", "We've got to use what we have. It makes it harder for us to balance our Federal budget and to finance needed programs for our people. Our fathers and mothers were strong men and women who shaped a new society during the Great Depression, who fought world wars, and who carved out a new charter of peace for the world. The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce demand through conservation. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twelve hours from now I will speak again in Kansas City, to expand and to explain further our energy program. America overseas is only as strong as America at home. We know the strength of America. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oil--nearly 10 times as much. 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. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. It costs about $13 to waste it. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. Now the energy proposal that I made to Congress last April has three basic elements to ensure that it is well balanced. 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. There should be only one test for this program--whether it will help our country. So, I decided to reach out and listen to the voices of America. I do not mean our political and civil liberties. Carter address's the crisis of confidence in America, but tells Americans to first begin addressing problems by addressing the energy crisis within their home. Jimmy Carter: "Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978 Statement on Signing H.R. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. It's also especially difficult to deal with long-range, future challenges. This is a special night for me. 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; I can't tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. 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. We are strong. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. 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. A few weeks ago, in Detroit, an unemployed steelworker told me something that may reflect the feelings of many of you. 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. --to insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings; President Jimmy Carter (b. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. In it, Carter singled out a pervasive "crisis of confidence" preventing the American people from moving the country forward. to establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than a 6-months supply; President Carter speaks to the American people about the importance of an energy policy that focuses on conservation of the nation's natural resources and a new energy department. What are his proposed solutions? Carter prefaced his talk about energy policy with an explanation of why he believed the American economy remained in crisis. 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. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent of war" and called on Americans to conserve energy. One such lesson is don't count conventional energy out. Now, I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oilnearly 10 times as much. This is an effort which requires vision and cooperation from all Americans. Posted by RockyTCB 3/1/2023 6:11:41 AM. Unless we act quickly, imports will continue to go up, and all the problems that I've just described will grow even worse. One choice, of course, is to continue doing what we've been doing before. During the 1960's, we used twice as much as during the 1950's. 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. I do not promise you that this struggle for freedom will be easy. This has already started. I believe that the duties of this office permit me to do no less. He outlined a plan to tackle the crisis . ", And the last that I'll read: "When we enter the moral equivalent of war, Mr. President, don't issue us BB guns.". Carter didn't directly recommend rationing, but it's clear he . Surprising viewers, who were expecting a laundry list of proposals to deal with the energy crisis, Carter took a different tack. Our Nation's economic and political independence is becoming increasingly vulnerable. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency Our national energy plan is based on 10 fundamental principles. This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. Carter also addresses his ideas to improve the economy and reduce the size of government. Just since April, our oil imports have cost us $23 billionabout $350 worth of foreign oil for the average American family. 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 could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. President Carter delivered this speech on the energy crisis in 1977. Above all, they will be fair. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. Demand will overtake production. There are three things that we must do to avoid this danger: first, cut back on consumption; second, shift away from oil and gas to other sources of energy; and third, encourage production of energy here in the United States. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. Thank you very much, and good night. Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in the farming community of Plains, Georgia. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. Thereafter, I was so dismayed by his presidency that I betrayed my natal Democratic Party and voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980. 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. In closing, let me say this: I will do my best, but I will not do it alone. 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. 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. 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. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. The Congress is facing very difficult decisions, courageously, and we've formed a good partnership. This year, primarily because of oil, our imports will be at least $25 billion more than all the American goods the we sell overseas. The world has not prepared for the future. But if we wait, we will constantly live in fear of embargoes. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. World oil production can probably keep going up for another 6 or 8 years. Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my Presidential authority to set import quotas. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. It causes unemployment. Democrat Jimmy Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Our Nation's economic and political independence is becoming increasingly vulnerable. Conservation is the only way that we can buy a barrel of oil for about $2. It is a clear and present danger to our Nation. President Jimmy Carter asks Americans to sacrifice for the sake of greater energy conservation and independence. "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. 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. We can take the first steps down that path as we begin to solve our energy problem. 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. This is where another major controversy arises. Ours is the most wasteful nation on Earth. 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 about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. Obviously, this cannot continue. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don't act. 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? producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. 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. 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. They want even higher prices than those we've proposed for "new" gas and oil, and they want the higher prices sooner. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. Our plan will call for strict conservation measures if we fall behind. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. The gap between our citizens and our Government has never been so wide. But we still have another choice. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. One choice, of course, is to continue doing what we've been doing before. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful--but so is any meaningful sacrifice. Download media. We have the world's highest level of technology. ", "If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow. I'm announcing tonight that for 1979 and 1980, I will forbid the entry into this country of one drop of foreign oil more than these goals allow. 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. 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. Unfortunately, that prediction has turned out to be right. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. 4 min read. Our children who will be born this year will come of age in the 21st century. It will lead to some higher costs and to some greater inconvenience for everyone. These funds will go to fight, not to increase, inflation and unemployment. 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. 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. 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. What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. 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. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967, and as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.. Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, graduated from the United States Naval . How does Carter link the energy crisis to a crisis of the American spirit? This difficult effort will be the 'moral equivalent of war' except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy. Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. Versace is shot twice in the head, and Cunanan flees the scene. 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 is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning. 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. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. 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. 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. On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation via live television to discuss the nations energy crisis and accompanying recession. And this year we may spend $45 billion. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. We will protect our environment. 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 should reward individuals and companies who discover and produce new oil and gas, but we must not give them huge windfall profits on their existing wells at the expense of the American people. The message was usually focused on energy conservation. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. We have no choice about that. They are going up, whether we pass an energy program or not, as fuel becomes more scarce and more expensive to produce. Born as a side project apart from Odeos main podcasting platform, the free application allowed users read more, The unmanned spacecraft Mariner 4 passes over Mars at an altitude of 6,000 feet and sends back to Earth the first close-up images of the red planet. This has already started. And above all, I will act. Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. So, I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems-wasteful use of resources. It will demand that we make sacrifices and changes in every life. Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/243395, The American Presidency ProjectJohn Woolley and Gerhard PetersContact, Copyright The American Presidency ProjectTerms of Service | Privacy | Accessibility, Saturday Weekly Addresses (Radio and Webcast) (1639), State of the Union Written Messages (140). 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. 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 . It is a certain route to failure. They are the ones that we must provide for now. I will continue to travel this country, to hear the people of America. We've always been proud of our ingenuity, our skill at answering questions. They've come upon us gradually over the last generation, years that were filled with shocks and tragedy. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. 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 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. We are at a turning point in our history. to reduce gasoline consumption by 10 percent below its. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. He puts forth several initiatives to push the nation towards greater. ", "Some of your Cabinet members don't seem loyal. That is the concept of the energy policy that we will present on Wednesday. The Congress has recognized the urgency of this problem and has come to grips . The president was scheduled to deliver a speech on July 4 but canceled at the last minute. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. Ours is the most wasteful nation on Earth. I've given you some of the principles of the plan. The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves, and faith in the future of this Nation. The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. I've given you some of the principles of the plan. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent of war" and called on Americans to conserve . We believed that our Nation's resources were limitless until 1973, when we had to face a growing dependence on foreign oil. current level; But a common national sacrifice to meet this serious problem should be shared by everyone-some proof that the plan is fair. We've always believed in something called progress. The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day, and demand increases each year about 5 percent. This lack of moral and spiritual confidence, he concluded, was at the core of Americas inability to hoist itself out of its economic troubles. Unlike the billions of dollars that we ship to foreign countries to pay for foreign oil, these funds will be paid by Americans to Americans. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. And the truth is that you cannot talk about economic problems now or in the future without talking about energy. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. ", This was a good one: "Be bold, Mr. President. The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. I will sign the energy bills only if they meet these tests. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. 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. This effort will permit you to build conservation into your homes and your lives at a cost you can afford. Imports have doubled in the last 5 years. A huge box-office hit, the film established Willis as a movie star and spawned three sequels. 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. There should be only one test for this programwhether it will help our country. Then I became upstate New York chairman of Democrats for Reagan in 1984. We must look back into history to understand our energy problem. Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense--I tell you it is an act of patriotism. What is being measured is the strength and will of our Nationwhether we can acknowledge a threat and meet a serious challenge together. I'm convinced that we can have enough energy to permit the continued growth of our economy, to expand production and jobs, and to protect the security of the United Statesif we act wisely. The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. The eighth principle is that Government policies must be predictable and certain. Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down. ", Many people talked about themselves and about the condition of our Nation. We must face an unpleasant fact about energy prices. More of our oil is coming from foreign countries. I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. 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. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. Carter retreated to Camp David, where he met with Americans from various backgrounds and spoke . We've always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. Carter prefaced his talk about. Working with Congress, we've now formed a new Department of Energy, headed by Secretary James Schlesinger. It is the idea which founded our Nation and has guided our development as a people. 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. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. There is some part of this complex legislation to which every region and every interest group can object.