“A clean and sustainable environment is the legacy that we leave for future generations, and I am proud that Montgomery County is a leader in the state of Maryland in protecting our natural resources,” said Duncan. “I applaud Council President Leventhal for his leadership on the wind energy and green buildings initiatives. I look forward to working with him, Councilmember Floreen, and the entire Council to ensure that these measures are approved.”

“On this Earth Day, the threat of global warming is probably the most crucial challenge facing our generation,” said Leventhal. “That’s why I am proposing that we increase the County’s commitment to clean, renewable energy to 20 percent of our total electricity use over the next five years. That’s also why I am proposing practical, achievable Green Buildings’ goals for new construction in the County.”

In May 2004, the County led a consortium of local governments and agencies to purchase five percent of the group’s electricity needs from clean, renewable wind power. This award-winning contract was the largest local government purchase of wind energy in the nation. Last month, Duncan announced that the County’s wind power contract had been extended for an additional two years at the same rate, and committed the County to purchasing a total of 10 percent wind energy this year.

“Whether it’s hybrid buses or stream cleanup or promotion of clean energy, Montgomery County is modeling cutting-edge programs for local governments across the nation,” said Floreen. “This is the only Earth we have – so we’ve all got to do what we can to protect her.”

Leventhal’s green building bill will require all new non-residential commercial and multi-family residential buildings that are at least 10,000 square feet in size to obtain 20 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) points. To create an incentive for higher LEED ratings, the bill will expand the Clean Energy Rewards Program to allow buildings with at least 24 LEED points to receive an energy tax rebate. Green buildings are energy efficient structures that use design and construction strategies to reduce the environmental impacts that buildings have on their surroundings.
All new facilities in the County’s current Capital Improvements Program are already being designed to comply with the LEED certification process. The LEED Green Building Rating System was developed by the United States Green Buildings Council (USGBC). It identifies criteria that positively impact the energy and environmental characteristics of a building, including sustainability of a site, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. The bill will not require that a building obtain LEED certification from the USGBC. Rather, it will require that the County’s Department of Permitting Services and the Planning Board make their own judgments about the number of LEED points that a building will obtain. 

Montgomery County has been following its own Energy Design Guidelines in designing new buildings, and renovating or retrofitting existing buildings to make them more energy efficient. During the last ten years, the County has saved about $10 million in energy costs directly attributable to these efficiency measures. In his 2004 State of the County address, Duncan announced a plan to promote the construction of green buildings in Montgomery County.

Duncan also released today a report entitled, “Environmental Protection 1996-2006: The Path to Sustainability” that highlights the County’s accomplishments over the last decade and identifies its future priorities. The report discusses the County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approach, in collaboration with environmentalists, the business community, and other stakeholders, to establish innovative environmental protection strategies that protect and improve the County’s air, water, groundwater, and forests.

“I am proud of DEP’s accomplishments over the last ten years,” said DEP Director James Caldwell. “I am encouraged by the knowledge, dedication, and perseverance of the many people within DEP who turn strategies into a living reality. While there will always be more to achieve, and unexpected challenges to face and address, we are making progress toward our efforts to ensure that Montgomery County has a sustainable future.”

Duncan, DEP staff, and volunteers refurbished one of the County’s bioretention projects. Bioretention is an effective low impact development approach to stormwater management that handles urban runoff by capturing pollutants, reducing runoff, replenishing groundwater, and addressing a number of other ecological concerns. Three bioretention areas were constructed next to the Sligo Creek Community Building parking lot. The rain gardens soak up rainwater runoff from the parking lot, sidewalk and road using native vegetation to store and filter runoff until it is slowly absorbed by the soil.

County staff also reintroduced several species of native fish into Sligo Creek. These fish are more sensitive and are typically found in healthy County streams. Their future survival in Sligo Creek will tell DEP whether habitat and water quality needs have improved sufficiently to support a higher level of biological life in this urban stream. Sligo Creek’s comeback is an example of the County’s commitment to watershed restoration through the Countywide Stream Protection Strategy. The strategy targets older, established watersheds with efforts to restore aquatic habitats, reverse sedimentation damage, and improve environments so that more diverse aquatic communities can thrive.

This month, the Montgomery County Ride On bus system began operating its first five hybrid diesel/electric buses. The County’s air quality protection strategy commits to taking advantage of emerging technologies to reduce air emissions. The County has purchased more than 175 alternative fuel buses, vans and trucks, and has already been at the forefront in using compressed natural gas and ethanol-fueled vehicles. Duncan’s proposed fiscal year 2007 budget recommends funds for an additional nine hybrid buses.

The hybrid buses deliver significantly better fuel economy than traditional buses and produce up to 60 percent fewer nitrogen oxide emissions and 90 percent fewer particulate, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. The buses are much quieter than conventional diesel buses, with sound levels comparable to passenger cars.

Ride On is operating the buses on Silver Spring routes, as hybrid buses get the best fuel efficiencies in city areas with stop-and-go traffic. The buses have accessible, low floors, feature General Motors’ diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system and are manufactured by Gillig.