In thinking about former President Jimmy Carter, what comes to mind first is a President that many regard as the weakest and least consequential of the post World War II period. After all, he removed the Shaw of Iran, leading to the Iran hostage crisis, endured economic stagflation and has been credited with political naïveté and engendering panic and pessimism. He also was caught in the midst of a genuine energy crisis.
When President Jimmy Carter stood before the American people in July, 1979 and told us that we needed to make changes in our lives and habits, to ensure that America’s greatness would prevail for generations to come, his speech of conservation and self-discipline was not particularly well-received. It has since become known as the “Malaise Speech.”
But, with the hindsight of 30 years of history that has ensued, was Carter actually correct in his views on energy policy, and have things really changed, in particular as it regards Americans’ energy habits and behaviors? Carter was definitely lambasted at the time for being overly negative and cautionary. Why do we need to change our behaviors, it was asked? After all, we are Americans, and we should not have to settle for less.
Carter’s angst centered on why the nation had not been able to come together to resolve its serious energy problems. And he posed the challenge to Americans to incorporate energy saving and “Green” practices in their daily lives, in order to make a real difference. The basic theme of his speech was a call to action for all Americans to embrace and then practice self-sufficiency, discipline, sacrifice and conservation, all in an effort to achieve energy independence, not to mention more meaningful purpose beyond material wealth (which was a path we were heading down, with much momentum, leading us to the nation of mega-consumerism and over-indulgence that we have long since become).
But the critical question of today is: did we as an individual nation and as a nation of individuals do what Carter so bravely challenged us to do?
At the core of his concerns, Carter already anticipated that a continuing and incremental thirst for imported oil would adversely affect U.S. strategic priorities, and he feared for the impact this could have on American democracy. So he called on his fellow Americans to make changes to their daily lives, to choose self-sufficiency and self-reliance and therefore true independence, but at a cost of collective sacrifice and lowered expectations.
He stated: “We are at a turning point of our history. There are two paths to choose. One is a path I’ve warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. … 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. That path leads to the true freedom for our nation and ourselves.”
Carter said that we, as a nation, must face the truth in order to change our course. We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves and faith in the future of the nation, in order to restore our collective confidence. It was a true challenge for this generation of Americans.
As it regarded energy, Carter made five specific points. First, he set a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. From that night forward, he said the Nation would never use more foreign oil than it did in 1977 — never. Every new addition to the nation’s demand for energy should be met from its own production and its own conservation. He wanted to stop the generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil dead in its tracks, then to start a reverse course through the 1980’s. To achieve this, he proposed the further goal of cutting our dependence on foreign oil by one-half, by the end of the next decade — a saving of over 4 1/2 million barrels of imported oil per day.
Second, to ensure that we could meet these targets, Carter said he would use his Presidential authority to set import quotas. He announced that for 1979 and 1980, he would forbid the entry into this country of one drop of foreign oil more than these goals allowed.
Third, to give us energy security, he asked for the most massive peacetime commitment of funds and resources in the 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 and from the Sun.
He proposed the creation of an energy security corporation to lead this effort to replace 2 1/2 million barrels of imported oil per day by 1990. The corporation would issue up to $5 billion in energy bonds, and in deliberately small denominations, so that average Americans could invest directly in America’s energy security. He wanted to mobilize American determination and ability to win the energy war. He also called on Congress to create this Nation’s first solar bank, to help achieve the crucial goal of 20 percent of our energy coming from solar power by the year 2000.
Fourth, he asked Congress to mandate – to require as a matter of law – that the nation’s utility companies cut their massive use of oil by 50 percent within the next decade and switch to other fuels, especially coal, the nation’s most abundant energy source.
Firth, to make absolutely certain that nothing would stand in the way of achieving these goals, he urged Congress to create an energy mobilization board which, like the War Production Board in World War II, would have the responsibility and authority to cut through the “red tape,” the delays, and the endless roadblocks to completing key energy projects.
He said that we would protect our environment. But if this Nation critically needed a refinery or a pipeline, we would build it.
And, last, he proposed a bold conservation program to involve every state, county, and city and every American in the energy battle. This effort would permit all Americans to build conservation into their homes and lives at a cost we could afford.
So, in looking back over the past 30 years, were these initiatives achieved, and, if so, to what extent? Again, hindsight is 20/20, so the achievements and non-achievements are pretty clear. Are we energy independent today? Do we use less oil, in general, and foreign oil, in particular?
Have Americans become less materialistic, and more focused on the common good of the citizenry? Have the disparate ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups of this country clamored to become part of the great “melting pot,” the American fabric, or have we gone in the other direction?
These and many other such questions are definitely worth revisiting. And, despite the many crises that currently face us, I’m not sure, upon close analysis, that very much has really changed. As it regards energy policy and habits, we seem to be our own worst enemies.
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well done – thanks!