Montgomery County is developing an ambitious new plan to advance its environmental goals.

Devi Ramkissoon, chief sustainability officer for Montgomery County, announced the plan at a town hall at the Free Library of Springfield Township on Oct. 1. Democratic state Rep. Napoleon Nelson, who represents Cheltenham, Jenkintown and Springfield, held the town hall to discuss environmental priorities in the area. Nelson is up for reelection in November.

The plan will lay out the goals of the county’s Department of Sustainability, created in August 2025 to help advance its intent to operate fully on clean energy by 2035, use only renewable heat and transportation by 2050, and other environmental objectives. Ramkissoon, the county’s first ever sustainability officer, started working on the plan with a large committee in January and anticipates the first draft will be submitted in December.

“There are several people across the county that also are part of it and helping to set priorities for the county, helping to also identify ways that we can better engage our communities to prioritize and help fund and launch sustainability-related projects,” she said.

The goals are to minimize harm to the environment and sustainably use resources, reducing waste and reliance on nonrenewable energy sources. One focus is the impact on people, including employees, with a vibrant economy that would support small businesses and reduce costs for residents.

Each of the three priorities in the plan will have its own subcommittee. Sustainability Department meetings are open to the public and meeting times are posted on the department website, Ramkissoon said.

She also will work with county departments to change their procurement code, which governs purchasing and contracts. Commissioners voted in June to upgrade the policy to include sustainable guidelines and responsible contractor requirements, meaning the county must develop procurement practices that benefit the environment.

“So it’s things like looking for products that can have a lesser impact on the environment, [or] looking to emphasize local purchasing so that we’re not purchasing products from California but we’re purchasing them locally from our region. Those types of practices have been infused into our revised procurement code,” Ramkissoon said.

Later this month, Montgomery County will host the 2026 Environmental Advisory Council & Municipal Sustainability Conference, being held at the Retreat to St. Thomas campus in Fort Washington. The annual conference was created by the environmental organization WeConservePA to bring together environmental advisory councils, which are volunteer-based groups appointed by Pennsylvania municipalities to advise them on sustainable planning. Philadelphia Councilmember Jamie Gauthier will attend and panelists will discuss a number of topics, with a special emphasis on data centers, Ramkissoon said.

Data centers were heavily discussed at the town hall. Hyperscale data centers, which are being built amid the artificial intelligence boom, are capable of consuming huge amounts of water and energy, while emitting hazardous air pollution and greenhouse gases. The House recently passed a bill codifying Gov. Josh Shapiro’s GRID standards for data center developers. Nelson said his team helped add a requirement mandating that developers who build hyperscale data centers in environmental justice communities must take measures to offset any added environmental exposures in the area.

He said he would not, however, support a data center moratorium, which state Sen. Katie Muth proposed to allow municipalities time to weigh impacts and regulation. If developers don’t build them in Pennsylvania, they’ll build them in another state, Nelson said.

“I would much rather build a data center right here in Pennsylvania with our environmental standards [and] with our labor standards than somewhere else,” he said.

Nelson said he’s disappointed by the lack of environmental legislation passed since Democrats took control of the state House in 2022. He said everyone is focused on the midterms in November.

“I think with a larger majority, we run more bills, and with the possibility of having flipped the Senate... we get to really move some stuff that we haven’t been able to move in decades,” he said.

Cheltenham Township Environmental Advisory Council chair Greta Bunin and vice chair Karen Hanson highlighted the township’s sustainability achievements, including banning plastic carry-out bags in 2024 and foam food containers in 2025.

Council members will advise and support Cheltenham in advancing its “Ready for 100” resolution, a commitment made by the township in 2019 to transition to 100% clean energy by 2030 and in all sectors, including transportation, by 2050. This includes potentially installing public EV charging stations and adding sustainability mandates to the township’s land development regulations. The council also plans to disseminate educational materials to residents for eco-friendly yard care.

Jenkintown Borough Environmental Advisory Committee chair Maureen Lucak said the council’s initiatives in the past year include providing free sustainability courses for residents, installing recycling bins, marking storm drains and hosting multiple events.

The committee will work to expand green infrastructure and complete a borough-wide tree canopy survey to assess the state of Jenkintown’s vegetation. There’s also talk of adding more public EV charging stations.

Springfield Township Environmental Advisory Commission vice chair Joy Bergey discussed the nearly 900 solar panels installed by the township, which were unveiled at a ribbon cutting in August and went live in September. The 887 panels on the township’s police, administration and public-works facilities will supply energy to those buildings and the Free Library of Springfield Township. With a solar capacity of 390 kilowatts, the panels are expected to produce about 89% of the township’s municipal electricity and reduce long-term operating costs.

Bergey added that the panels are expected to last 40 years and reduce the township’s yearly carbon footprint by about 394,000 pounds of carbon pollution. Springfield Township also is working to electrify its fleet, she added. Each retired traditional vehicle is replaced with a hybrid.

Nelson said that environmental councils and talking to elected officials are effective ways to help the environment at a local level.

“There is, especially right now, real power in local advocacy,” he said.

People can register for the 2026 EAC & Muncipal Sustainability Conference at https://weconservepa.org/event/2026-eac-conference/. Regular admission costs $90 through Oct. 9 and $105 from Oct. 10-24.