Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and the Maryland Clean Energy Center Board of Directors today announced the selection of Montgomery County as the new home for the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC). Montgomery County competed to host the center’s headquarters in partnership with the University System of Maryland and the City of Annapolis, and with support from a broad coalition of partners from the business and academic communities and leading policy makers.

“It is a great honor to be selected to host the Maryland Clean Energy Center headquarters,” said Leggett. “Montgomery County is a nationally recognized leader in advancing clean energy and promoting sustainability, and we are committed to making our community a model for developing a 21st century green economy. No jurisdiction in the state can match the County’s track record in successfully nurturing the growth of fledgling industries. Montgomery County, the University System of Maryland and the City of Annapolis offer an unparalleled package of resources, experience, partnerships and access to federal agencies that will help drive the future of clean energy and green technologies in the State of Maryland.”

The MCEC headquarters will be located at the LEED-gold Camille Kendall Academic Center at the Universities at Shady Grove, one of Maryland’s most sustainable and technology-enabled educational facilities. The Academic Center is ready within days to begin hosting the MCEC, offering a suite of fully outfitted offices and access to meeting rooms, classrooms and conference space. As part of the partnership, the City of Annapolis is offering access and free use of the 500 acre Annapolis National Clean Energy Park.

“Maryland has emerged as a national leader in smart, green, and growing initiatives, and this exciting announcement today demonstrates our unified commitment as One Maryland to this cause,” said O’Malley. “These developments mark yet another large step towards increased green collar jobs for our workers and a cleaner, greener Maryland for our families.”

The Kendall Center is one of the state’s premier academic hubs, bringing together nine University System of Maryland institutions and over 60 academic programs. The Center provides access to the faculty and resources of three of the state’s leading academic institutions: the University System of Maryland (USM), Johns Hopkins University’s Montgomery Campus and Montgomery College, which were partners in the successful proposal. MCEC will also receive in-kind support from faculty, students, and County energy policy and economic development experts.

“Just as budgets must be sustainable, so must energy use if we are to protect the environment and human health,” said Montgomery County Council President Phil Andrews. “Montgomery County has been at the national and state forefront in enacting clean energy measures in recent years, which makes us proud that our County was chosen as home of the Maryland Energy Center. The Center will catalyze the state’s efforts to advance the development and use of clean, renewable energy.”

The MCEC was established through legislation during the 2008 Maryland General Assembly session.

“There is no better choice than Montgomery County and the Universities at Shady Grove’s LEED-Certified Gold building to grow our state’s renewable energy supply, promote energy efficiency, and create green collar jobs,” said Delegate Bill Bronrott (D-District 16, Bethesda), a chief sponsor of the Maryland Clean Energy Center legislation enacted into law in 2008 and a lead organizer of the effort to locate the MCEC in Montgomery County. “The synergy of our county’s extraordinary tech community, institutions of higher education, and government at all levels will jumpstart and sustain this ‘One Maryland’ mission to green up our state’s power grid, environment and economy.”

The purpose of the MCEC is to promote clean energy economic development and jobs in the state; encourage deployment of clean energy technologies across Maryland; assist newly developed technologies with pilot projects; collect, analyze and disseminate industry data; and provide outreach and technical support to further the clean energy industry in Maryland. The Center will provide a coordinated approach to building a strong, clean energy economy in Maryland through technology commercialization, business incubation and workforce development and training.

“To achieve the reductions in fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and secure energy independence, we must forge a clean energy based economy,” said Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection Director Bob Hoyt. “The Maryland Clean Energy Center will be essential to making Maryland an international clean energy leader, securing a sustainable, prosperous, and healthy future for our community and the state.”

“The selection of Montgomery County as the headquarters of the new Maryland Clean Energy Center is recognition of the County’s statewide leadership in sustainable economic development and progressive environmental policies that will help foster the growth of Maryland’s emerging green/clean technology cluster,” said Tina Benjamin, acting director, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development. “This new Center will help us move aggressively to develop, commercialize and deploy the green technologies necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move our country towards energy independence.”

In February, County Executive Leggett officially kicked off the County’s new Green Economic Development Initiative, a public-private collaborative effort to grow Montgomery County’s green economy. Part of the Initiative was the creation of a Green Economy Task Force, which is comprised of public and private sector leaders and representatives from the academic, business, federal government and non-profit communities. The Task Force is working with County staff and consultants to craft a strategy to foster the development of a clean energy/green technology cluster and the growth of related green product and service companies.

For more information, contact the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection at 240-777-7700 or the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development at 240-777-2000.

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Media Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6507