jimmy carter address to the nation on energysamantha wallace and dj self
Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. We have no choice about that. Let me try to describe the size and the effect of the problem. Naval Academy, he served in the submarine corps just after World War II. They've come upon us gradually over the last generation, years that were filled with shocks and tragedy. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual. 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. Those citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury. We can take the first steps down that path as we begin to solve our energy problem. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. With every passing month, our energy problems have grown worse. 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. 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. Our farmers are the greatest agricultural exporters the world has ever known, but it now takes all the food and fiber that we export in 2 years just to pay for 1 year of imported oilabout $45 billion. In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. 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. Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. We waste more energy than we import. 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. Never speak ill of the dead, the old saying goes, but Jimmy Carter, 98, still lives. It is the idea which founded our Nation and has guided our development as a people. These are the three standards by which the final legislation must be judged. This major legislation is a necessary first step on a long and difficult road. We must look back into history to understand our energy problem. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency . But I'm confident that we can find the wisdom and the courage to make the right decisionseven when they are unpleasantso that we might, together, preserve the greatness of our Nation. But sometime in the 1980's, it can't go up any more. Now we have a choice. A graduate of the U.S. 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. 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. The German general read more, Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) is nominated by the Republican Party to run for president. We must deal with the energy problem on a war footing. And I realize more than ever that as President I need your help. 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. 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. Three-quarters of them would carry only one personthe driverwhile our public transportation system continues to decline. He had earned it. Well, I understand how he felt, but I must tell you the truth. To jumpstart this program, Carter asked Congress to form an energy mobilization board modeled after the War Production Board of World War II, and asked the legislature to enact a windfall profits tax immediately to fight inflation and unemployment. Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my Presidential authority to set import quotas. 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. 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. 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. Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. 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. Thank you very much, and good night. One of the most enduring aspects of Jimmy Carter's presidency is his green legacy he embraced environmental stewardship and renewable energy with an . Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, and every interest group. We've always been proud of our leadership in the world. . to establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than a 6-months supply; Demand will overtake production. 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. We can drift along for a few more years. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. The first was about 200 years ago, when we changed away from wood--which had provided about 90 percent of all fuel--to coal, which was much more efficient. The gap between our citizens and our Government has never been so wide. American wisdom and courage right now can set a path to follow in the future. There is not enough discipline among your disciples. Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this Nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: 'The Malaise Speech,'" July 15, 1979. New oil prices would also rise in 3 years to the present world level and then be increased annually to keep up with inflation. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. But we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources--America's people, America's values, and America's confidence. 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. The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement cost of energy. ; Carter went on to serve in the US Navy and was sworn in as president in 1977. Our Nation's economic and political independence is becoming increasingly vulnerable. That price is now almost five times as great as it was in 1973. These quotas will ensure a reduction in imports even below the ambitious levels we set at the recent Tokyo summit. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. Our biggest problem, however, is that we simply use too much and waste too much energy. The energy crisis is real. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement cost of energy. Surprising viewers, who were expecting a laundry list of proposals to deal with the energy crisis, Carter took a different tack. 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. Within 10 years, we would not be able to import enough oil from any country, at any acceptable price. 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 . 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. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices. 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. It is a crisis of confidence. Every $5 billion increase in oil imports costs us 200,000 American jobs. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, and every interest group. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. This from a southern Governor: "Mr. President, you are not leading this Nation you're just managing the Government. How does Carter link the energy crisis to a crisis of the American spirit? We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. Supplies will be uncertain. The tenth and last principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy that we will rely on in the next century. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. 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. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. The history of our Nation is one of meeting challenges and overcoming them. Other generations of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. 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. 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. We have the most skilled work force, with innovative genius, and I firmly believe that we have the national will to win this war. 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. We can regain our confidence. Meanwhile, although we have large petroleum supplies of our own and most of them don't, we in the United States have increased our imports more than 40 percent. 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. If we wait and do not act, then our factories will not be able to keep our people on the job with reduced supplies of fuel. 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.