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. During the 1950's, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940's. They will endure. Twelve hours from now I will speak again in Kansas City, to expand and to explain further our energy program. Looking for a way out of this crisis, our people have turned to the Federal Government and found it isolated from the mainstream of our Nation's life. I'll read just a few. We can drift along for a few more years. I believe that this can be a positive challenge. But if we wait, we will constantly live in fear of embargoes. We are the generation that dedicated our society to the pursuit of human rights and equality. ", And this is one of the most vivid statements: "Our neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Other generations of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. In it, Carter singled out a pervasive "crisis of confidence" preventing the American people from moving the country forward. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. It hurts every American family. View Transcript. 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. The third principle is that we must protect the environment. They want lower taxes on their profits. to reduce gasoline consumption by 10 percent below its. Democrat Jimmy Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. For the fifth time I would have described the urgency of the problem and laid out a series of legislative recommendations to the Congress. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oil--nearly 10 times as much. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down. That is the concept of the energy policy that we will present on Wednesday. The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. Surprising viewers, who were expecting a laundry list of proposals to deal with the energy crisis, Carter took a different tack. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. These changes did not happen overnight. One choice, of course, is to continue doing what we've been doing before. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. With God's help and for the sake of our Nation, it is time for us to join hands in America. Ours is the most wasteful nation on Earth. We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. President Jimmy Carter delivered this speech on July 15, 1979, exactly three years after accepting the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for president. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977 (excerpts). 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. What can we do? But I'm confident that we can find the wisdom and the courage to make the right decisionseven when they are unpleasantso that we might, together, preserve the greatness of our Nation. The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Versace is shot twice in the head, and Cunanan flees the scene. Play Video. New oil prices would also rise in 3 years to the present world level and then be increased annually to keep up with inflation. Now, these 10 principles have guided the development of the policy that I will describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday night. 4. The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. This excessive importing of foreign oil is a tremendous and rapidly increasing drain on our national economy. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. 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). I hope that each of you will take steps to conserve our precious energy and also join with your elected officials at all levels of government to meet this test of our Nation's judgment and will. Now we need efficiency and ingenuity more than ever. 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. I will continue to travel this country, to hear the people of America. 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. We've always been proud of our ingenuity, our skill at answering questions. In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. There is some part of this complex legislation to which every region and every interest group can object. The corporation will issue up to $5 billion in energy bonds, and I especially want them to be in small denominations so that average Americans can invest directly in America's energy security. World consumption of oil is still going up. Thank you very much, and good night. There is not enough discipline among your disciples. This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future. All Rights Reserved. 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 one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. World consumption of oil is still going up. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford. 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. He had earned it. Good evening. When President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation on April 18, 1977, the U.S. was in a crisis. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems-wasteful use of resources. First of all, I got a lot of personal advice. It's worse because more waste has occurred and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. The gap between our citizens and our Government has never been so wide. Confidence has defined our course and has served as a link between generations. 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. 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. 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. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem? 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. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. 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. Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. In his speech, President Carter called the crisis "the moral equivalent o With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer. Vast amounts of American wealth no longer stay in the United States to build our factories and to give us a better life. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. And third, it protects our Federal budget from any unreasonable burden. It feeds serious inflationary pressures in our own economy. A huge box-office hit, the film established Willis as a movie star and spawned three sequels. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of man's previous history combined. Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my Presidential authority to set import quotas. 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; Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problemswasteful use of resources. Beginning this moment, this Nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977--never. The German general read more, Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) is nominated by the Republican Party to run for president. The Middle East has only 5 percent of the world's energy, but the United States has 24 percent. The tenth and last principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy that we will rely on in the next century. Presidential Speeches | Jimmy Carter Presidency place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. This button displays the currently selected search type. I promised you a President who is not isolated from the people, who feels your pain, and who shares your dreams and who draws his strength and his wisdom from you. Thereafter, I was so dismayed by his presidency that I betrayed my natal Democratic Party and voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980. We need to shift to plentiful coal, while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy. Conservation helps us solve both problems at once. Launched in November 1964, Mariner 4 carried a television camera and six other science instruments to study Mars and interplanetary read more, Zebulon Pike, the U.S. Army officer who in 1805 led an exploring party in search of the source of the Mississippi River, sets off with a new expedition to explore the American Southwest. I will sign the energy bills only if they meet these tests. April 18, 1977: Address to the Nation on Energy. You can help me to develop a national agenda for the 1980's. The world has not prepared for the future. Now we have a choice. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices. We will act together. 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. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation. On July 15, 1979, amid stagnant economic growth, high inflation, and an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter delivered a televised address to the American people. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. Jimmy Carter Has 'Still Got Some Time In Him,' So There's Still Time to Speak Ill of Him. And you are also deeply involved in these decisions. 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 . But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. That's why I've worked hard to put my campaign promises into law--and I have to admit, with just mixed success. Now we have a choice. Last year we spent $36 billion for imported oilnearly 10 times as much. Good evening. 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. It's worse because more waste has occurred and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. We've always been proud of our leadership in the world. And above all, I will act. It can rekindle our sense of unity, our confidence in the future, and give our Nation and all of us individually a new sense of purpose. ", "Mr. President, we're in trouble. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful--but so is any meaningful sacrifice. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. They've come upon us gradually over the last generation, years that were filled with shocks and tragedy. So, the solution of our energy crisis can also help us to conquer the crisis of the spirit in our country. Along with that money that we transport overseas, we will continue losing American jobs and become increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions. Ten days ago I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject--energy. I'm sure that each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. 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. 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. 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. We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process. It is a clear and present danger to our Nation. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy," April 18, 1977. Jimmy Carter, "Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: 'The Malaise Speech,'" July 15, 1979. If they succeed with this approach, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing. We can regain our unity. 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 . Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. 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. 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. I invited to Camp David people from almost every segment of our society--business and labor, teachers and preachers, Governors, mayors, and private citizens. ." President Jimmy Carter Address to the Nation, April 18, 1977 Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals: "The Malaise Speech" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/249458, 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). American wisdom and courage right now can set a path to follow in the future. If this trend continues, the excessive reliance on foreign oil could make the very security of our Nation increasingly dependent on uncertain energy supplies. What are his proposed solutions? Our plan will call for strict conservation measures if we fall behind. --to insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings; There should be only one test for this programwhether it will help our country. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. Within 10 years, we would not be able to import enough oil from any country, at any acceptable price. 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. I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge that our country will face during our lifetime. This will not be the last time that I, as President, present difficult and controversial choices to you and ask for your help. Our Nation's economic and political independence is becoming increasingly vulnerable. But I think most of you realize that a policy which does not ask for changes or sacrifices would not be an effective policy at this late date. We can begin to prepare right now. Our national energy plan is based on 10 fundamental principles. The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are plentiful. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. The 1973 gas lines are gone, and with this springtime weather, our homes are warm again. 12874 Into Law," November 4, 1978. Unfortunately, that prediction has turned out to be right. 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. The tenth and last principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy that we will rely on in the next century. But you did not choose your elected officials simply to fill an office. We've always been proud of our vision of the future. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and our grandchildren. We may make mistakes, but we are ready to experiment. But as I was preparing to speak, I began to ask myself the same question that I now know has been troubling many of you. These are the goals that we set for 1985: Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals to measure our progress toward a stable energy system. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. Inflation will soar; production will go down; people will lose their jobs. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our Nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny. Supplies will be uncertain. Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. It costs about $13 to waste it. We are the heirs of generations who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now. 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. Carter prefaced his talk about. 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. There is simply no way to avoid sacrifice. current level; Now, I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. The energy. The Congress is facing very difficult decisions, courageously, and we've formed a good partnership. Washington, D.C., has become an island. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. In the days to come, let us renew that strength in the struggle for an energy secure nation. The . You may be right, but suspicions about the oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum. 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. Too few of our utility companies will have switched to coal, which is our most abundant energy source. The strength we need will not come from the White House, but from every house in America.". ", This was a good one: "Be bold, Mr. President. ", And this from a young Chicano: "Some of us have suffered from recession all our lives. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution. 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. All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. But we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources--America's people, America's values, and America's confidence. Center on Global Energy Policy in Boydton, VA Expand search. The cost will keep going up. On July 15th, Carter came down from the mountains and gave what came to be known as the "Malaise Speech," even though he never used the word in his televised address to the nation. Jimmy Carter's Acceptance Speech, July 15, 1976 Inaugural Address as President, January 20, 1977 State of the Union Address, January 19, 1978 State of the Union Address, January 23, 1979 Energy and National Goals: Address to the Nation, July 15, 1979 State of the Union Address, January 23, 1980 State of the Union Address, January 16, 1981 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 . Politics, Carter said, was full of corruption, inefficiency and evasiveness; he claimed these problems grew out of a deeper, fundamental threat to American democracy. He was not referring to challenges to civil liberties or the countrys political structure or military prowess, however, but to what he called a crisis of confidence that led to domestic turmoil and the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation., At a time when Europeans and the Japanese began out-producing the U.S. in energy-efficient automobiles and some other advanced technologies, Carter said that Americans had lost faith in being the worlds leader in progress. He claimed that Americans' obsession with self-indulgence and material goods had trumped spiritualism and community values.

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