Nuclear office fears fed cuts

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The state Office for Nuclear Projects, which has been supported by federal funds that are being cut off, will have to struggle to find enough money to continue operating.

The U.S. Department of Energy has refused to continue providing financing to the state, and the agency has been operating on reserve money. If that continues, the office will be out of money in 1998-99.

The agency's budget problem is one of many items that stand out on a list of financial requests that state agencies made in September.

The figures were only recently revealed in a fiscal report from the Legislative Fiscal Analysis Division.

State agencies, in offering up their "wish lists," asked for $3.6 billion during fiscal 1997-99.

But the state's general fund budget will allow only $3.05 billion in spending during the biennium, forcing many of the agency requests to be trimmed.

During his Jan. 23 "State of the State" address, Gov. Bob Miller will announce his priorities and reveal which requests has approved.

The nuclear waste office maintains that its predicament is unique because most of its operating budget from the federal government and could shut down without state help.

State Budget Director Perry Comeaux said the state will come up with an undetermined sum if federal money doesn't materialize. "We can't lose that office," he added.

The state office oversees studies being conducted by the DOE to determine whether Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is scientifically suitable to store nuclear waste.

The nuclear office will have to contend with requests from other agencies.

State Welfare Administrator Myla Florence is proposing a new component to welfare reform, a "quick fix" to families that qualify for public assistance but may only need a one-time cash infusion to handle emergencies.

These cash grants would be given out only in special circumstances, Florence said.

The details of the program have not been worked out, but the Welfare Division estimates it will save $1.8 million in state funds in the next two years because the recipients, although eligible for public assistance, would not go on permanent welfare rolls.

The prison system is planning to move 448 inmates out of Nevada beginning next month and continuing through September. Inmates are being relocated because construction of the state women's prison in Clark County did not begin as scheduled, and the prison is facing a shortage of beds.

Prison officials also are seeking $73.5 million to build a 1,000-bed prison adjacent to the prison at Indian Springs.

A request has also come in for construction of a mental health center in Mesquite.

The Nevada Supreme Court has proposed the creation of a Judicial Ethics Commission, which would be similar to the state Ethics Commission in that it would give advice and rulings on cases involving conflict of interest.

The largest requests, as is traditional, have come from public schools and the university system.

The state Department of Education is estimating school enrollment will grow by 33,000 new students during the next two fiscal years. It wants more than $1 billion in state aid to local districts for that period, up 35.5 percent from the current budget.

The University and Community College System of Nevada has asked for a biennial budget of $866 million, up 37.2 percent. Of that total, $705.9 million would come from state funds, with the rest being collected from student fees and other sources.

The State Gaming Control Board is requesting 44 new employees and wants to keep in place a special $5,000 annual bonus for lawyers, accountants and employees who hold college degrees in engineering or electrical engineering.