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.

Transportation

Regional Air System Plan

Comprehensive Regional Air System Plan

In 2020, transportation planning staff at COG, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), and the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), completed the multiyear, three-phase Comprehensive Washington-Baltimore Regional Air System Plan (RASP). The 2020 RASP report is the first comprehensive RASP conducted since the Continuous Airport System Planning (CASP) program's inaugural study, "The Future of Washington's Airports" in 1975. Phase 1 illustrates the state of the practice in regional air system planning. Phase 2 identifies existing conditions (supply) and anticipated needs (demand) in the Washington-Baltimore regional airport system. Phase 3 synthesizes air system-wide planning considerations, conducts a needs assessment for each airport, reviews the ground access element update and provides a series of airport ground access-related recommendations based on the most recent long-range transportation plans, Visualize 2045 and Maximize2045 for the COG-TPB and BMC regions, respectively.

Comprehensive Regional Air System Plan 2020

Ground Access Element

The Ground Access Element of the Regional Airport System Plan provides an analysis of current and forecast ground access problems at Ronald Reagan Washington National, Washington Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall airports. This plan element also integrates airport system ground access and facility planning into the overall regional transportation planning process and will include recommendations for improving ground access to the airports.

Washington-Baltimore Regional Air System Plan Ground Access Element Update

Air Cargo Element

Airport cargo and handling facilities are a major element of airport system planning. This study examines existing demand, and analyzes how the movement of cargo affects the regional ground transportation network. It also focuses on the goods movement portion of airport access, examines the estimated potential demand for air cargo facilities, and compares this demand with current and planned facilities to determine what air cargo facilities are needed in the region to meet future demand. The work is done in coordination with the programs of MAA, VDOA, and MWAA.

Washington-Baltimore Regional Air Cargo Study