How Natural Resource Damage Assessment Works
After an oil spill or hazardous substance release, response agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
or the U.S. Coast Guard clean up the substance and eliminate or reduce risks to
human health and the environment. But these efforts may not fully restore
injured natural resources or address their lost uses by the public. Through the
NRDA process, DARRP and co-trustees conduct studies to identify the extent of
resource injuries, the best methods for restoring those resources, and the type
and amount of restoration required.
NOAA conducts the following three steps in an NRDA:
1. Preliminary Assessment
Natural resource trustees determine whether injury to public trust resources has occurred. Their work includes
collecting time-sensitive data and reviewing scientific literature about the
released substance and its impact on trust resources to determine the extent
and severity of injury. If resources are injured, trustees proceed to the next
step.
2. Injury Assessment/Restoration Planning
Trustees quantify injuries and identify possible restoration projects. Economic and scientific studies assess the
injuries to natural resources and the loss of services. These studies are also
used to develop a restoration plan that outlines alternative approaches to
speed the recovery of injured resources and compensate for their loss or
impairment from the time of injury to recover.
3. Restoration Implementation
The final step is to implement restoration and monitor its effectiveness. Trustees work with the public to select
and implement restoration projects. Examples of restoration include replanting
wetlands, improving fishing access sites, and restoring salmon streams. The
responsible party pays the costs of assessment and restoration and is often a
key participant in implementing the restoration.
Although the concept of assessing injuries may sound simple, understanding complex ecosystems, the services these
ecosystems provide, and the injuries caused by oil and hazardous substances
takes timeoften years. The season the resource was injured, the type of
oil or hazardous substance, and the amount and duration of the release are
among the factors that affect how quickly resources are assessed and
restoration and recovery occurs. The rigorous scientific studies that are
necessary to prove injury to resources and servicesand withstand scrutiny
in a court of lawmay also take years to implement and complete. But the
NRDA process described above ensures an objective and cost-effective assessment
of injuriesand that the public's resources are fully addressed.