31.   He has painted a fiscal picture darker than any the state has faced since the Great Depression.

32.   If that happens, the states could face a bitter, protracted legal battle and no state may get what it wants.

33.   If Los Angeles should buckle, the state could face a full-fledged fiscal crisis.

34.   If the state faced a real budget crunch in the upcoming legislative session, experts say, prospects for passing the casino bill would be much brighter.

35.   If those changes fall through, their states could face higher taxes, and in extreme cases, lowered bond ratings.

36.   Immigrants and those who welcome them say the state faces a tough job.

37.   In pursuing new source review cases without federal help, the greatest obstacle the Northeast states would face is geographic.

38.   In his first two years in office, Pataki, helped by a strong economy, cut the budget gap the state faced the following year.

39.   In that opinion, the court said states face a heavy burden in justifying taxes that fall more heavily on firms or institutions from other states.

40.   Industry and public officials were quick to caution Thursday that the state still faces summer blackouts and that many factors could send prices spiraling higher again.