We have no choice about that. We believed that our Nation's resources were limitless until 1973, when we had to face a growing dependence on foreign oil. I have seen the strength of America in the inexhaustible resources of our people. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. What I do promise you is that I will lead our fight, and I will enforce fairness in our struggle, and I will ensure honesty. These efforts will cost money, a lot of money, and that is why Congress must enact the windfall profits tax without delay. President Carter delivered this speech on the energy crisis in 1977. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. I hope that, perhaps a hundred years from now, the change to inexhaustible energy sources will have been made, and our Nation's concern about energy will be over. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. 12874 Into Law," November 4, 1978. This is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. The fifth principle is that we must be fair. 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. They want even higher prices than those we've proposed for "new" gas and oil, and they want the higher prices sooner. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. We can delay insulating our homes, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste. Jimmy Carter: "Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978 Statement on Signing H.R. The first was about 200 years ago, when we changed away from wood--which had provided about 90 percent of all fuelto coal, which was much more efficient. We are strong. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our Nation. I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. 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. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. President Jimmy Carter asks Americans to sacrifice for the sake of greater energy conservation and independence. Whenever you have a chance, say something good about our country. Our Campaigns - Candidate - Jimmy Carter What are his proposed solutions? There should be only one test for this programwhether it will help our country. The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Perspective | What Jimmy Carter's most famous moment can teach the 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. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. 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. That path leads to true freedom for our Nation and ourselves. One problem is that the price of all energy is going up, both because of its increasing scarcity and because the price of oil is not set in a free and competitive market. This effort will permit you to build conservation into your homes and your lives at a cost you can afford. FILE - Lillian Carter is flanked by her sons Jimmy, right, and Billy as she met them down at Billy's gas station, where the Carters and neighbors cleaned fish prior to a town cookout, June 26, 1976. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. By acting now we can control our future instead of letting the future control us. The political pressures are great because the stakes are so high, billions and billions of dollars. Jimmy Carter speaks about a national "crisis in confidence" 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. All rights reserved. These are all controversial questions, and the congressional debates, as you can well imagine, are intense. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. With God's help and for the sake of our Nation, it is time for us to join hands in America. We have no choice about that. Copyright 2023. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about 6 percent a year. Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. Now the energy proposal that I made to Congress last April has three basic elements to ensure that it is well balanced. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. But when this Nation critically needs a refinery or a pipeline, we will build it. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. 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. History of Solar Power - IER In the late 1970s, the United States faced a variety of challenges, including high inflation, rising interest and unemployment rates, and an energy crisis created by . They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. The world has not prepared for the future. Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem that is unprecedented in our history. We are at a turning point in our history. Demand will overtake production. We are only Cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. ", "If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow. November 8, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American retired politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. ", "Some of your Cabinet members don't seem loyal. Since the great price rise in 1973, the Japanese have cut their oil imports, the Germans, the French, the British, the Italians have all cut their oil imports. These are the goals that we set for 1985: --to reduce the annual growth rate in our energy demand to less than 2 percent; --to reduce gasoline consumption by 10 percent below its. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. You don't like it, and neither do I. All Rights Reserved. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis . Global Warming, The Moral Equivalent Of War 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. Imports have doubled in the last 5 years. ", This kind of summarized a lot of other statements: "Mr. President, we are confronted with a moral and a spiritual crisis.". But we still have another choice. "We can't go on consuming 40 percent more energy than we produce. 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. Jimmy Carter - Wikipedia Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency . It is a certain route to failure. It's always been easier to wait until the next year or the next term of office, to avoid political risk. We respected the Presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Watergate. 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 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. World consumption of oil is still going up. Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my Presidential authority to set import quotas. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. 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." We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. We have more coal than any nation on Earth. 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. In 1979, America could still feel the effects of OPECs (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 1973 cuts in oil production. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. 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. The Congress is facing very difficult decisions, courageously, and we've formed a good partnership. I will continue to travel this country, to hear the people of America. 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. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. President Jimmy Carter (b. 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. You can help me to develop a national agenda for the 1980's. I believe that the duties of this office permit me to do no less. There, in the next few weeks, the strength and courage of our political system will be proven. Jimmy Carter, "Crisis of Confidence" (1979) - American Yawp Thereafter, I was so dismayed by his presidency that I betrayed my natal Democratic Party and voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980. Restoring that faith and that confidence to America is now the most important task we face. Thank you very much. There should be only one test for this program--whether it will help our country. Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. Imports have doubled in the last 5 years. 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. A huge box-office hit, the film established Willis as a movie star and spawned three sequels. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. Let your voice be heard. The Middle East has only 5 percent of the world's energy, but the United States has 24 percent. April 18, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy. Within 10 years, we would not be able to import enough oil from any country, at any acceptable price. 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. I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld from the market. These changes did not happen overnight. 1924) giving one of his fireside chats on energy. Then I became upstate New York chairman of Democrats for Reagan in 1984. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painfulbut so is any meaningful sacrifice. Primary Source: Jimmy Carter, "Crisis of Confidence" (1979) If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great Nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence, and freedom. Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. Remarks to the students and faculty at Moscow State University / Ronald Reagan -- Remarks to the residents of Leiden / George Bush -- v. 6. 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. Our plan will call for strict conservation measures if we fall behind. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. We've always wanted to give our children and our grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we have had ourselves. Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: "The Malaise Speech Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. to insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings; We can drift along for a few more years. I can't tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. They have never been healed. ", "You don't see the people enough any more. It costs about $13 to waste it. I've given you some of the principles of the plan. Those citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury. Carter prefaced his talk about energy policy with an explanation of why he believed the American economy remained in crisis. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. November 08, 1977. But our energy plan also reflects the optimism that I feel about our ability to deal with these problems. Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. Jimmy Carter and the Meaning of Malaise - JSTOR Daily Washington, D.C., has become an island. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. This difficult effort will be the 'moral equivalent of war' except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent of war" and called on Americans to conserve energy. It gives us more freedom, more confidence, that much more control over our own lives. March 9, 1977: Remarks at President Carter's Press Conference. 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. It costs about $13 to waste it. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. 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. All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. The eighth principle is that Government policies must be predictable and certain. After restoring faith in itself, the nation would be able to march on to the the battlefield of energy [where] we can win for our nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny.. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. This is a special night for me. We may make mistakes, but we are ready to experiment. 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. 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. Die Hard also became read more, John Christie, one of Englands most notorious killers, is executed. We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves, and faith in the future of this Nation. 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. America overseas is only as strong as America at home.
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