Newsroom

Jul 8, 2014

Just a few days before the Fourth of July President Obama stood in front of Washington’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and called on Congress to demonstrate “economic patriotism” by reauthorizing the federal Highway Trust Fund that helps states build and repair the nation’s roads and bridges.

Jun 26, 2014

During a discussion at the June Council of Governments Board of Directors meeting experts and officials reviewed how investments in the region’s wastewater and stormwater infrastructure have produced significant environmental improvements such as increasing populations of some aquatic plants and animals and fewer harmful algal blooms in the tidal Potomac below Chain Bridge. They also outlined further work needed to help restore local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay protect public health and ​

Jun 26, 2014

Phil Mendelson was first elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in November of 1998 as an At-Large Councilmember. He served the District in that role until June 2012 when following the departure of the previous Council Chairman he was selected by his colleagues to take over that role. In November 2012 District voters elected him as Chairman of the Council. In 2014 Mendelson was elected Chairman of the COG Board of Directors a position he also held in 2004. An active regional leade​

May 29, 2014

Patrick Wojahn serves College Park Maryland as a City Councilmember. He also currently serves as the Chairman of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at COG. Wojahn an attorney and civil rights advocate is Director of Government Relations at Rails-To-Trails Conservancy. Previously he advocated for the rights of people with disabilities at a national non-profit organization and provided legal services for adults with mental illness and for people living with HIV/AIDS in t​

May 29, 2014

Area leaders turned their attention to energy for the next installment of COG’s 2014 Regional Infrastructure Series. During the May Board meeting utility officials and experts led a wide-ranging discussion on more than $5.5 billion in investments over the next five years to replace and upgrade aging natural gas pipes and electric power lines as well as new technologies to improve reliability. In addition they covered topics central to our Region Forward goals for sustainable growth such as en​

May 22, 2014

At a packed annual meeting this week members and supporters of The Nonprofit Roundtable (an early ally of our Region Forward Vision) gave strong support to the idea that their work must be more effectively financed and promoted to help their organizations make a bigger difference for the region.

May 21, 2014

The Council of Governments’ recently released report Homelessness in Metropolitan Washington found that on January 29 2014 there were 11946 homeless people living in the Metropolitan Washington region – a 3.5 percent increase from 2013. The report attributes the regional uptick primarily to the increase in homeless persons in the District of Columbia which has been covered widely by local media and blogs.

May 14, 2014

While the rain poured down at historic levels this April representatives from 20 federal regional and local agencies gathered in the U.S. General Services Agency (GSA) Headquarters in the District of Columbia to brainstorm strategies to lessen the impacts of both gradual changes in climate and more extreme weather events as a result climate change. The workshop hosted by the Council of Governments NASA National Capital Planning Commission Smithsonian GSA and U.S. Global Change Research Prog​

May 12, 2014

Fairfax County Supervisor and COG Chesapeake Bay Policy Committee Chair Penny Gross spoke at Smithsonian Garden Fest on May 9 as part of National Drinking Water Week. She encouraged people to protect area waterways use water wisely and drink tap water while local water utilities provided reusable bottles and fresh tap water to attendees.

May 7, 2014

As communities across the country embrace sustainable initiatives the Washington area is a leader in implementing sustainable infrastructure through actions such as growing our uses of solar energy building super-efficient housing and incorporating sustainability principles into our unique mix of government commercial and residential development in the Region’s Activity Centers. These efforts are changing the face of several communities.