In developing the ACP, the OSC must coordinate with state and local response organizations, including those represented on the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERC's) and Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC's). It is the OSC's and Area Committee's responsibility to ensure that the ACP provides for a well coordinated response that is integrated and compatible, to the greatest extent possible, with all appropriate response plans of local, state, and non-federal entities, and especially with SARA Title III local emergency response plans. The OSC should also include, to the extent possible, a discussion of relationships with potential Responsible Party (RP)'s. In addition, the OSC must periodically conduct drills of spill removal capability, including fish and wildlife response capability, without prior notice, in areas for which ACP's are required and under relevant tank vessel and facility response plans. In the event of a significant discharge, OSC's should implement the ICS specified in the ACP.

The two principal components of the RRT mechanism are a standing team and an incident-specific team. (See Chapter 4 for more information about the incident-specific RRT.) The standing team consists of designated representatives from each participating local and state government and federal agency. There are 13 standing RRT's, one for each of ten federal regions, and additional RRT's for Alaska, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. The role of the standing RRT includes providing regional access to communications systems and procedures, planning, coordination, training, and evaluation. It also includes coordination of Area Committees for these functions in areas within their respective regions, as appropriate.