When the Circuit Breaks...American Energy Crisis (1975)

[Music] I think it's going to end with everybody changing their their habits just start working now otherwise we won't have time we're going to be out of oil within a few years natural gas is getting short everything's getting short and unless we can harness the power of the sun it's going to run out eventually the power of the Sun at one time or other the sun has been to man God King father brother but beyond all that the controlling force of all that lives and moves here on Earth its fiery element would change the course of continents and seas would send awesome currents of pure energy charging through the atmosphere working with other elements the sun would first stir life on our planet gradual shiftings and upheavals would bury creatures and plants beneath the surface of the Earth there subjected to time and tremendous pressures they would fossilize eventually turning into huge reservoirs of oil and gas and coal billions of years would pass then from these underground beds of fossil fuels man would draw the means for duplicating in his small way the power generated by the [Music] Sun at First Energy was used for heat and light its uses multiplied slowly then faster and faster until finally the fuse was lit for a virtual energy explosion that would affect all aspects of Our Lives [Music] he [Music] when a circuit breaker or fuse blows in our home it's not because there's no energy available it's simply that we've called for more energy to be delivered to a given place then the line can take and the whole system blows the principle of the household fuse or circuit breaker keeping supply and demand in near balance can be extended to all forms of energy all in effect have circuit breakers and when the demand grows greater than the immediate Supply the circuits break attention all passengers like 307 is canel until further notice it was announced today that gasless Sundays will go into effect as of next month and when several circuits break at the same time we have an energy [Music] crisis we're in an energy crisis now and will be for some time to come all we can do is face it recognize it and meet the challenges it poses ours is a crisis characterized by shortages of all kinds we have it present an absolute shortage of natural gas we cannot produce as much as we can use as we are equipped to use in our homes and our factories this situation is destined to continue indefinitely and by indefinitely I mean not only just the next few years but as far ahead as we can see crisis is nothing new to man whose progress from earliest times has been marked by a constant quest for new ways to harness and make use of energy [Music] resources he learned to use winds to grind grain burning wood provided him with heat with the coming of steam engines wood would become the source of fuel to push ships and trains across the face of the Earth coal was the first fossil fuel to be exploited as a seemingly endless source of heat and power we tunneled deep into the Earth to dig it out history is filled with references to oil the fossil fuel we most rely on today as far back as 300 BC the Chinese drilled 3,000 ft for oil using bamboo 2 UBS and bronze bits in 1859 Edward Drake drilled this country's first producing oil well near Titusville Pennsylvania the coming of oil triggered a rush to likely looking spots as Prospectors set out to claim quick and easy riches spindl toop in East Texas the salol fields of Oklahoma Edison's invention of the light bulb would lead to a world electrified and increased the need for coal and oil and natural gas to generate electric power the gasoline engine demanded fuel to run our cars energy was something to use and use and use as the pace of life quickened we were into the 20th century now there were cars trains airplanes appliances [Music] Galore our industrial progress and economic growth was fired by what many seem to look on as endless energy but warning signs were there until 1950 the United States could Supply The energy needed but in less than 25 years we found ourselves in trouble each year we used 5% more doubling our demand every 12 to 14 years coal production stayed at 1940s levels crude oil production dropped in 1968 natural gas consumption began exceeding new discoveries oil companies during this period were encouraged to get oil and gas from other countries by 1970 we imported 1/3 of our oil and gas relying on others to meet new needs then in 1973 the big Middle East producers cut off oil shipments to Major consuming countries when the Embargo was lifted the price of foreign oil had jumped from $3 to $12 a barrel four times higher than before more than $20 billion left the United States no one was spared its impact well just looking at my bills I'm getting upset it's paying more for electric El it every month and the gasoline is going up and I'm used to being able to go when I want to when I want to but suddenly I think I'm going to have to start curbing my habits my family and I have uh tended to conserve energy uh both in limiting the use of our Cars Plus cut back on the um the heat in the home less use of the air conditioner and um and in general a conservation ethics as uh to come across our house what I've seen the people most of them are pretty selfish it's all right to let somebody else do it but when it comes right down at home why they they just want to go along the same old way although some went on in the same old way eventually the Middle East embargo would be felt by all of us one out of every seven gallons of oil we'd been using to power our homes our cars our businesses and our schools just wasn't there anymore at the height of the Embargo half a million people were thrown out of work products we manufactured and sold dropped from 10 to2 billion in value we were caught by surprise with a crisis that could recur and recur unless the entire country recognized the dangers of a quite real energy shortage and out of the Embargo was born project Independence a launching pad from which would evolve this country's First National energy policy we must be able to cope with future emergencies we must immediately fully use our traditional energy sources we must develop new sources we must manage better the present demands placed on energy we must conserve the first three goals are largely the job of government and Industry the fourth con conservation is up to all of us the blueprint was designed to make the United States energy self-sufficient by 1985 that is we would import some oil but would not be so dependent on other countries to meet this challenge we must change our energy habits we must end our love affair with the big car and use buses and commuter trains pass with meter tickets mayard the Metro we must walk or use bikes rather than drive we must pay more attention to energy used in the home to guarantee that cool air is kept in in the summer warm air in the winter months when lights aren't needed they should be turned out but cutbacks by individuals are not enough to prevent future shortages converting raw materials into energy uses up a tremendous amount of energy itself so do manufacturing and heavy industrial plants we must save fuel there too here at the uh sanleandro plant we have uh reduced our energy consumption 25% we've achieved this primarily by being smart about when we turn lights off and on and uh making sure that our equipment is running in the most efficient manner and turning our thermostats down when you look at it it uh it you wonder why you didn't do this before but I'm I'm sure it'll be carried forward in the future and and new and better ways to conserve energy will be uh thought of waste material can be used as a source of energy a project in St Louis has proven that garbage can be put to use in generating power used fuel that once we paid others to haul away way is being recycled manufacturers of basic products can now collect Crush Compact and recycle metal containers once considered fit only for the garbage Heat this can result in as much as a 95% Savings in energy over what it would cost to start with raw materials our savings year to date are well in excess of a million dollars in plain hard cash so we're convinced that uh an energy conservation in addition to saving energy and uh conserving short fuel supplies is just pling good business since for all these first steps taken in conserving energy real conservation means Planning by all of us for most efficient use of energy in the future real conservation means planning our office buildings industrial complexes and homes to take advantage of natural natural light natural heat natural coolness natural ventilation real conservation means that while striving to achieve the most efficient car and truck engine we must limit our driving now to what is absolutely necessary the fact remains that conservation alone will not give us the energy needed to permit our country to prosper at its present level this brings us to the second goal to develop our oil coal and gas much of this country particularly in the west was once a sea today it's a sea of scrub Oak Sand and Sage and beneath its surface lie Rich pools of oil and beds of coal enough some say to answer our needs for [Music] centuries so great is our demand that we're looking for new energy in places once considered sacac drilling for natural gas is taking place in George Washington National Forest in Virginia it's a trend that more and more local utilities are getting into because they they have to protect their Pipeline Supply in some way they're going into drilling programs such as this one they're building synthetic gas plants importing liquefied natural gas uh because for at least the foreseeable future we don't anticipate any any major increase in the in the pipeline quantity of gas available to us but as many Wells as may be drilled the prospect of big strikes on this continent appear remote while the average well in the Middle East produces 5,000 barrels of oil a day the best producing wells in the United States provide far less and proven reserves in the lower 48 states grow smaller every year though exploration has been stepped up production continues to lag the search goes on elsewhere we're tapping huge reserves within the Arctic Circle on the North Slope of Alaska some geologists claim that the world's greatest fossil fuel resources lie beneath ocean waters in the North Sea off Indonesia in the Gulf of Mexico off the Eastern Seaboard but underwater drilling is expensive and risky floating platforms are towed out to sea and anchored drilling rigs are assembled on them at Great cost and bits are sent 9 to 10,000 ft and more deep into the ocean floor oil and gas from 18 to 30 Wells may pass through one processing rig in a given day for storage piping or sending on to land by tanker proven pools are being tapped beneath these Waters in the Gulf of Mexico natural gas from Land as well as ocean-based Wells is compressed and piped by booster stations across the country from storage facilities mostly based in Louisiana and Texas but more gas Fields must be found and developed if we're to meet our growing needs on the Rocky Mountains Western slopes oil shale oil filled rock is being mined and processed in an experimental plant though it's now expensive to get crude oil out of the rock it could someday answer a good portion of our oil needs in terms of the reserves OFA available in Colorado Utah and Wyoming they are very large the uh highquality minable reserves that might be produced in the foreseeable future are also very large this could be in the range of 5 to 10% of our total liquid fuel requirement what about coal Coal remains one of our greatest resources there are only two way ways to get at it for Generations we've gone underground to mine it much has already been brought to the surface far more remains below another way to get coal is to strip off a layer of soil and rock Rich veins of coal particularly in the west are there just under the surface how you get coal where you use it how you dispose of the waste all will pose problems too often our Countryside has been left scarred with mine waste those concerned about strip mining worn of land ravaged by bulldozers stripped of all Greenery once Rich Plains left desolate Eastern coal is more likely to pollute the air than Western coal but Western coal is far from cities and industrial areas where it's needed laws now require anti-pollution devices to screen out more than 99% of the Ash and waste that once blackened the air around Coal Fired generators those who have not complied with such standards in the past must do so in the future so that dirty coal can be used in a clean way then Vapors will be no more than steam which evaporates a few yards away and strip mined land can be reclaimed and restored by replacing top soil and planting trees and grasses well we'll never make a forest out of this area we will certainly return to land to better shape than we found it before the coal was taken out it's a grazing area several times a year the flocks of sheep go through here the antelope congregate in this valley during the winter they return and we're very proud of this they're kind of our pets around here it's expected that within a few years we'll be calling on electricity to supply y half of our energy needs unless we find new ways to turn our generators we Face serious electricity shortages and we're approaching the outer limits of production in some areas as with hydroelectric power you are limited as to geography because you have to have a source of falling water and most of these uh best sites have already been used you have to bear in mind too that there are problems in balancing uh whether the hydroelectric capacity should be installed because when you build a dam of course you have to flood uh some area building up the reservoir in back of it all these things have to be taken into account in a balanced view of the uh the energy and the environmental values to be considered compromises have been worked out which protect our environment at the same time satisfying fuel needs more than 600 Wells on four man-made Islands in Long Beach Harbor California draw oil from pools as far as 4 mil away enclosed drilling superstructures actually enhance a city skyline once marked by blackened Derek that's one way to attack the shortage while protecting the environment but as with conservation developing traditional energy resources is not enough we need new sources that brings us to our third goal finding new kinds of energy there's nuclear power one theory is that nuclear fusion may be generated by injecting Atomic neutral particles into a magnetic field still another involves use of laser beams our hope is to demonstrate or perhaps uh come up with the invention of the new lasers required to make laser Fusion reactors in the early 80s and perhaps have a prototype reactor going in the 1990s though power generated by nuclear fusion lies in the distant future power from nuclear fision the splitting of atoms already is a fact but construction delays and the high cost of financing threatened to undermine the United United States goal of having half of all electricity supplied by nuclear power by the year 2000 another proven source for energy is geothermal power heat beneath the surface of the Earth commercially feasible plants for generating electricity are already operating at the geysers near San Francisco we hope that by the year 2000 we are hopeful that we are going to be able to get on the line maybe as much as 75,000 megaw or again with the current rate of consumption that would Supply the needs of 75 million people this area is an ideal source to tap for power but only four such Fields have yet been found this one in California one in Italy one in Iceland and one in New Zealand we're still learning how to explore for geothermal power and how to use it it once we find it again the target date for Meaningful production beyond what we now have the next decade success has been limited so far in attempts to capture and use the sun's energy directly but there are an increasing number of solar heated buildings and homes we've been living in solar heated houses for the past 15 years our first winter fuel bill here in Washington DC was only $465 we used only 31 gallons of oil oil for an entire winter and that was with half our days cloudy and temperatures down well below freezing many times the principle of solar heat is quite simple it works best in areas where most of the days are Sunny water running through panels is warmed by the sun's Rays heating the house providing hot water for family use being stored during the night for use Around the Clock solar heat is practical it works but it must be supplemented by traditional energy sources no real breakthrough has been made in converting solar energy into electric power Target date for this new development no year mentioned scientists and Engineers are engaged in basic research now to find other sources of energy wind power underground coal gasification breeder reactors tidal power but no one presumes to lay down a timetable for achieving man's age-old dream of unlimited energy the goal seems too remote for the next 10 years we must rely on the fossil fuels which have served us in the past with oil and gas production in this country going down each year we have no alternative but to conserve otherwise we are faced with a dollar drain that within one short decade could result in concentrating the world's wealth in the Middle East the oil exporter gets richer and the oil importer gets poorer and the consumer pays the bill unless we conserve while we look for new energy sources we Face the recurring threat of embargos of energy circuits breaking without warning we must recognize right now that energy will cost us more that is a fact of life I think it's going to end with everybody changing their their habits and uh going back to the things that maybe our parents were used to that we have never seen before just start working now otherwise we won't have time we're going to be out of oil with them in a few years people say well it's not going to run out in our time but we have to think of our kids and our kids kids and how they're going to have to put up with a whole lot of stuff uh just because we're not careful [Music] we must change if we're going to have the energy we need if we want new oil we've got to look in new [Music] places we must demand more efficient engines for our cars we must push forward at whatever cost the development of new energy [Music] resources we must make personal commitment to cut down wherever we can on the energy we use only this can keep the total energy circuit from breaking disastrously for all of us the energy is here within this universe on this planet it's a challenge facing each of us in all lands to explore to find to develop and to use wisely not wastefully the energy that's here if we meet this challenge it will be for the good of all mankind on [Music] [Applause] [Music] Earth