Matters of priority

Only 2.8 cents per tax dollar spent by Reno residents go toward the environment, energy and science, while 29.4 cents go to the military. Those figures come from the National Priorities Project (NPP), which tracks spending on the Iraq war. They are just slightly lower than the group’s figures for the nation as a whole: 2.8 cents for the environment, energy and science is consistent with Reno, while 37.3 cents goes toward the military.

The group said funding for environment, energy and science decreased during the Bush administration relative to budget spending, and that’s likely to change with President Obama’s budget. Obama has called for a 34 percent increase in the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 budget for clean water protection and greenhouse gas monitoring. And while funding for fossil fuel research increased during the Bush administration, Obama has called for increased investment in smart grid technology and energy conservation. That shift could also reduce military spending, as an October 2008 NPP publication showed that up to 30 percent of military spending is related to securing access to fossil fuels. Read the NPP’s full analysis, “Where Do your Tax Dollars Go? Tax Day 2009” at www.nationalpriorities.org/taxday2009