US EPA Emergency Response Program

US EPA Emergency Response Program When an oil spill occurs, it affects both the environment and the economy. Marine life, fishing industry, and other local industries like tourism are greatly hit by oil spills. In the United States alone, more than 20,000 emergencies that involve the release of oil and hazardous substances are reported every year.

These emergencies are anywhere between large spills that require prompt action to small scale spills.

To prevent, prepare for, and respond to oil spills, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established the Oil Spill Program, which is administered through 10 EPA regions and EPA headquarters.

Prevention: The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires that facilities that store, process, use, drill, produce, transfer, distribute, or refine oil, must draft Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure or SPCC Plans. Factors such as the type of oil transfer operations, company’s oil storage capacity, and its record of spills are taken into account while preparing these plans. These plans must be certified by a professional engineer and implemented by the owners or operators of these facilities. EPA also conducts on-site facility inspections, and it also enforces oil spill liability and penalty provisions.

Prepare: The next step in the emergency response program is preparedness. Even with all these preventive measures, oil spills do occur. So these facilities need to be prepared for the worst. Preparing for an oil spill of any magnitude is a big challenge and requires considerable planning and training. Developing and coordinating contingency plans and conducting oil spill prevention and response training are the two basic elements of EPA's oil spill preparedness program.

Response: The next step in the EPA emergency management program is response. When an oil spill occurs, the party responsible for the spill usually contains and cleans up. But in some cases, the assistance of local and state agencies and even the federal government may be required to respond to oil spills. The EPA’s emergency response program lays emphasis on the elimination of danger posed by oil spills and hazardous substance to the public and environment.