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COG Regional Climate Change Program

Overview

April 11, 2007: The COG Board of Directors created the interdisciplinary “Climate Change Steering Committee” to advise the Board on the development of a regional climate change program. Elements of the regional climate change program to be considered by the steering committee included preparing a catalogue of greenhouse gas reduction activities already underway in the region, preparing an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in the region and the establishment of a regional greenhouse gas reduction goal or target based on an appropriate baseline, and identification of specific activities and best practices to achieve greenhouse gas reduction and a method for measuring progress in meeting reduction targets.

February 26, 2008: COG released a report, National Capital Region: Best Practices and Policies to Reduce Greenhouse Gases, a collection of Best Practices describing programs to reduce greenhouse gases that have been adopted by localities in the National Capital Region and that are available as tools to communities seeking more sustainable options for growth and development.

November, 12, 2008: Taking unprecedented action, the COG Board voluntarily adopted stringent goals for reducing the region’s greenhouse gas emissions and a wide array of recommendations to help area leaders and citizens meet the targets. The National Capital Region Climate Change Report, which was the culmination of a year-and-a-half of work by COG's Climate Change Steering Committee, is one of the nation's first initiatives to address local greenhouse gas emissions on a regional level. While a growing number of individual cities and counties are moving forward to address climate change, this is one of the first programs to involve localities over an entire metropolitan area. The region’s elected officials view this approach as one that will provide a catalyst for improving the environment and provide for a prosperous and sustainable future.

An archive of the Steering Committee's work can be found here.

July 22, 2009: The inaugural meeting of COG's Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee (CEEPC) was held. The committee was created by the COG Board at its April 2009 meeting to provide leadership on climate change, energy, green building, alternative fuels, solid waste and recycling issues, and to help support area governments as they work together to meet the goals outlined in the National Capital Region Climate Change Report.

Membership on the CEEPC includes representatives from COG’s 21 member governments, state environmental, energy, and transportation agencies, state legislatures, the Air Quality Public Advisory Committee, federal and regional agencies, electric and gas utilities, environmental organizations, business organizations, and members of the academic community. For the committee roster, meeting times, and documents, visit the Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Committee page.