The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. to establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than a 6-months supply; 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." That is the concept of the energy policy that we will present on Wednesday. The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement cost of energy. I'll read just a few. President Carter delivered this speech on the energy crisis in 1977. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. It causes unemployment. 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. 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. Demand will overtake production. 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. 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. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: 'The Malaise Speech,'" July 15, 1979. Whenever you have a chance, say something good about our country. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. Versace is shot twice in the head, and Cunanan flees the scene. The Congress is facing very difficult decisions, courageously, and we've formed a good partnership. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. 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. Copyright 2023. 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. These quotas will ensure a reduction in imports even below the ambitious levels we set at the recent Tokyo summit. Other generations of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. I believe that the duties of this office permit me to do no less. What can we do? 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. That path leads to true freedom for our Nation and ourselves. The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly. In the days to come, let us renew that strength in the struggle for an energy secure nation. ", "Don't talk to us about politics or the mechanics of government, but about an understanding of our common good. But a common national sacrifice to meet this serious problem should be shared by everyone-some proof that the plan is fair. Four months earlier, on March 25, the police and a tenant at 10 Rillington Place in West London made an awful discovery: the bodies of four women in an empty apartment, three in a hidden cupboard and one more read more, On July 15, 1903, the newly formed Ford Motor Company takes its first order from Chicago dentist Ernst Pfenning: an $850 two-cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau (or backseat). Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. 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. World oil production can probably keep going up for another 6 or 8 years. There should be only one test for this programwhether it will help our country. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. Washington, D.C., has become an island. 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. Previous. Thank you very much, and good night. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. ; Carter went on to serve in the US Navy and was sworn in as president in 1977. 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. The story of the human race is one of adapting to changing circumstances. They are the ones that we must provide for now. Now we have a choice. We have no choice about that. And third, it protects our Federal budget from any unreasonable burden. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and 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. But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. It costs about $13 to waste it. Imports have doubled in the last 5 years. Thank you very much, and good night. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. 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. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. They want lower taxes on their profits. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. Copyright 2023. 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 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. I will be working closely with them. But as I was preparing to speak, I began to ask myself the same question that I now know has been troubling many of you. So, I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. American wisdom and courage right now can set a path to follow in the future. 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. 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. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem? 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. That's why I've worked hard to put my campaign promises into law--and I have to admit, with just mixed success. We will protect our environment. - Jimmy Carter, Energy Address to the Nation, April 18, 1977. Our Nation's economic and political independence is becoming increasingly vulnerable. The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. Unless we act quickly, imports will continue to go up, and all the problems that I've just described will grow even worse. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. By acting now we can control our future instead of letting the future control us. Above all, they will be fair. Obviously, this cannot continue. Dubbed the Second Battle of the Marne, the conflict ended several days later in a major victory for the Allies. Our energy plan captures and returns them to the public, where they can stimulate the economy, save more energy, and create new jobs. Cunanan had no criminal record before the spring of 1997, when he began a killing read more, During a live television and radio broadcast, President Richard Nixon stuns the nation by announcing that he will visit communist China the following year. Surprising viewers, who were expecting a laundry list of proposals to deal with the energy crisis, Carter took a different tack. Then I became upstate New York chairman of Democrats for Reagan in 1984. The strength we need will not come from the White House, but from every house in America.". All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems-wasteful use of resources. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency "Mr. President," he said, "I don't feel much like talking about energy and foreign policy. 12874 Into Law," November 4, 1978. In the 1970s, oil and gas shortages experienced in many parts of the U.S. were erroneously blamed on resource exhaustion rather than government price and allocation controls. And the truth is that you cannot talk about economic problems now or in the future without talking about energy. Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this period, and we have never known anything different. Beginning this moment, this Nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977--never. The message was usually focused on energy conservation. We can begin to prepare right now. ", "We've got to use what we have. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. In 1979, America could still feel the effects of OPECs (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 1973 cuts in oil production. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful--but so is any meaningful sacrifice. A year later, Ronald Reagan would frame his optimistic . Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oil--nearly 10 times as much. These are facts and we simply must face them: What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important. 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. For the fifth time I would have described the urgency of the problem and laid out a series of legislative recommendations to the Congress. The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day, and demand increases each year about 5 percent. ", 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. 4 min read. A few weeks ago, in Detroit, an unemployed steelworker told me something that may reflect the feelings of many of you. The history of our Nation is one of meeting challenges and overcoming them. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. And I realize more than ever that as President I need your help. Those citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury. The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future. These are the goals that we set for 1985: There are two paths to choose. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. We will act together. Vast amounts of American wealth no longer stay in the United States to build our factories and to give us a better life. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. Above all, they will be fair. There is something especially American in the kinds of changes that we have to make. But if we wait, we will constantly live in fear of embargoes. The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Confidence in the future has supported everything else--public institutions and private enterprise, our own families, and the very Constitution of the United States. 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 . On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation via live television to discuss the nations energy crisis and accompanying recession. 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. You can help me to develop a national agenda for the 1980's. 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. The Congress has recognized the urgency of this problem and has come to grips . I do not promise a quick way out of our Nation's problems, when the truth is that the only way out is an all-out effort. Jimmy Carter. The world has not prepared for the future. It unbalances our Nation's trade with other countries. Several of our discussions were on energy, and I have a notebook full of comments and advice. 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. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977 (excerpts). More than six 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. 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. These wounds are still very deep. It's worse because more waste has occurred and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. It costs about $13 to waste it. We can spend until we empty our treasuries, and we may summon all the wonders of science. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. Conservation is the only way that we can buy a barrel of oil for about $2. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. Within 10 years, we would not be able to import enough oil from any country, at any acceptable price. Thank you very much. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. It hurts every American family. 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. We have the natural resources. A Democrat, he was governor of Georgia from 1971-1975, and a member of the state Legislature (in the Senate) from 1963 to 1967. You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. . First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. I do not promise you that this struggle for freedom will be easy. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our Nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. Now we have a choice. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. World consumption of oil is still going up. We've always wanted to give our children and our grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we have had ourselves. We can regain our confidence. With God's help and for the sake of our Nation, it is time for us to join hands in America. It will lead to some higher costs and to some greater inconvenience for everyone. 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. 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. And this year we may spend $45 billion. 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 Download media. We've always been proud, through our history, of being efficient people. They want even higher prices than those we've proposed for "new" gas and oil, and they want the higher prices sooner. This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future. Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. This lack of moral and spiritual confidence, he concluded, was at the core of Americas inability to hoist itself out of its economic troubles. 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 Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. He also admitted that part of the problem was his failure to provide strong leadership on many issues, particularly energy and oil consumption. Let us commit ourselves together to a rebirth of the American spirit. Little by little we can and we must rebuild our confidence. When we import oil we are also importing inflation plus unemployment. ", And the last that I'll read: "When we enter the moral equivalent of war, Mr. President, don't issue us BB guns.". 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. I do not mean our political and civil liberties. Iran hostage crisis The former . It will demand that we make sacrifices and changes in every life. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. We've also proposed, and the Congress is reviewing, incentives to encourage production of oil and gas here in our own country. The eighth principle is that Government policies must be predictable and certain. And you are also deeply involved in these decisions. Other generations of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. Thereafter, I was so dismayed by his presidency that I betrayed my natal Democratic Party and voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. By 1972, we were importing about 30 percent. November 08, 1977. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. Talk to us about blood and sweat and tears. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis . I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld from the market. Carter also addresses his ideas to improve the economy and reduce the size of government. But we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources--America's people, America's values, and America's confidence. Point six: I'm proposing a bold conservation program to involve every State, county, and city and every average American in our energy battle. During the 1960's, we used twice as much as during the 1950's. We've always been proud of our leadership in the world. 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. There is some part of this complex legislation to which every region and every interest group can object. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. 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.