The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is a regional organization of Washington area local governments. MWCOG comprises 21 local governments in the Washington Metropolitan Area

Washington Metropolitan Area

The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...

, as well as area members of the Maryland

Maryland General Assembly

The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...

 and Virginia

Virginia General Assembly

The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...

 state legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. It was founded in 1957.

Mission and functions

MWCOG provides a forum for discussion and the development of regional responses to issues regarding the environment, transportation, public safety and homeland security, affordable housing, community planning, and economic development. Policies are set through the Board of Directors, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), and the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee (MWAQC). These three boards meeting on a monthly basis and are responsible for a broad range of issues under the MWCOG umbrella.

Transportation planning

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) is the federally-designated Metropolitan Planning Organization

Metropolitan planning organization

A metropolitan planning organization is a federally-mandated and federally-funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities...

 (MPO) for the metropolitan Washington area. The TPB prepares plans and programs that the federal government must approve in order for federal-aid transportation funds to flow to the Washington region. The TPB became associated with MWCOG in 1966.

Environmental planning

The Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee is the entity certified by the mayor of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and the governors of Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 and Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 to prepare an air quality plan for the DC-MD-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area under Section 174 of the federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

MWCOG provides water quality planning and coordination on a variety of water quality issues in the Washington region, including restoration of the Anacostia River

Anacostia River

The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is approximately long...

, water supply coordination and support for the Chesapeake Bay Program

Chesapeake Bay Program

The Chesapeake Bay Program is the regional partnership that directs and conducts the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay in the United States. As a partnership, the Chesapeake Bay Program brings together members of various state, federal, academic and local watershed organizations to build and adopt...

.

Housing and urban planning

MWCOG provides analytical support to member local governments involving population, household and employment forecasts.

Member Jurisdictions

Jurisdiction	State	Population
District of Columbia	Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....	591,833
Town of Bladensburg Bladensburg, Maryland Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...	Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...	7,676
City of Bowie Bowie, Maryland Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...	Maryland	53,193
City of Gaithersburg Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...	Maryland	57,670
Prince George's County Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....	Maryland	828,770
City of College Park College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...	Maryland	26,607
City of Greenbelt Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Contained within today's City of Greenbelt is the historic planned community now known locally as "Old Greenbelt" and designated as the Greenbelt Historic District...	Maryland	21,559
City of Rockville Rockville, Maryland Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...	Maryland	58,706
Montgomery County Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...	Maryland	930,813
City of Takoma Park Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City," is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone...	Maryland	17,477
Frederick County Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....	Maryland	224,705
City of Frederick Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...	Maryland	59,220
City of Alexandria Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...	Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...	140,024
Fairfax County Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...	Virginia	1,010,241
Loudoun County Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...	Virginia	278,797
Arlington County Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...	Virginia	204,568
City of Falls Church	Virginia	10,948
Prince William County Prince William County, Virginia -National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...	Virginia	360,411
City of Fairfax Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....	Virginia	23,349
City of Manassas Manassas, Virginia The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...	Virginia	35,412
City of Manassas Park	Virginia	11,426

Estimated Total Population of MWCOG Jurisdictions: 5 Million

National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board plays an important role as the regional forum for transportation planning. The TPB works in coordination with Department of Transportation Planning at MWCOG to prepare plans and programs that the federal government must approve in order for federal-aid transportation funds to flow to the metropolitan Washington region.

Members of the TPB include representatives of local governments; state transportation agencies; the Maryland and Virginia General Assemblies; the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess...

; and non-voting members from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is an independent airport authority, created by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia with the consent of the United States Congress to oversee management, operations, and capital development of Washington, D.C.'s two major airports:...

 and federal agencies. The TPB employs an extensive public involvement process and provides a 30-day public comment period before taking action on plans and programs.

2009 Board of Directors

Member	Jurisdiction
MWCOG Chairman Penny Gross	Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
MWCOG Vice Chair Andrea Harrison	Prince George's County Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....  County Council Member
MWCOG Vice Chair Kwame Brown Kwame Brown Kwame James Brown is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Charlotte Bobcats. The , center was the 1st overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, and was the first number one draft pick to be selected straight out of high school...	District of Columbia Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....  City Councilmember
Adrian Fenty Adrian Fenty Adrian Malik Fenty was the sixth, and at age 36, the youngest, mayor of the District of Columbia. He served one term—from 2007 to 2011—losing his bid for reelection at the primary level to Democrat Vincent C. Gray...	District of Columbia Mayor
Dan Tangherlini Dan Tangherlini Daniel M. "Dan" Tangherlini is the current Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Management, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Performance Officer at the U.S. Department of Treasury. Prior to that, he served as City Administrator of Washington, D.C...	District of Columbia City Administrator
Vincent C. Gray Vincent C. Gray Vincent C. Gray is an American politician who is currently serving as the seventh Mayor of the District of Columbia. Prior to his inauguration as mayor in January 2011, Gray served as Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, and as Councilmember for Ward 7...	District of Columbia City Council Chair
G. Frederick Robinson	Bowie Bowie, Maryland Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...  Mayor
Robert T. Catlin	College Park College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...  City Council Member
William J. Holtzinger	Frederick Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...  Mayor
David P. Gray	Frederick Board of Aldermen Vice President
Sidney A. Katz Sidney A. Katz Sidney A. Katz is the 18th and current mayor of Gaithersburg, Maryland. He has held this position since 1998.Katz attended the University of Maryland where the he received his Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration...	Gaithersburg Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...  Mayor
Judith F. Davis	Greenbelt Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Contained within today's City of Greenbelt is the historic planned community now known locally as "Old Greenbelt" and designated as the Greenbelt Historic District...  Mayor
Isiah Leggeth	Montgomery County Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...  Executive
Roger Berliner	Montgomery County Councilmember
Michael Knapp	Montgomery County Councilmember
Jack B. Johnson Jack B. Johnson Jack Bruce Johnson is an American politician who served as the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 2002 to 2010. On November 12, 2010, both Johnson and his wife were indicted on federal charges as part of a larger political corruption scandal in the county...	Prince George's County Executive
Marilynn M. Bland	Prince George's County Council Chair
Susan R. Hoffman	Rockville Rockville, Maryland Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...  Mayor
Bruce R. Williams	Takoma Park Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City," is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone...  Mayor
Benjamin Barnes Benjamin S. Barnes Benjamin S. Barnes is an American politician who represents district 21 in the Maryland House of Delegates.-Background:Ben grew up in Prince George's County and graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in 1993 and then attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he got his...	Maryland General Assembly Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...  Delegate
William D. Euille William D. Euille William D. "Bill" Euille is the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia. He is also one of two alternates representing Virginia on the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority....	Alexandria Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...  Mayor
Jay Fisette	Arlington County Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...  Board Vice Chairman
Dan Drummond	Fairfax City Council Member
Sharon Bulova Sharon Bulova Sharon Bulova is currently the chairman of the Fairfax County, Virginia Board of Supervisors after having beaten Republican Pat Herrity in a special election held February 3, 2009. The special election was held to replace fellow Democrat Gerry Connolly who was elected to the US House of...	Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman
John W. Foust	Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Hal Lippman	Falls Church Falls Church, Virginia The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...  Vice Mayor
Andrea McGimsey	Loudoun County Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...  Board of Supervisors
Harry J. Parrish II	Manassas Manassas, Virginia The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...  Mayor
Frank Jones	Manassas Park Mayor
W. S. Wally Covington, III	Prince William County Prince William County, Virginia -National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...  Board of Supervisors
Frank Principi	Prince William County Board of Supervisors
James M. Scott James M. Scott James M. Scott , an author, inventor, and Senior Olympian, was born in Wisdom, Missouri, on 28 May 1911, to James Baker Scott and Cordelia Susan Suiter. One of five children , he grew up in Fairfield, Missouri, seven miles south of Warsaw near Route 83...	Virginia General Assembly Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...  Delegate
Dr. Jacqueline Brown (Alternate)	Prince George's County Chief Administrative Officer
Timothy Firestine (Alternate)	Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer

Chairmen

MWCOG Board Chairs
Year(s)	Chairman	Jurisdiction
1957–61	Robert F. McLaughlin	District of Columbia
1962	Charles R. Fenwick Charles R. Fenwick Charles Rogers Fenwick was a Virginia Democratic politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate representing Arlington County.-Early life and education:...	Virginia General Assembly
1962	Brig. Gen. F. J. Clarke	District of Columbia
1963	Anne A. Wilkins	Fairfax County
1964	Roye L. Lowry	Arlington County
1965	Brig. Gen. C. M. Duke	District of Columbia
1966–67	Achilles M. Tuchtan	Rockville
1968	Frederick A. Babson	Fairfax County
1969	Francis B. Francois, Jr.	Prince George's County
1970	Joseph L. Fisher Joseph L. Fisher Joseph Lyman Fisher is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He was a Democrat from Virginia....	Arlington County
1971	Gilbert Hahn, Jr.	District of Columbia
1972–73	Martha V. Pennino	Fairfax County
1974–75	Sterling Tucker Sterling Tucker Sterling Tucker is a civil rights activist and politician in Washington, D.C. In 1974, he was elected as a Democrat to be chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia in the first election after home rule was established, serving for one term...	District of Columbia
1976	Francis B. Francois, Jr.	Prince George's County
1977	Harold L. Miller	Falls Church
1978–79	Arrington L. Dixon	District of Columbia
1980–81	Elizabeth L. Scull	Montgomery County
1981–83	Carl F. Hendrickson	Loudoun County
1984–85	H.R. Crawford H.R. Crawford H.R. Crawford is a real estate developer and former Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. He was elected as Ward 7 member of the Council of the District of Columbia in 1980 and served three terms....	District of Columbia
1986–87	Gil Weidenfeld	Greenbelt
1988–89	Ellen M. Bozman	Arlington County
1990	Betty Ann Kane Betty Ann Kane Betty Ann Kane is a politician in Washington D.C. She was elected an at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia in 1978 and served for 12 years. Kane is now a commissioner on the District of Columbia Public Service Commission....	District of Columbia
1991	James E. Nathanson James E. Nathanson James E. "Jim" Nathanson is a politician in Washington, D.C. He was elected to represent Ward 3 on the Council of the District of Columbia in 1987 and served until 1995....	District of Columbia
1992–93	Hilda Pemberton	Prince George's County
1994	Patricia S. Ticer	Alexandria
1995	Jack Evans Jack Evans (D.C. Council) Jack Evans is a Democratic politician from Washington, D.C. He currently represents Ward 2 on the Council of the District of Columbia and serves as its chairperson pro tempore....	District of Columbia
1996	William E. Hanna, Jr.	Montgomery County
1997	Robert B. Dix, Jr.	Fairfax County
1998	Charlene Drew Jarvis Charlene Drew Jarvis Charlene Drew Jarvis is an American educator and former scientific researcher and politician who served as the president of Southeastern University until March 31, 2009...	District of Columbia
1999	M.H. Jim Estepp	Prince George's County
2000	Gerald E. Connolly	Fairfax County
2001	Carol Schwartz Carol Schwartz Carol Schwartz is a politician from Washington, D.C., who served as an at-large member on the Council of the District of Columbia from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1997 to 2009.-Early life:...	District of Columbia
2002	Bruce R. Williams	Takoma Park
2003	Mary K. Hill	Prince William County
2005	Judith F. Davis	Greenbelt
2006	Jay Fisette	Arlington County
2007	Vincent C. Gray Vincent C. Gray Vincent C. Gray is an American politician who is currently serving as the seventh Mayor of the District of Columbia. Prior to his inauguration as mayor in January 2011, Gray served as Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, and as Councilmember for Ward 7...	District of Columbia
2008	Michael Knapp	Montgomery County
2009	Penny Gross	Fairfax County

External links

• Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
• National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board