The nation is shocked when the President tells them to "put on a sweater" instead of turn up the heat (using energy and fuel). These funds will go to fight, not to increase, inflation and unemployment. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. And then I left Camp David to listen to other Americans, men and women like you. 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 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. We are at a turning point in our history. Center on Global Energy Policy in Boydton, VA Expand search. One choice, of course, is to continue doing what we've been doing before. It will lead to some higher costs and to some greater inconvenience for everyone. Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. But, unfortunately, there are still some who seek personal gain over the national interest. We've always been proud of our ingenuity, our skill at answering questions. Center on Global Energy Policy on LinkedIn: Q&A | The Geopolitics Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this period, and we have never known anything different. Several of our discussions were on energy, and I have a notebook full of comments and advice. It is a certain route to failure. 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. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. 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. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. Carter became a one-term president after Reagan defeated him in a blowout victory in 1980, but Carter's political defeat intensified his lifelong quest to know whether he had done his best and . 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 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. This has already started. Democrat Jimmy Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. We can delay insulating our homes, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste. There's Still Time to Speak Ill of Jimmy Carter - PJ Media The eighth principle is that Government policies must be predictable and certain. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, and every interest group. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. In fact, it is the most painless and immediate way of rebuilding our Nation's strength. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. ; Carter went on to serve in the US Navy and was sworn in as president in 1977. 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. Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this Nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally. During the 1960's, we used twice as much as during the 1950's. The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day, and demand increases each year about 5 percent. "We can't go on consuming 40 percent more energy than we produce. Copyright 2023. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. that it be. On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation via live television to discuss the nations energy crisis and accompanying recession. It costs about $13 to waste it. And I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent o I've given you some of the principles of the plan. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. I will sign the energy bills only if they meet these tests. 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. In April 1977, under the dark cloud of the energy crisis, President Jimmy Carter told the nation that the difficult effort needed to move beyond the shortages and high prices of that era "will be the moral equivalent of war.". This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our Nation. We are the generation that dedicated our society to the pursuit of human rights and equality. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. Carter, who after the presidency would teach Sunday School, tried to rally the public to have faith in the future of America. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. I do not mean our political and civil liberties. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. President Jimmy Carter - Address to the Nation on Energy We have the natural resources. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. ", "Don't talk to us about politics or the mechanics of government, but about an understanding of our common good. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. That is the concept of the energy policy that we will present on Wednesday. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. Industry will have to do its part to conserve just as consumers will. 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). 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. History of Solar Power - IER It is a crisis of confidence. We must look back into history to understand our energy problem. It's worse because more waste has occurred and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. The second change took. During the next few weeks, attention will be focused on the Congress, but the proving of our courage and commitment will continue, in different forms and places, in the months and the years, even generations ahead. Jimmy Carter and the Energy Crisis that Never Happened Die Hard also became read more, John Christie, one of Englands most notorious killers, is executed. . We will protect our environment. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. ", And this from a young Chicano: "Some of us have suffered from recession all our lives. 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. March 9, 1977: Remarks at President Carter's Press Conference. These changes did not happen overnight. I have seen the strength of America in the inexhaustible resources of our people. The presidency of Jimmy Carter (article) | Khan Academy With every passing month, our energy problems have grown worse. I invited to Camp David people from almost every segment of our society--business and labor, teachers and preachers, Governors, mayors, and private citizens. Now we have a choice. In a few years, when the North Slope is producing fully, its total output will be just about equal to 2 years' increase in our own Nation's energy demand. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent of war" and called on Americans to conserve energy. We can drift along for a few more years. We have the ability to administer the new energy legislation, and congressional work on the National Energy Plan has now reached the final stage. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. But if we wait, we will constantly live in fear of embargoes. Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense--I tell you it is an act of patriotism. 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. ", And the last that I'll read: "When we enter the moral equivalent of war, Mr. President, don't issue us BB guns.". There is not enough discipline among your disciples. Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. There should be only one test for this program--whether it will help our country. Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift. Details for: The Library of Congress presents historic presidential Previous. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. One of the most enduring aspects of Jimmy Carter's presidency is his green legacy he embraced environmental stewardship and renewable energy with an . Naval Academy, he served in the submarine corps just after World War II. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. It makes it harder for us to balance our Federal budget and to finance needed programs for our people. Jimmy Carter the president, and Habitat volunteer | Education | city When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977. It has been an extraordinary 10 days, and I want to share with you what I've heard. You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. This has already started. 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. It is the idea which founded our Nation and has guided our development as a people. 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. 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. We've always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own. Thank you very much, and good night. What can we do? 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.

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