Energy crisis

“ It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our Nation. The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our Nation. These are facts and we simply must face them.
What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important Point one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. ”

“ Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem?
It's clear that the true problems of our Nation are much deeper—deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession. ”

“ I'm certain that once the President announces his plan and makes the case for it, the American people will respond favorably to what the President is proposing. The American people know that the United States now is suffering an energy crisis. It's been a problem long in the making; it's hit some states harder than others, and it's going to take leadership, it's going to take a well-rounded approach, an approach that focuses on both conservation and on development of energy supplies. ”

“ It is a small comfort of course for our people to know that we are experiencing the same difficulties as the rest of humanity. In fact, the im­pact of today’s energy crisis, from alt indications, appears to be the hardest on people living in developed countries of the world because it has abruptly caused a change in their accustomed life style. The reaction, in fact, of many of these people is a feeling that somebody, somewhere has deprived them of their per­ceived right to use energy as they please. ”

“ Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem unprecedented in our history. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes. The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly. ”

“ It's important to bring additional power plants onto line. But it's an excuse to lurch from one crisis to the next. If policymakers relax, this nation still has fundamental energy imbalances that can only be addressed, in the President's opinion, through greater conservation and through increased exploration and through fixing America's infrastructure. ”

“ In the President's opinion, one of the most important short-term actions the government can take to prevent the energy crisis from getting worse is to avoid price controls. Price controls will cause more harm than good in the economy, in terms of people's ability to get energy. They will drive supply down, they will create more demand. Price controls do the exact opposite on both the supply count and the demand count than is necessary to solve the energy crisis. ”

“ Just as the search for solutions to our energy shortages has now led us to a new awareness of our Nation's deeper problems, so our willingness to work for those solutions in energy can strengthen us to attack those deeper problems. ”

“ From the initial shock of the energy crisis, the world has braced itself against the onslaught of global recession, of commodity shortages including food, of international monetary disorder, and of sustained challenge to the world economic order. ”

“ As our people realize the importance of this issue, I am confident that they will positively read in the knowledge that indi­vidual response to this crisis is as important as what governments can and are now doing to minimize the effects of this crisis on the people.
I have dwelt at some length on the problem of energy because it is the primary concern of all our people. On the other hand, the energy problem will long remain the controlling factor in our continuing struggle with other deve­loping nations for economic and social emancipation. ”

“ Thanks, Wolf.
Senator Dodd, gas prices are at record high levels. Granite Staters are frustrated. Americans are frustrated. What would you do to reduce gas prices?
DODD: Well, this is a major crisis issue, obviously. Energy, related problems, obviously, problems with global warming, the dependency on the Middle East for so much of our energy supplies.
It's a national security issue. It's a health care issue. ”

“ It's time to turn the page on energy - to break the political stalemate that's kept our fuel efficiency standards in the same place for twenty years; to tell the oil and auto industries that they must act, not only because their future's at stake, but because the future of our country and our planet is at stake as well. ”

“ That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. ”

“ All this, along with the increased demand for energy that has accompanied unparalleled economic growth, is putting enormous pressure on the energy supplies Americans need to heat their homes and businesses. ”

“ And many firms and workers in the energy sector—coal mine operators and miners, oil companies, and electricity producers that rely on fossil fuels for generation—would bear a disproportionate burden in lost profits and wages. ”

“ Today, I want to talk about how we can meet some of our energy needs through a new kind of conservation, a 21st century conservation that saves power through technological innovation. We are near the beginning of the summer driving and air conditioning season, the months of the year when energy use rises and energy prices jump. This year, like last year, gasoline and electricity prices are rising sharply, squeezing family budgets and disrupting the lives and work of our fellow Americans. ”

“ These urgent dangers to our national and economic security are compounded by the long-term threat of climate change, which if left unchecked could result in violent conflict, terrible storms, shrinking coastlines and irreversible catastrophe. These are the facts and they are well known to the American people -- after all, there is nothing new about these warnings. Presidents have been sounding the alarm about energy dependence for decades. President Nixon promised to make our energy -- our nation energy independent by the end of the 1970s. ”

“ And at a time when our nation is facing increasing energy problems, the last thing you want to do is create -- artificially increase demand and put in disencentives that harm the availability of supply. ”

“ As we meet tonight, many citizens are struggling with the high costs of energy. We have a serious energy problem that demands a national energy policy. The West is confronting a major energy shortage that has resulted in high prices and uncertainty. ”

“ Thus in some degree is allayed the fear, never well grounded, that when the coal fields of the globe are spent civilization must collapse. As the electrician hears this foreboding he recalls how much fuel is wasted in converting heat into electricity. He looks beyond either turbine or shaft turned by wind or tide, and, remembering that the metal dissolved in his battery yields at his will its full content of energy, either as heat or electricity, he asks, Why may not coal or forest tree, which are but other kinds of fuel, be made to do the same? ”

“ America's utility companies and other energy providers supply the light, heat, and power that are needed to operate our factories and farms, our schools and defense installations, and other places of work.
Continuing instability and conflict in some regions of the world underscore the need to use energy efficiently; to reduce our dependence on insecure sources of energy; and to develop more energy resources. Of course, we must skillfully balance efforts in these areas with our determination to maintain a growing economy. ”

“ And if we fail to act, our environment will suffer, as government officials struggle to prevent blackouts in the only way possible -- by calling on more polluting emergency backup generators and by running less efficient old power plants too long and too hard. So we will act, to protect our economy and to safeguard our environment.
Too often Americans are asked to take sides between energy production and environmental protection. The truth is, energy production and environmental protection are not competing priorities. ”

“ Last September, when I gave my first speech on energy, I talked about how our dependence on oil is hurting our economy, decimating our auto industry, and costing us millions of jobs. A few months ago, I discussed how the oil we import is jeopardizing our national security by keeping us tied to the world’s most dangerous and unstable regimes. And when it comes to climate change, it’s the fossil fuels we insist on burning – particularly oil – that are the single greatest cause of global warming and the damaging weather patterns that have been its result. ”

“ The heart of this problem is the elusive, exhaustible, and irreplaceable nature of natural gas itself. Given sufficient money, we can produce any desired amount of railroad, bus, or steamship transportation, or communications facilities, or capacity for generation of electric energy, or for the manufacture of gas of a kind. In the service of such utilities one customer has little concern with the amount taken by another, one's waste will not deprive another, a volume of service and be created equal to demand, and today's demands will not exhaust or lessen capacity to serve tomorrow. ”

“ I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. The 1973 gasoline lines are gone, and our homes are warm again. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. It is worse because more waste has occurred, and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. And it will get worse every day until we act. ”

“ Secondly, we've got to reduce our dependence on oil and fossil fuels, and replace them with alternative energy sources to power our homes and our work places. Look, you can't have a vibrant economy unless you've got reliable electricity. For those of you in the developing world, you know what I'm talking about. As a matter of fact, the issue is not reliable electricity; the issue is getting electricity to people in the first place. Well, here in the United States, we've overcome those issues. ”

“ But the clear and present danger to our economy and our security from America's long-term dependency on oil will not subside - unless we act now. In fact, it will only get worse.
As usual, the American people are already way ahead of Washington. Whether it's Galesburg farmers growing the corn that can fuel our cars or the Chicago factory workers making the microchip that let's us plug them in, people across the country have been taking America's energy future into their own hands with the same sense of innovation and optimism that sent the Wright brothers into the sky, led Dr. ”

“ But this Nation and, in fact, the world must face the prospect of energy difficulties between now and 1985. This program will impose burdens on all of us with the aim of reducing our consumption of energy and increasing our production. Great attention has been paid to the considerations of fairness, and I can assure you that the burdens will not fall more harshly on those less able to bear them. ”

“ At present, the energy to provide these services comes from fuels – oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wood, and other primary sources (solar, wind, or water power) – that are all useless until they are converted into the energy-services needed by machines or other kinds of end-use equipment, such as stoves, turbines, or motors. In many countries worldwide, a lot of primary energy is wasted because of the inefficient design or running of the equipment used to convert it into the services required; though there is an encouraging growth in awareness of energy conservation and efficiency. ”

“ It's indicative of the problem the American people have with the energy infrastructure that is old, with a country that is too reliant on foreign supplies of oil. And that's why, again, it comes down to is this country ready to have an energy policy, or not. ”

“ As we make America less dependent on foreign oil, we're pursuing a comprehensive strategy to address other energy challenges facing our nation. Along with high gas prices, many families and small businesses are confronting rising electricity bills. Summer air-conditioning costs are going to make it even more expensive for our homes and office buildings. To help consumers save on their power bills, we'll continue expanding efforts to conserve electricity. We're funding research into energy-efficient technologies for our homes, such as highly-efficient windows and appliances. ”

“ Finally, the energy bill must help us find better, more reliable ways to deliver energy to consumers. In some parts of the country, our transmission lines and pipelines are decades older than the homes and businesses they supply. Many of them are increasingly vulnerable to events that can interrupt and shut down power in entire regions of the country. ”

“ And the mother who sees turmoil in the Middle East and worries that someday her son might have to fight to secure our oil supply.
Ultimately, we see a nation that cannot control its future as long as it cannot control the source of energy that keeps it running. ”

“ What matters most to me right now is the impact that rising prices have on you. When you’ve got to spend more on gas, you’ve got less to spend on everything else. It makes things harder. So I wanted to take a minute this weekend to explain what steps my Administration is taking when it comes to energy – most importantly, producing more of it while using less of it. ”