Clam Video Library
Acres of Clams
The Clamshell Alliance organized thousands of people to occupy the construction site of the Seabrook Nuclear Plant in the 1970s and 1980s. Clamshell’s creative use of disciplined, nonviolent direct action captured national headlines and alerted Americans to the grave risks and absurd cost of nuclear power. At the same time, Clamshell promoted renewable power as a cleaner, safer and ultimately cheaper alternative to both nuclear and fossil fuels. Using historical photos and film footage—and interviews with Clamshell organizers themselves— Acres of Clams is the story of how a handful of remarkable activists managed to build a local struggle into a successful national movement.
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Marcia Talor singing the theme song for Acres of Clams
In 1976, New Hampshire residents took direct action against the construction of a twin-reactor nuclear power plant in the coastal town of Seabrook. For years they had witnessed how the regulatory process was stacked in favor of the nuclear industry. How could they believe otherwise? Federal regulators had never denied a permit for building a nuclear power plant.
On George Washington’s Birthday, 1974, Sam Lovejoy–a 27-year-old farmer–toppled a 500-foot weather tower in Montague, Massachusetts. The tower had been erected by the local utility as part of their attempt to build one of the largest nuclear power plants ever planned. Leaving 349 feet of twisted wreckage behind, Lovejoy hitched a ride to the local police station, where he turned himself in along with a four-page statement decrying the dangers of nuclear power and accusing the government and utilities of “conspiracy and despotism.” Six months later, Lovejoy stood trial for “willful and malicious destruction of personal property,” a five-year felony. He insisted on conducting his own case, and told the jury he had acted in self-defense. After a dramatic seven-day trial, Lovejoy went free.
Long time Clam Brian Tokar was invited by Mexico’s National Strategic Program on Energy and Climate Change to participate in a panel on April 10th titled, “Nuclear energy in Mexico: Response or false solution to the climate crisis and energy security.” In addition to Brian’s opening presentation, a French researcher based in Mexico explained why uranium mining is not likely to be feasible there and 2 authors of a recent report on the topic gave comprehensive overviews of a host of arguments against a proposed new Mexican nuclear program, including wider issues of centralization and militarism, also highlighting the need for degrowth. The entire video is in Spanish, including the simultaneous translation of Brian’s talk (his slides are in English).
THE LAST RESORT presents the human side of the Seabrook confrontation, balancing the arguments of the strongly pro-nuclear Governor Meldrim Thomson and nuclear utility officials against those of local citizens and project opponents. The film includes frank assessments from local police, area officials and then-candidate Jimmy Carter, as well as footage from key confrontations in Europe, Japan and India.
The film is an exciting and essential primer in understanding the nuclear controversy and the issues-local and global-that are behind it.
This was a film that GMP Films produced in 1977 to help in nonviolence training that was taking place as part of the campaign to stop construction at the Seabrook, NH Nuclear Plant. It was also widely used as the anti-nuclear movement spread to other regional alliances and site occupations. We wanted to put it up on YouTube now because of its relevance to the Occupy Wall Street protests that are taking place today. Features commentary by long time nonviolent activists Wally and Juanita Nelson.
Seabrook, NH was an international focal point in the struggle over atomic power. In the summer of 1978, nine months before the accident at Three Mile Island, more than 20,000 opponents of the Seabrook plant were addressed by a broad range of the leading figures in the anti-nuclear campaign. The film of this seminal rally offers a succinct and powerful summary of many of the most important statements of that movement, including speeches by Dr. Benjamin Spock, Dr. Barry Commoner, Dick Gregory, Sarah Nelson, Dianne Garand, Dr. John Gofman, Amory Lovins and singers Jackson Browne, John Hall and Pete Seeger. The film also takes us to the steps of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, where the first demonstration there prompted some contrasting views from members of the board that regulates this controversial industry.
“Early Warnings” describes the electric events at Seabrook and presents a tight outline of the anti-nuclear case, as well as providing a look into one of the movement’s most inspiring moments-its biggest and best-publicized rally before Three Mile Island.