The question is, who should benefit from those rising prices for oil already discovered? First, it's fair both to the American consumers and to the energy producers, and it will not disrupt our national economy. The Congress has recognized the urgency of this problem and has come to grips . We've always been proud of our vision of the future. To further conserve energy, I'm proposing tonight an extra $10 billion over the next decade to strengthen our public transportation systems. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution. That's why I've worked hard to put my campaign promises into law--and I have to admit, with just mixed success. America overseas is only as strong as America at home. We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process. 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. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. 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 When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. We've always been proud, through our history, of being efficient people. 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. And it will get worse every day until we act. ", And this is one of the most vivid statements: "Our neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. They will say that sacrifice is fine as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable or unfair or harmful to the country. In the days to come, let us renew that strength in the struggle for an energy secure nation. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our Nation. 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. During the next few weeks, the Congress will make a judgment on these vital questions. 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. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in the farming community of Plains, Georgia. They are the ones that we must provide for now. Let me try to describe the size and the effect of the problem. 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. 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 use solar energy in more than 2 1/2 million houses. I will listen and I will act. But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency Twelve hours from now I will speak again in Kansas City, to expand and to explain further our energy program. World oil production can probably keep going up for another 6 or 8 years. 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. Obviously, this cannot continue. This has already started. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. They will say that sacrifice is fine as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable or unfair or harmful to the country. Copyright 2023. 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. 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. The fifth principle is that we must be fair. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. This problem has come upon us suddenly. Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this period, and we have never known anything different. Above all, they will be fair. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. By acting now we can control our future instead of letting the future control us. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. . The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. But we still have another choice. The third principle is that we must protect the environment. Two-thirds of our people do not even vote. They have never been healed. It costs about $13 to waste it. to establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than a 6-months supply; 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. These are facts and we simply must face them: What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important. The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Carter prefaced his talk about energy policy with an explanation of why he believed the American economy remained in crisis. Democrat Jimmy Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. It feeds serious inflationary pressures in our own economy. These are the goals that we set for 1985: The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. I will continue to travel this country, to hear the people of America. Pike was instructed to seek out headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers and to investigate read more, Spree killer Andrew Cunanan murders world-renowned Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace on the steps outside his Miami mansion. The story of the human race is one of adapting to changing circumstances. If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we use today. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. We will not be ready to keep our transportation system running with smaller and more efficient cars and a better network of buses, trains, and public transportation. Note: The President spoke at 10 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. 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. We may make mistakes, but we are ready to experiment. 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. I invited to Camp David people from almost every segment of our society--business and labor, teachers and preachers, Governors, mayors, and private citizens. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painfulbut so is any meaningful sacrifice. One choice, of course, is to continue doing what we've been doing before. These are the three standards by which the final legislation must be judged. The statement marked a dramatic turning point in U.S.-China relations, as well as a major shift in American foreign policy. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems-wasteful use of resources. The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day, and demand increases each year about 5 percent. Our national energy plan is based on 10 fundamental principles. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. 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. Beginning this moment, this Nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977--never. Just since April, our oil imports have cost us $23 billionabout $350 worth of foreign oil for the average American family. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent of war" and called on Americans to conserve energy. This summer we used more oil and gasoline than ever before in our history. I ask Congress to give me authority for mandatory conservation and for standby gasoline rationing. In 1979, America could still feel the effects of OPECs (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 1973 cuts in oil production. Jimmy Carter. This major legislation is a necessary first step on a long and difficult road. 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. So, I decided to reach out and listen to the voices of America. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. 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. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis . Carter didn't directly recommend rationing, but it's clear he . It has been an extraordinary 10 days, and I want to share with you what I've heard. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. The intent of the event was to call attention to issues affecting read more, On July 15, 2006, the San Francisco-based podcasting company Odeo officially releases Twttrlater changed to Twitterits short messaging service (SMS) for groups, to the public. Remember, you can't sell anything on Wall Street unless someone digs it up somewhere else first. The energy. We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. 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. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. 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 need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. How does Carter link the energy crisis to a crisis of the American spirit? 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. But you did not choose your elected officials simply to fill an office. But sometime in the 1980's, it can't go up any more. The president was scheduled to deliver a speech on July 4 but canceled at the last minute. ", Many people talked about themselves and about the condition of our Nation. Thank you very much. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. Imports have doubled in the last 5 years. Jimmy Carter Has 'Still Got Some Time In Him,' So There's Still Time to Speak Ill of Him. It's also especially difficult to deal with long-range, future challenges. ", "If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow. 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. 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. 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 . Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. And third, it protects our Federal budget from any unreasonable burden. We can begin to prepare right now. It pushes up international energy prices because excessive importing of oil by the United States makes it easier for foreign producers to raise their prices. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. View Transcript. 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.