About Us

COG is the one place in metropolitan Washington that regularly brings leaders together to develop solutions to the region's major challenges. COG prepares plans enabling the region to receive federal funding, provides members with research and data to inform decision-making, and offers a wide range of programs, including commuter services, cooperative purchasing, technical assistance and grants, and public outreach campaigns.

Transportation

Through the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), area officials, planners, and engineers ensure a well-managed and maintained transportation system. The TPB, which is staffed by COG, conducts the federally mandated transportation planning process for the region and ensures the uninterrupted flow of federal transportation funds that area jurisdictions receive.

Environment

COG's work engages leaders in various environmental fields from water quality experts to climate scientists. Together, they are advancing regional efforts to restore local waterways, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change, promote recycling, and enhance and preserve green space and agriculture.

Community

Area officials and experts, including planning and housing directors and child welfare and health officials, work together with their counterparts at COG to help shape stronger communities throughout the region.

Homeland Security & Public Safety

COG brings police chiefs, fire chiefs, emergency managers, and other leaders together as part of its work to strengthen regional public safety coordination, homeland security planning, and emergency communication.

Climate Energy & Environment Policy Committee

The Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Committee (CEEPC) was created by the COG Board on April 8, 2009 through Resolution R18-09 as its principal policy adviser on climate change, energy, green building, alternate fuels, solid waste and recycling policy issues, and other environmental issues as the board may assign. CEEPC is responsible for managing implementation of the National Capital Region Climate Change Report adopted by the COG Board in 2008. This responsibility includes development of a regional climate change strategy to meet the regional greenhouse gas reduction goals adopted by the board.

Per CEEPC's bylaws membership on the CEEPC includes representatives from COG’s member governments, state environmental, energy, and transportation agencies, state legislatures, the Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee, federal and regional agencies, electric and gas utilities, environmental organizations, business organizations, and members of the academic community. CEEPC annually seeks to fill membership openings on the committee.

Advisory subcommittees to CEEPC include the CEEPC Legislative committee, Built Environment and Energy Advisory Committee, Recycling Committee, Solid Waste Managers and Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee.

Meetings are generally scheduled for the 4th Wednesday every other month at 10 A.M. (except August).

Featured Documents

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Publications

Conserving Trees and Forests in Metropolitan Washington
Apr 10, 2024

Report on the state of the region’s tree canopy and its benefits, the development of new regional goals, and strategies for action at the local level
Publications

Metropolitan Washington 2030 Climate and Energy Action Plan
Nov 18, 2020

The Metropolitan Washington 2030 Climate and Energy Action Plan builds on previous regional action plans and establishes priority collaborative actions for area governments and partners to work on together over ten years to help move the region towards meeting its’ 2030 climate mitigation and resiliency goals. In 2019, COG was named a Regional and Metro Scale Climate Leader by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM). COG and its members have followed GCoM’s framework of global best practices for climate planning in developing the action plan.
Other Documents

The National Capital Region Recommendations for Residential Solar PV Systems

Endorsed by CEEPC, these recommendations include a list of national best practices, , a model permitting checklist, a model inspections checklist and sample criteria for a simplified permit review for qualifying systems, from the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs).
Resolutions

COG Board: ADOPTED Resolution R18-09 Creating Climate Energy and Environment Policy Committee
Apr 8, 2009
Publications

National Capital Region Climate Change Report
Nov 12, 2008

The National Capital Region Climate Change Report, which was approved by the COG Board in 2008, includes significant greenhouse gas reduction targets for the region and 78 recommendations to help area leaders and citizens meet the targets.