Tom Davis and Ben Cardin Win COG's Highest Honor for Outstanding Service to the Region
At its Annual Membership and Awards Luncheon, COG presented this year’s Elizabeth and David Scull Metropolitan Public Service Award to U.S. Representative Tom Davis and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin for their leadership in helping the region secure a dedicated funding source for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
[Link to COG press release and photo]
COG Honors NVRC with Regional Partnership Award
COG honored the Northern Virginia Regional Commission with its Regional Partnership Award for its leadership in organizing the first joint U.S. and European Conference of Metropolitan Regional Councils. The award was presented to Fairfax County Vice-Chair Sharon Bulova, a past NVRC chairman and strong advocate for its international partnerships.
[Link to COG press release]
Podcasts of Annual Luncheon Speeches by Steven Pearlstein, Michael Knapp Available for Download
The economic crisis and its impact on the region was the dominant topic at the 2008 COG Annual Luncheon on December 10. Keynote speaker Steven Pearlstein of The Washington Post said the region and nation should focus on key investments that will result in long-term returns in areas like transit, early childhood education, and the modernization of the health care industry. COG Chair and Montgomery County Councilmember Michael Knapp discussed nine key regional issues for 2009 and how they present opportunities to jumpstart the economy.
[Link to WTOP report on Knapp and the Nine in 09]
[Link to The COG Podcast page with Pearlstein, Knapp speeches]
Washington Post Close to Home Piece by CCSC Chair Floreen Highlights COG's Recent Climate Change Report
An opinion piece by Climate Change Steering Committee Chair Nancy Floreen was published in the Close to Home section of The Washington Post on December 14, 2008. It promotes the recently-approved National Capital Region Climate Change Report and its ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in metropolitan Washington.
[Link to Close to Home piece by Floreen in The Washington Post]
Independent MetroAccess Review Finds Progress, Challenges
An independent review of MetroAccess, the door to door service for transit users unable to take the bus or Metrorail system due to a disability, found that while progress has been made in improving the service, a number of challenges remain.
The independent review of the service provided by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) was prepared for the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB). The work was guided by the TPB Access for All (AFA) Advisory Committee and the TPB Human Services Transportation Coordination Task Force.
[Link to the full report on COG Transportation web page]
[Link to The Washington Post article]
Greater Washington 2050 Workshop Ponders Region's Future
Kicking off a day-long workshop organized by Greater Washington 2050, an expert panel moderated by WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi discussed how economic developments, technological innovations, and climate change can affect the future of the National Capital Region.
[Link to COG news item and podcast of panel discussion]
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