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During the 1960's, we used twice as much as during the 1950's. that it be. On June 30, 1979, a weary Jimmy Carter was looking forward to a few days' vacation in Hawaii, as Air Force One sped him away from a grueling economic summit in Tokyo. 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. 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. ", And this from a young Chicano: "Some of us have suffered from recession all our lives. Working together with our common faith we cannot fail. 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 it, Carter singled out a pervasive "crisis of confidence" preventing the American people from moving the country forward. We've always been proud of our leadership in the world. The world price is set by a foreign cartelthe governments of the so-called OPEC nations. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. He puts forth several initiatives to push the nation towards greater. There is some part of this complex legislation to which every region and every interest group can object. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. It will lead to some higher costs and to some greater inconvenience for everyone. We must face an unpleasant fact about energy prices. The oil and natural gas that we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are simply running out. . --to use solar energy in more than 2 1/2 million houses. We've also proposed, and the Congress is reviewing, incentives to encourage production of oil and gas here in our own country. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our Nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny. Iran hostage crisis ", "Some of your Cabinet members don't seem loyal. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency . producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. But we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources--America's people, America's values, and America's confidence. We know the strength of America. Beginning this moment, this Nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977--never. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. It's crucial that you understand how serious this challenge is. These are facts and we simply must face them: What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important. 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. We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process. 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. First of all, I got a lot of personal advice. We are the heirs of generations who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. 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.". But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. This will not be the last time that I, as President, present difficult and controversial choices to you and ask for your help. 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. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. 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. This is not a contest of strength between the President and the Congress, nor between the House and the Senate. This year, primarily because of oil, our imports will be at least $25 billion more than all the American goods the we sell overseas. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. 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. The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly. The cost will keep going up. 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. 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. Exactly 3 years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we use today. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. It hurts every American family. I do not promise you that this struggle for freedom will be easy. We are at a turning point in our history. World consumption of oil is still going up. The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce demand through conservation. But a common national sacrifice to meet this serious problem should be shared by everyone-some proof that the plan is fair. When Jimmy Carter stepped onto the national stage, he brought along those closest to him, introducing Americans to a colorful Georgia family that helped shape the 39th president's public life A Democrat, he was governor of Georgia from 1971-1975, and a member of the state Legislature (in the Senate) from 1963 to 1967. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Supplies will be uncertain. January 23, 1979. Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. Imports have doubled in the last 5 years. ", "There will be other cartels and other shortages. I believe that this can be a positive challenge. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy. But when this Nation critically needs a refinery or a pipeline, we will build it. Carter ended by asking for input from average citizens to help him devise an energy agenda for the 1980s. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. 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. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our Nation. The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day, and demand increases each year about 5 percent. First, it's fair both to the American consumers and to the energy producers, and it will not disrupt our national economy. Confidence has defined our course and has served as a link between generations. 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. We can decide to act while there is still time. 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. 4. Intense competition for oil will build up among nations and also among the different regions within our own country. Our children who will be born this year will come of age in the 21st century. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. Now we have a choice. Our nation's 39 th president, Jimmy Carter, is currently in hospice care. Washington, D.C., has become an island. place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. We respected the Presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Watergate. 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. "We can't go on consuming 40 percent more energy than we produce. We remember when the phrase "sound as a dollar" was an expression of absolute dependability, until 10 years of inflation began to shrink our dollar and our savings. On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter addresses the nation via live television to discuss the nation's energy crisis and accompanying recession. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. As president, Jimmy Carter advised Americans to set their thermostats to 55 degrees overnight during the winter months to "waste less energy," offering his guidance in a televised address to the nation on February 2, 1977, in the midst of a national natural gas shortage. It is the idea which founded our Nation and has guided our development as a people. We've always been proud, through our history, of being efficient people. Carter, a liberal president, was heading into a presidential campaign just as a tide of conservatism was rising, led by presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan, who went on to win the 1980 campaign. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. 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. to increase our coal production by about two-thirds to more than one billion tons a year; I do not mean our political and civil liberties. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. So, the solution of our energy crisis can also help us to conquer the crisis of the spirit in our country. Well, I understand how he felt, but I must tell you the truth. It has been an extraordinary 10 days, and I want to share with you what I've heard. I'll read just a few. He outlined a plan to tackle the crisis . ", And I like this one particularly from a black woman who happens to be the mayor of a small Mississippi town: "The big-shots are not the only ones who are important. 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. Our national energy plan is based on 10 fundamental principles. We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. Carter was unable to solve most of the problems plaguing the country during his administration, including an ailing economy and a continuing energy crisis. 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. Point five: To make absolutely certain that nothing stands in the way of achieving these goals, I will urge Congress to create an energy mobilization board which, like the War Production Board in World War II, will have the responsibility and authority to cut through the red tape, the delays, and the endless roadblocks to completing key energy projects. There is not enough discipline among your disciples. Center on Global Energy Policy in Boydton, VA Expand search. 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. I can't tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. But the sacrifices can be gradual, realistic, and they are necessary. All Rights Reserved. Thank you very much. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. The message was usually focused on energy conservation. On July 15, 1979, amid stagnant economic growth, high inflation, and an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter delivered a televised address to the American people. The car, produced at Fords plant on Mack Street (now Mack Avenue) in Detroit, was delivered to read more, On July 15, 1789, only one day after the fall of the Bastille marked the beginning of a new revolutionary regime in France, the French aristocrat and hero of the American War for Independence, Marie-Joseph Paul Roch Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, becomes the read more.