Anti-nuclear Movement
The late 1960s through 1980s saw a shift in the antinuclear movement toward protesting the development of nuclear power as an energy source. Although the government, through the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), had advocated for peaceful uses of nuclear power since the development of the atomic bomb, little impetus existed for new energy sources. With the energy crisis of the 1970s and increased public awareness of the environmental problems engendered by fossil fuels, the government pressed forward with the development of several nuclear power plants, ostensibly to reduce American dependence on oil and provide cheap sources of electricity.