December '99/ January 2000 Good News!

Compiled by John Harmon and Lisa Ann Pierce, WAMM

U.S. Funding for RADAM Decreased

After six months of effort by the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL), funding for a mixed mine system proposed by the Pentagon has been decreased. Funding for the program, known as RADAM, recently came to a final vote on the floors of the House and Senate. After being removed from the Senate version of the fiscal year 2000 Defense Appropriations bill, and after being approved in the House version at the level requested by the Pentagon ($48.3 million), the issue was debated in conference committee. On October 6, 1999, this committee agreed to provide only $8 million for RADAM. Both the House and Senate passed this compromise and the finalized bill was signed by the President on October 25, 1999.

Although RADAM funding was not completely eliminated from the 2000 budget, the significant decrease in the amount requested by the Pentagon is a victory for the USCBL and all who wrote letters and made phone calls to elected officials concerning this issue. The campaign to halt RADAM was crucial in sending the message that the U.S. public does not intend to allow the Pentagon to develop a weapon system that serves as an obstacle to the U.S. joining the Mine Ban Treaty.

At this time, the USCBL does not know if any of the approved $8 million will go to Minnesota's Alliant Techsystems, which has been the largest U.S. landmine producer. Although Alliant Techsystems is not currently producing landmines, the company refuses to renounce future landmine production.

Nuclear Reactor Shut Down

The Swedish Supreme Court ruled to shut down one of Sweden's oldest nuclear reactors. Sweden has been highly reliant on nuclear reactors, with 12 reactors providing half of the country's electricity. In 1980, a referendum was passed to gradually eliminate Swedish use of nuclear power.