Each year the U.S. uses over 250 billion gallons of petroleum oil products and millions more of non-petroleum oils. With billions of gallons of oil being constantly transported and stored throughout the country, the potential for oil spills is significant, and the effects of spilled oil can pose serious threats to the environment. Through its Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures program, EPA has worked at several hundred thousand oil storage facilities to prevent the discharge of all kinds of oil into the waters of the United States. In addition to prevention planning and enforcement measures, EPA stands poised to lead local and industrial responses to oil spills through its extensive contingency planning, emergency training and experience in containment and cleanup.

Recommended EPA Web pages

• National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan Overview
  Provides information about the National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan.
• Emergency Management: Response to Oil Spills
  Provides information about responding to oil spills.
• Cleanup Enforcement: Oil Cleanup
  This web page provides information on enforcing cleanup of oil spills under the Clean Water Act and provides links to EPA's Oil Spills Program and the Coast Guard.

Characterization

Contingency Plans
National Contingency Plan (NCP), Oil Removal Contingency Plan, Spill Prevention

Counter-Terrorism
Water Security

Disasters
Fire, Floods, Hurricanes, September 11 Response, Tornadoes, Volcanoes

Emergency Response
Consequence Management, Countermeasures, Mobile Laboratories, National Response Team (NRT), On Scene Coordinators, Radiological Emergency Response Team, September 11 Response, Training

Oil Spills
Facility Response Plan

Poisoning
Lead Poisoning, Mercury Poisoning, Pesticides

Reporting
Reporting Requirements, Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)