Cleanup Enforcement

The Coast Guard National Response Center (NRC) serves as the sole national point of contact for reporting oil and hazardous substance discharges to the environment. Report a spill to the NRC at its toll-free number: 1-800-424-8802.

The 1990 Oil Pollution Act (OPA) amended the Clean Water Act (CWA) to address the harmful environmental impacts of oil spills.

EPA responsibilities under the Oil Pollution Act include response (cleanup/containment/prevention action) and enforcement actions related to discharges and threatened discharges of oil or hazardous substances in the inland waters of the United States.

The Oil Pollution Act amended the Clean Water Act's enforcement authorities (section 311), giving EPA the authority to issue administrative orders for:

a) the cleanup, and

b) the prevention of discharges and threats of discharges

of oil and hazardous substances to navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, and certain other areas.

Oil cleanup enforcement may be directed at any person, including owners/operators of facilities, where oil spills have occurred or threaten to occur into navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, and certain other areas.

Enforcement may include:

• administrative cleanup orders and/or judicial actions for court enforced cleanup activities,
• enforcement of cleanup orders, or
• recovery of cleanup costs expended by the government.

Information on oil regulatory enforcement under the Clean Water Act is available from EPA's Office of Civil Enforcement CWA enforcement web page. Administrative and judicial penalties may be imposed for oil spills and violations of the spill prevention and control and countermeasure (SPCC) regulation and other oil spill prevention regulatory requirements.

Visit EPA's Oil Spills Program page for information about:

• Reporting oil spills
• Preventing oil spills
• Preparing for oil spills
• Responding to oil spills