1975 USA - Color, President Gerald Ford: Energy Policy Address
Good evening. Last January 15, I went before your Senators & Representatives in Congress with a comprehensive plan to make our country independent of foreign sources of energy by 1985. Such a program was long overdue. We have become increasingly at the mercy of others for the fuel on which our entire economy runs. Here are the facts & figures that will not go away. The United States is dependent on foreign sources for about 37 percent of its present petroleum needs. In ten years, if we do nothing, we will be importing more than half our oil at prices fixed by others - if they choose to sell to us at all. In two-and-a-half years we will be twice as vulnerable to a foreign oil embargo as we were two winters ago.
00:03:22 We are now paying out $25 billion a year for foreign oil. Five years ago we paid out only $3 billion annually. Five years from now, if we do nothing, who knows how many more billions will be flowing out of the United States. These are not just American dollars, these are American jobs. Four months ago, I sent the Congress this 167-page draft of detailed legislation, plus some additional tax proposals. My program was designed to conserve the energy we now have, while at the same time speeding up the development and production of new domestic energy. Although this would increase the cost of energy until new supplies were fully tapped, those dollars would remain in this country & would be returned to our own economy through tax cuts & rebates.
00:04:38 I asked the Congress in January to enact this urgent 10-year program for energy independence within 90 days - that is, by mid-April. In the meantime, to get things going, I said I would use the standby Presidential authority granted by the Congress to reduce our use of foreign petroleum by raising import fees on each barrel of crude oil by $1 on February 1st, another dollar on March 1st, and a third on April 1st. As soon as Congress acted on my comprehensive energy program, I promised to take off these import fees. I imposed the first dollar on oil imports February 1st, making appropriate exemptions for hardship situations.
Now what did the Congress do in February about energy? Congress did nothing - nothing that is except rush through legislation suspending for 90 days my authority to impose any import fees on foreign oil. Congress needed time, they said.
00:06:11 At the end of February the Democratic leaders of the House & Senate, & other Members concerned w/ energy came to the White House. They gave me this pamphlet outlining energy goals similar to mine & promised to come up w/ a Congressional energy program better than mine by the end of April. I remember one of them saying he didn't see how they could ask the President to do more than postpone the second dollar for 60 days. If the Congress couldn't come up with an energy program by then, he said, go ahead and put it on. Their request stretched my original deadline by a couple of weeks. But I wanted to be reasonable; I wanted to be cooperative. So, in vetoing their bill to restrict the President's authority, I agreed to their request for a 60-day delay before taking the next step under my energy plan. What did the Congress do in March? What did the Congress do in April about energy? Congress did nothing. In fairness, I must say there were diligent efforts by some Members - Democrats as well as Republicans - to fashion meaningful energy legislation in their subcommittees & committees.
00:07:59 My administration worked very hard w/ them to bring a real energy independence bill to a vote. At the end of April, the deadline set by the Congressional leaders themselves, I deferred for still another 30 days, the second $1 fee on imported oil. Even then, I still hoped for positive Congressional action.
00:08:30 Continued on 250300B
Congressional Conflict; 1970s; Oil Shortages; Congressional Delay; Energy Independence; Petroleum;
Sign in with Google
Similar Sub-themes
1975 USA - Color, President Gerald Ford: Energy Policy Address Good evening. Last January 15, I went before your Senators & Representatives in Congress with a comprehensive plan to make our country independent of foreign sources of energy by 1985. Such a program was long overdue. We have become increasingly at the mercy of others for the fuel on which our entire economy runs. Here are the facts & figures that will not go away. The United States is dependent on foreign sources for about 37 percent of its present petroleum needs. In ten years, if we do nothing, we will be importing more than half our oil at prices fixed by others - if they choose to sell to us at all. In two-and-a-half years we will be twice as vulnerable to a foreign oil embargo as we were two winters ago. 00:03:22 We are now paying out $25 billion a year for foreign oil. Five years ago we paid out only $3 billion annually. Five years from now, if we do nothing, who knows how many more billions will be flowing out of the United States. These are not just American dollars, these are American jobs. Four months ago, I sent the Congress this 167-page draft of detailed legislation, plus some additional tax proposals. My program was designed to conserve the energy we now have, while at the same time speeding up the development and production of new domestic energy. Although this would increase the cost of energy until new supplies were fully tapped, those dollars would remain in this country & would be returned to our own economy through tax cuts & rebates. 00:04:38 I asked the Congress in January to enact this urgent 10-year program for energy independence within 90 days - that is, by mid-April. In the meantime, to get things going, I said I would use the standby Presidential authority granted by the Congress to reduce our use of foreign petroleum by raising import fees on each barrel of crude oil by $1 on February 1st, another dollar on March 1st, and a third on April 1st. As soon as Congress acted on my comprehensive energy program, I promised to take off these import fees. I imposed the first dollar on oil imports February 1st, making appropriate exemptions for hardship situations. Now what did the Congress do in February about energy? Congress did nothing - nothing that is except rush through legislation suspending for 90 days my authority to impose any import fees on foreign oil. Congress needed time, they said. 00:06:11 At the end of February the Democratic leaders of the House & Senate, & other Members concerned w/ energy came to the White House. They gave me this pamphlet outlining energy goals similar to mine & promised to come up w/ a Congressional energy program better than mine by the end of April. I remember one of them saying he didn't see how they could ask the President to do more than postpone the second dollar for 60 days. If the Congress couldn't come up with an energy program by then, he said, go ahead and put it on. Their request stretched my original deadline by a couple of weeks. But I wanted to be reasonable; I wanted to be cooperative. So, in vetoing their bill to restrict the President's authority, I agreed to their request for a 60-day delay before taking the next step under my energy plan. What did the Congress do in March? What did the Congress do in April about energy? Congress did nothing. In fairness, I must say there were diligent efforts by some Members - Democrats as well as Republicans - to fashion meaningful energy legislation in their subcommittees & committees. 00:07:59 My administration worked very hard w/ them to bring a real energy independence bill to a vote. At the end of April, the deadline set by the Congressional leaders themselves, I deferred for still another 30 days, the second $1 fee on imported oil. Even then, I still hoped for positive Congressional action. 00:08:30 Continued on 250300B Congressional Conflict; 1970s; Oil Shortages; Congressional Delay; Energy Independence; Petroleum;