Resources

The safety of people and the environment is a priority for the oil industry. We take every precaution to prevent the spill of oil. In the unlikely event that a spill occurs, our focus is the rapid, effective removal of oil while minimizing impacts on the people and environment.

If there is a spill in your community, you can report the incident or learn about the response effort by contacting the National Response Center.

The National Response Center serves as the sole national point of contact for reporting all oil, chemical, radiological, biological, and etiological discharges into the environment anywhere in the United States and its territories.

In addition to gathering and distributing spill data for Federal On-Scene Coordinators and serving as the communications and operations center for the National Response Team, the NRC maintains agreements with a variety of federal entities to make additional notifications regarding incidents meeting established trigger criteria.

Concerned citizens can also learn more about efforts to protect human health and safety through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA focuses on the health and safety of personnel throughout the United States and is engaged in emergency response situations, such as an oil spill response.

In addition to human health and safety, the oil industry understands the importance of protecting the environment during and after a spill response. To learn more about the effects of the spill on the environment, community members can contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The top priority of EPA's Emergency Management program is to eliminate any danger to the public and the environment posed by hazardous substance releases.