By Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal

Nevada needs to make tough choices and identify which priorities it can address now with its limited resources if it wants to emerge from the current downturn with a viable economy.

That was the consensus of a panel of business and community leaders that met Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Lawlor Events Center.

The panel, comprised team leaders for the Reno Gazette-Journal’s Reno 2020 project, identified a set of action items within four key areas considered vital for economic development: education, green energy, fiscal policy and innovation.

It was the second portion of a two-part forum, which aimed to develop scenarios that will, over the next 10 years, set the region on a path to greater economic success.

The Reno 2020 project began in October in conjunction with UNR’s Center for Regional Studies, which generated a scenario of what Reno would look like in 2020 if it remains on its current course.

A sense of urgency was palpable among the panelists Wednesday, and even some audience members during the economic forum’s public comment portion.

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