jimmy carter address to the nation on energy jimmy carter address to the nation on energy

The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. Remember, you can't sell anything on Wall Street unless someone digs it up somewhere else first. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our Nation. Several of our discussions were on energy, and I have a notebook full of comments and advice. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency . Our children who will be born this year will come of age in the 21st century. The Secretary of Defense said recently, "The present deficiency of assured energy sources is the single surest threat to our security and to that of our allies." I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld from the market. It's fitting that I'm speaking to you on an election day, a day which reminds us that you, the people, are the rulers of this Nation, that your Government will be as courageous and effective and fair as you demand Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. 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. 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. View Transcript. Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. It makes it harder for us to balance our Federal budget and to finance needed programs for our people. 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. ", And this one from a labor leader got to the heart of it: "The real issue is freedom. World oil production can probably keep going up for another 6 or 8 years. 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. There is simply no way to avoid sacrifice. 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. Unless we act quickly, imports will continue to go up, and all the problems that I've just described will grow even worse. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. We can begin to prepare right now. His remarks were broadcast live on radio and television. Supplies will be uncertain. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search . In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent o During the 1960's, we used twice as much as during the 1950's. We may make mistakes, but we are ready to experiment. Let us commit ourselves together to a rebirth of the American spirit. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. It is a certain route to failure. This major legislation is a necessary first step on a long and difficult road. Copyright 2023. "Mr. President," he said, "I don't feel much like talking about energy and foreign policy. They are going up, whether we pass an energy program or not, as fuel becomes more scarce and more expensive to produce. Just as the search for solutions to our energy shortages has now led us to a new awareness of our Nation's deeper problems, so our willingness to work for those solutions in energy can strengthen us to attack those deeper problems. Talk to us about blood and sweat and tears. Americans saw the federal government as a bloated bureaucracy that had become stagnant and was failing to serve the people. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. --to use solar energy in more than 2 1/2 million houses. ", "Mr. President, we're in trouble. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. Seated behind his ornate desk in the Oval Office and wearing a sober pinstriped suit, he offered a litany of dark predictions: We've always wanted to give our children and our grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we have had ourselves. Democrat Jimmy Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. 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. 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. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. The . 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. Just as a similar synthetic rubber corporation helped us win World War II, so will we mobilize American determination and ability to win the energy war. The world has not prepared for the future. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. With God's help and for the sake of our Nation, it is time for us to join hands in America. Copyright 2023. 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. First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. 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. We ourselves are the same Americans who just 10 years ago put a man on the Moon. But sometime in the 1980's, it can't go up any more. Carter was unable to solve most of the problems plaguing the country during his administration, including an ailing economy and a continuing energy crisis. Address to the Nation on Energy | The American Presidency Project Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States: 1977 1981 Address to the Nation on Energy April 18, 1977 Good evening. 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. It costs about $13 to waste it. This is an effort which requires vision and cooperation from all Americans. He also pledged a massive commitment of funds and resources to develop alternative fuel sources including coal, plant products and solar power. Carter quoted one of the Camp David meeting participants as saying that Americas neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. In addition, inflation had reached an all-time high during Carters term. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. I propose the creation of an energy security corporation to lead this effort to replace 2 1/2 million barrels of imported oil per day by 1990. This effort will permit you to build conservation into your homes and your lives at a cost you can afford. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. It costs us business investments. 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. Center on Global Energy Policy in Boydton, VA Expand search. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. These are the goals that we set for 1985: 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. - Jimmy Carter, Energy Address to the Nation, April 18, 1977. We must look back into history to understand our energy problem. 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." I'll read just a few. March 9, 1977: Remarks at President Carter's Press Conference. With every passing month, our energy problems have grown worse. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. Dubbed the Second Battle of the Marne, the conflict ended several days later in a major victory for the Allies. Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: "The Malaise Speech" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/249458, 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). Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. Twelve hours from now I will speak again in Kansas City, to expand and to explain further our energy program. This from a southern Governor: "Mr. President, you are not leading this Nation you're just managing the Government. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. 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? 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. They have never been healed. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. "I am a farmer, an engineer, a businessman, a planner, a scientist, a governor, and a Christian," Jimmy Carter said while introducing himself to national political reporters when he announced his campaign to be the 39th president of the United States in December 1974.. As journalists and historians consider Carter's legacy, this prelude to Carter's campaign offers insight into how he . Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. ", Many people talked about themselves and about the condition of our Nation. 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. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. 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. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. I'm sure that each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal.