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. The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. So, I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. 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. --to use solar energy in more than 2 1/2 million houses. We can drift along for a few more years. 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 selection of this time span made perfect sense from a Hollywood read more, On July 15, 1988, Die Hard, an action film starring Bruce Willis as wisecracking New York City cop John McClane, opens in theaters across the United States. Conservation is the only way that we can buy a barrel of oil for about $2. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, and every interest group. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter delivered what became known as his "Crisis of Confidence" or "malaise" speech to the American public on national television. 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. Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my Presidential authority to set import quotas. Four months earlier, on March 25, the police and a tenant at 10 Rillington Place in West London made an awful discovery: the bodies of four women in an empty apartment, three in a hidden cupboard and one more read more, On July 15, 1903, the newly formed Ford Motor Company takes its first order from Chicago dentist Ernst Pfenning: an $850 two-cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau (or backseat). Jimmy Carter November 08, 1977 Source National Archives 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. ", And this is one of the most vivid statements: "Our neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. Supplies will be uncertain. These 10 days confirmed my belief in the decency and the strength and the wisdom of the American people, but it also bore out some of my longstanding concerns about our Nation's underlying problems. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. I can't tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. This is the direct cause of the long lines which have made millions of you spend aggravating hours waiting for gasoline. 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. Twice in the last several hundred years, there has been a transition in the way people use energy. 4 min read. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution. Now we have a choice. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. Washington, D.C., has become an island. Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. We are the generation that dedicated our society to the pursuit of human rights and equality. The . Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: 'The Malaise Speech,'" July 15, 1979. National Energy Plan: Address to the Nation. I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld from the market. You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. The statement marked a dramatic turning point in U.S.-China relations, as well as a major shift in American foreign policy. Intense competition for oil will build up among nations and also among the different regions within our own country. Intense competition for oil will build up among nations and also among the different regions within our own country. 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. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. We have no choice about that. 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. View Transcript. But sometime in the 1980's, it can't go up any more. Carter prefaced his talk about. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977 (excerpts). to establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than a 6-months supply;
At one point, he talked about the possibility of read more, The critically acclaimed 2002 biopic Walk The Line depicts the life and career of Johnny Cash from his initial rise to stardom in the 1950s to his resurgence following a drug-fueled decline in the 1960s. The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement cost of energy. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. 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. Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down. Good evening. This is one reason that I'm working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy. "Mr. President," he said, "I don't feel much like talking about energy and foreign policy. But after listening to the American people I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. He outlined the creation of a solar bank that he said would eventually supply 20 percent of the nations energy. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painfulbut so is any meaningful sacrifice. Well, I understand how he felt, but I must tell you the truth. Our cars would continue to be too large and inefficient. 12874 Into Law," November 4, 1978. The Congress has recognized the urgency of this problem and has come to grips with some of the most complex and difficult decisions that a legislative body has ever been asked to make. 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. This is not a contest of strength between the President and the Congress, nor between the House and the Senate. A Democrat, he was governor of Georgia from 1971-1975, and a member of the state Legislature (in the Senate) from 1963 to 1967. You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. 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. Good evening. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy. During the 1960's, we used twice as much as during the 1950's. 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.. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. It costs us business investments. In the 1970s, oil and gas shortages experienced in many parts of the U.S. were erroneously blamed on resource exhaustion rather than government price and allocation controls. It will be money well spent. Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. We are at a turning point in our history. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, November 8, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy, Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity, Miller Center: November 8, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy, September 7, 1977: Statement on the Panama Canal Treaty Signing, 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, January 23, 1980: State of the Union Address, April 25, 1980: Statement on the Iran Rescue Mission, August 14, 1980: Acceptance Speech at the Democratic National Convention. The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. The Arab oil embargo of 1973 sent energy prices soaring, and four years later, the impacts were still rippling through the economy. I invited to Camp David people from almost every segment of our society--business and labor, teachers and preachers, Governors, mayors, and private citizens. Carter address's the crisis of confidence in America, but tells Americans to first begin addressing problems by addressing the energy crisis within their home. The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce demand through conservation. Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this Nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally. He outlined a plan to tackle the crisis . Ours is the most wasteful nation on Earth. This is where another major controversy arises. to use solar energy in more than 2 1/2 million houses. They have never been healed. We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. These quotas will ensure a reduction in imports even below the ambitious levels we set at the recent Tokyo summit. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. And now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example. We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. This excessive importing of foreign oil is a tremendous and rapidly increasing drain on our national economy. ", And this from a young Chicano: "Some of us have suffered from recession all our lives. 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. I do not promise you that this struggle for freedom will be easy. 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 . to cut in half the portion of U.S. oil which is importedfrom a potential level of 16 million barrels to 6 million barrels a day;
. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. ", "You don't see the people enough any more. Although the energy crisis and recession were the main topics of conversation, Carter heard from the attendees that Americans were also suffering from a deeper moral and spiritual crisis. And this year we may spend $45 billion. 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. World oil production can probably keep going up for another 6 or 8 years. 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. I believe that this can be a positive challenge. Ten days ago I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject--energy. Gradually, you've heard more and more about what the Government thinks or what the Government should be doing and less and less about our Nation's hopes, our dreams, and our vision of the future. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war," except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency This has already started. World consumption of oil is still going up. Restoring that faith and that confidence to America is now the most important task we face. During the subsequent campaign, Goldwater said that he thought the United States should do whatever was necessary to win in Vietnam. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. I'm sure that each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. We ourselves are the same Americans who just 10 years ago put a man on the Moon. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford. If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social, and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions. In this speech, Carter recognizes that Americans have lost faith in government, in part because of the energy crisis. Confidence has defined our course and has served as a link between generations. We've always believed in something called progress. 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. A graduate of the U.S. That is the concept of the energy policy that we will present on Wednesday. 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. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis . The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America. November 08, 1977. This year, when foreign oil is very expensive, we are importing nearly 9 million barrels a dayalmost one-half of all the oil we use. It makes it harder for us to balance our Federal budget and to finance needed programs for our people. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful--but so is any meaningful sacrifice. But a common national sacrifice to meet this serious problem should be shared by everyone-some proof that the plan is fair. In it, Carter singled out a pervasive "crisis of confidence" preventing the American people from moving the country forward. That is the concept of the energy policy that we will present on Wednesday. The history of our Nation is one of meeting challenges and overcoming them. I believe that the duties of this office permit me to do no less. There is something especially American in the kinds of changes that we have to make. So, I decided to reach out and listen to the voices of America. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. On July 15, 1978, the Longest Walka 2,800-mile trek for Native American justice that had started with several hundred marchers in Californiaends in Washington, D.C., accompanied by thousands of supporters. 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. But if we fail to act boldly today, then we will surely face a greater series of crises tomorrowenergy shortages, environmental damage, ever more massive Government bureaucracy and regulations, and illconsidered, last-minute crash programs. It gives us more freedom, more confidence, that much more control over our own lives. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. that it be. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. 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. Other generations of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. 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. You know we can do it. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don't act. 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. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. 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. A President is elected for just 4 years, a Senator for 6, and our Representatives in Congress for only 2 years. What is being measured is the strength and will of our Nationwhether we can acknowledge a threat and meet a serious challenge together. Two-thirds of our people do not even vote. Demand will overtake production. Confidence in the future has supported everything else--public institutions and private enterprise, our own families, and the very Constitution of the United States. 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. But we still have another choice. We will use research and development projects, tax incentives and penalties, and regulatory authority to hasten the shift from oil and gas to coal, to wind and solar power, to geothermal, methane, and other energy sources. Little by little we can and we must rebuild our confidence. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. We can take the first steps down that path as we begin to solve our energy problem. Carter retreated to Camp David, where he met with Americans from various backgrounds and spoke . This incentive for new oil production would be the highest in the whole world. This is one reason that I'm working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy. This from a young woman in Pennsylvania: "I feel so far from government. The fifth principle is that we must be fair. ", "There will be other cartels and other shortages. 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. current level;
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. They want lower taxes on their profits. 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. Our plan will call for strict conservation measures if we fall behind. All rights reserved. Yesterday, after careful consideration, I announced the postponement of a major overseas trip until after Christmas because of the paramount importance of developing an effective energy plan this year. We have the world's highest level of technology. Address to the nation on the War in Vietnam / Richard Nixon -- Remarks on taking the oath of office / Gerald R. Ford -- Energy and national goals : address to the nation / Jimmy Carter -- v. 5. Remember, you can't sell anything on Wall Street unless someone digs it up somewhere else first. We can delay insulating our homes, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste. Unlike the billions of dollars that we ship to foreign countries to pay for foreign oil, these funds will be paid by Americans to Americans. All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. 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. There is some part of this complex legislation to which every region and every interest group can object. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oil--nearly 10 times as much. 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. 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.
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