January 11, 1967
Johnson unveils new energy plan at State of the Union
Yesterday, President Johnson gave his annual State of the Union to a joint session of Congress. During the address, Johnson outlined his new energy plan. He announced a halt on the construction of all new atomic plants until a safer atomic power plant can be designed. Plants currently under construction would not be affected by this ban. [1]
Johnson said that if the United States cannot rely on conventional atomic power, other means of energy generation will be needed to address the challenge posed by a rapidly-developing nation. He said that part of the energy demand will be met by the construction of more coal and oil-fired power plants. But, Johnson said that the United States should fight for clean air with a “total attack” on pollution at its sources. [2] This will require investment in non-polluting experimental sources, such as water power, wind power, and solar power.
The President assured a skeptical American public and his critics that these goals are achievable in the near future. As examples of the feasibility of non-polluting energy projects, Johnson touted hydroelectric power plants, such as the recently-finished Glen Canyon Dam and the almost-complete Oroville Dam. [3] The President even raised the possibility of using large photovoltaic panels similar to those currently used by satellites, which might be adapted for energy production on Earth-bound plants. [4]
To ensure that there will be no more accidents like the one at Fermi, Johnson called on Congress to pass a “Nuclear Safety Act”. Johnson also called for a “Green Society” alongside the “Great Society” programs that he spearheaded, which would create programs to fund experimental energy research and promote energy conservation. “The air we breathe, our water, our soil, and wildlife are being blighted by the poisons and chemicals which are the by-products of technology and industry... The same society which receives the rewards of technology, must—as a cooperating whole—take responsibility for control.” [5]