President's Awards for Energy Efficiency Remarks at the Awards Ceremony.

During the last 4 years, I've had a chance to learn a lot about the history of this country from the perspective of the White House and the 38 other people who've served there as President before I came into office. And the overwhelming sense that I have is one of the strength of our Nation—how we have been able to meet challenges from one generation to another that seem to be almost insurmountable, but to do it with success.

In the late 18th century, of course, the major challenge was the threat to our own political freedom. And the founders of this country met that challenge with exciting expressions of commitment to the worth of a human being and to the right of the people on this continent to make our own decisions. It's a great and beneficial thing for us all. As you well know, during the 19th century the major thrust was to open up new frontiers of this Nation and to do it with the excitement of exploration and achievement, but with the constant realization that mistakes made during that exciting time could very well have transformed our system of government or challenged our system of government and caused deterioration in those human freedoms that were so precious to us all. But we weathered that challenge successfully, and we laid the foundation for the early 20th century when, with the industrial revolution as an integral part of the process and the challenge of having met successfully two World Wars, our Nation arrived at its proper status, in my judgment, as a world power.

Now we face in this generation another challenge—a little more subtle, just as significant. And that is the challenge of how to preserve those things that are precious to us in a human way and at the same time to acknowledge limits on the natural resources which we have inherited and which sometimes we've not husbanded so well. It's a new thing for Americans to acknowledge limits. And in energy in particular, we've had to do it struggling against admitting that we had to conserve, that we had to save, that we couldn't any longer waste, and that we had to address this challenge along with, not superior to, the other nations on Earth.

In the last few years, we've had notable success in helping to enhance the production of additional, new, exciting energy sources in our own Nation—some not new but very precious—at the same time to eliminate some element of waste from our lives. In our homes and agriculture, in business and transportation, you have played a key role. And as President of our great Nation, even following a brief historical resume, I'd like to express my personal thanks to you. You've proven not only that we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil supplies that rob us financially, rob us of jobs, also endanger our own national security, but that we can do it without any deterioration in the quality of our lives.

It's not necessary for us to live a blighted life or a restricted life. In the process that you've helped to initiate, more than 150 organizations—local government, business enterprises, labor organizations, farmers—you've proven that this can be done in an exciting way, a dynamic way, a way that taps the great reserves of our country, of innovation, personal liberty, good education, natural resources, and let it be an achievement equal to, in my judgment, the exploration of our new frontiers during the last century past. So, I'm indebted to you.

In 1980 alone we reduced our oil imports by more than 20 percent, and I think in the future we'll continue that progress. And I think as different Americans see that this is a challenge worthy of a great nation and that the other nations on Earth are looking to us for leadership, as they have in the past, then there will be more of an involvement of the 226 million or so of us in this worthwhile effort. You are leaders who helped as pioneers to show the way, and as President I come over here to express my debt to you and my gratitude as well.

Some of the key executives in my own administration will, after I leave, present to you awards that will honor your organizations or your corporations or perhaps you personally or your government entity for the good work you've done for our country. You are patriots in the highest and best sense of that word, and as President I express gratification at being your partners in a noble effort and my admiration and thanks for what you've already achieved for the betterment of our Nation now and in the future.

Thank you again. God bless you all. Congratulations.