oil will build up among nations and also among the different regions within our own country. ", And I like this one particularly from a black woman who happens to be the mayor of a small Mississippi town: "The big-shots are not the only ones who are important. ", Many people talked about themselves and about the condition of our Nation. How does Carter link the energy crisis to a crisis of the American spirit? During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. It gives us more freedom, more confidence, that much more control over our own lives. The American Presidency Project (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=7369). 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. During the subsequent campaign, Goldwater said that he thought the United States should do whatever was necessary to win in Vietnam. We can delay insulating our homes, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste. But, unfortunately, there are still some who seek personal gain over the national interest. As you know, there is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions. We've always wanted to give our children and our grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we have had ourselves. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, April 18, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy, Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity, Miller Center: April 18, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy, March 9, 1977: Remarks at President Carter's Press Conference, May 22, 1977: University of Notre Dame Commencement, September 7, 1977: Statement on the Panama Canal Treaty Signing, November 8, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy, January 19, 1978: State of the Union Address, September 17, 1978: President Carter's Remarks on Joint Statement at Camp David Summit, October 24, 1978: Anti-Inflation Program Speech, December 15, 1978: Speech on Establishing Diplomatic Relations with China, January 23, 1979: State of the Union Address, July 15, 1979: "Crisis of Confidence" Speech. Our national energy plan is based on 10 fundamental principles. 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; 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. 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. But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. It's worse because more waste has occurred and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. Jimmy Carter: "Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978 Statement on Signing H.R. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. And you are also deeply involved in these decisions. On January 14, 1981, President Jimmy Carter delivered a farewell address to the nation, thanking his staff and the American people for the opportunity to serve, warning about the continuing threat . Our imports have more than tripled in the last 10 years. I said 6 months ago that no one would be completely satisfied with this National Energy Plan. 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. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. Working with Congress, we've now formed a new Department of Energy, headed by Secretary James Schlesinger. The world price is set by a foreign cartelthe governments of the so-called OPEC nations. 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. Point three: To give us energy security, I am asking for the most massive peacetime commitment of funds and resources in our Nation's history to develop America's own alternative sources of fuel--from coal, from oil shale, from plant products for gasohol, from unconventional gas, from the Sun. We will protect our environment. Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense--I tell you it is an act of patriotism. 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 manage the short-term shortages more effectively and we will, but there are no short-term solutions to our long-range problems. Those citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury. 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. On July 15, 1979, amid stagnant economic growth, high inflation, and an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter delivered a televised address to the American people. 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. 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 consumption of oil would keep going up every year. We ourselves are the same Americans who just 10 years ago put a man on the Moon. The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Just since April, our oil imports have cost us $23 billionabout $350 worth of foreign oil for the average American family. I'm sure that each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. 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. We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. Download media. Naval Academy, he served in the submarine corps just after World War II. Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem? 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. Ours is the most wasteful nation on Earth. The German general read more, Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) is nominated by the Republican Party to run for president. He also pledged a massive commitment of funds and resources to develop alternative fuel sources including coal, plant products and solar power. I've given you some of the principles of the plan. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. America overseas is only as strong as America at home. Energy and the National Goals - A Crisis of Confidence - Jimmy Carter : Discuss: Jimmy Carter - Address to the Nation on Energy (April 18, 1977) Discuss: Jimmy Carter - Address to the Nation on Energy (November 8, 1977) Discuss: Jimmy Carter - President Carter's Remarks on Joint Statement at Camp David Summit (September 17, 1978) Discuss When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search . 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. This from a young woman in Pennsylvania: "I feel so far from government. We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. It costs about $13 to waste it. 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. Our energy plan captures and returns them to the public, where they can stimulate the economy, save more energy, and create new jobs. We've always been proud, through our history, of being efficient people. 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. National Energy Plan: Address to the Nation. Seated behind his ornate desk in the Oval Office and wearing a sober pinstriped suit, he offered a litany of dark predictions: I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld from the market. This major legislation is a necessary first step on a long and difficult road. The cost will keep going up. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. There is simply no way to avoid sacrifice. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. Carter prefaced his talk about. 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. But we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources--America's people, America's values, and America's confidence. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977. 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 funds will go to fight, not to increase, inflation and unemployment. 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. 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. 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. 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. Remarks to the students and faculty at Moscow State University / Ronald Reagan -- Remarks to the residents of Leiden / George Bush -- v. 6. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. - Jimmy Carter, Energy Address to the Nation, April 18, 1977. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. We can spend until we empty our treasuries, and we may summon all the wonders of science.