Tackling regional issues

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

Many of Nevada’s leaders in government and business will attend a conference this morning at UNLV to share ideas about water, transportation and other critical issues in this state as well as Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, known collectively as the “southern Intermountain West.” That designation was used by the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, in a comprehensive report it released in July in which it encouraged the five states to work together and lobby Congress on issues of mutual interest.

Brookings, whose trustees include Las Vegas Sun Editor Brian Greenspun, is performing a public service by following up on that report with its sponsorship of today’s gathering. An important aspect of the event is that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who are both expected to attend, can set aside partisan differences to meet with the likes of Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy, Regional Transportation Commission General Manager Jacob Snow and UNLV President David Ashley.

One local leader told reporter Joe Schoenmann for a story in Sunday’s Las Vegas Sun that getting the two senators together is a good way to begin the consensus-building process. We agree and hope Reid and Ensign then use their relationships to network with the other states.

It is easy to forget, particularly during a heated election season, that many of the most difficult problems Nevada faces deserve a full airing without being bogged down by fighting among Democrats and Republicans. Water, transportation and growth are examples of regional issues that cross party lines and merit all the brainpower this state can muster.

In addition to networking with other intermountain states, Nevada should host similar high-level gatherings on a regular basis because the dynamics of these issues — such as how to survive the drought and how many new highways we need — are subject to change. Now that Brookings has provided the spark, Nevada would be well served by building on that momentum.