health or welfare, nor are they a measure of environmental injury. Any oil discharge that poses a substantial threat to public health or welfare or the environment or results in significant public concern shall be classified as a major discharge regardless of the following quantitative measures:

(a) Minor discharge means a discharge in inland waters of less than 1,000 gallons of oil or a discharge to the coastal waters of less than 10,000 gallons of oil.

(b) Medium discharge means a discharge of 1,000 to 10,000 gallons of oil to the inland waters or a discharge of 10,000 to 100,000 gallons of oil to the coastal waters.

(c) Major discharge means a discharge of more than 10,000 gallons of oil to the inland waters or more than 100,000 gallons of oil to the coastal waters.

Sorbents means essentially inert and insoluble materials that are used to remove oil and hazardous substances from water through adsorption, in which the oil or hazardous substance is attracted to the sorbent surface and then adheres to it, absorption, in which the oil or hazardous substance penetrates the pores of the sorbent material, or a combination of the two. Sorbents are generally manufactured in particulate form for spreading over an oil slick or as sheets, rolls, pillows, or booms. The sorbent material may consist of, but is not limited to, the following materials:

(a) Organic products(1) Peat moss or straw;

(2) Cellulose fibers or cork;
(3) Corn cobs;

(4) Chicken or duck feathers.
(b) Mineral compounds-
(1) Volcanic ash or perlite;
(2) Vermiculite or zeolite.

(c) Synthetic products—
(1) Polypropylene;

(2) Polyethylene;

(3) Polyurethane;

(4) Polyester.

Specified ports and harbors means those ports and harbor areas on inland rivers, and land areas immediately adjacent to those waters, where the USCG acts as predesignated on-scene coordinator. Precise locations are determined by EPA/USCG regional agreements and identified in federal regional contingency plans and area contingency plans.

Spill of national significance (SONS) means a spill which due to its severity, size, location, actual or potential impact on the public health and welfare or the environment, or the necessary response effort, is so complex that it requires extraordinary coordination of federal, state, local, and responsible party resources to contain and cleanup the discharge.

State means the several states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, Amer

ican Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and any other territory or possession over which the United States has jurisdiction. For purposes of the NCP, the term includes Indian tribes as defined in the NCP except where specifically noted.

Surface collecting agents means those chemical agents that form a surface film to control the layer thickness of oil.

Surface washing agent is any product that removes oil from solid surfaces, such as beaches and rocks, through a detergency mechanism and does not involve dispersing or solubilizing the oil into the water column.

Tank vessel as defined by section 1001 of OPA means a vessel that is constructed or adapted to carry, or that carries, oil or hazardous material in bulk as cargo or cargo residue, and that: (1) is a vessel of the United States; (2) operates on the navigable waters; or (3) transfers oil or hazardous material in a place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

Threat of discharge, see definition for discharge.

Trustee means an official of a federal natural resources management agency designated in subpart G of the NCP or a designated state official or Indian tribe or, in the case of discharges covered by the OPA, a foreign government official, who may pursue claims for damages under section 1006 of the OPA.

United States when used in relation to section 311(a)(5) of the CWA, mean the states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Island Governments.

Vessel as defined by section 311(a)(3) of the CWA means every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water other than a public vessel.

Volunteer means any individual accepted to perform services by the lead agency which has authority to accept volunteer services (for examples, see 16 U.S.C. 742f(c)). A volunteer is subject to the provisions of the authorizing statute and the NCP.

Worst case discharge as defined by section 311(a)(24) of the CWA means, in the case of a vessel, a discharge in adverse weather conditions of its entire cargo, and in the case of an offshore facility or onshore facility, the largest foreseeable discharge in adverse weather conditions.

2.0 National response system.

2.1 Overview. The national response system (NRS) is the mechanism for coordinating response actions by all levels of government in support of the OSC. The NRS is composed of the National Response Team (NRT), Regional Response Teams (RRTs),

On-scene coordinator (OSC), Area Committees, and Special Teams and related support entities. The NRS functions as an incident command system (ICS) under the direction of the OSC. Typical of an ICS, the NRS is capable of expanding or contracting to accommodate the response effort required by the size or complexity of the discharge.

2.2 Priorities. (a) Safety of human life must be given the highest priority during every response action. This includes any search and rescue efforts in the general proximity of the discharge and the insurance of safety of response personnel.

(b) Stabilizing the situation to preclude the event from worsening is the next priority. All efforts must be focused on saving a vessel that has been involved in a grounding, collision, fire or explosion, so that it does not compound the problem. Comparable measures should be taken to stabilize a situation involving a facility, pipeline, or other source of pollution. Stabilizing the situation includes securing the source of the spill and/ or removing the remaining oil from the container (vessel, tank, or pipeline) to prevent additional oil spillage, to reduce the need for follow-up response action, and to minimize adverse impact to the environment.

(c) The response must use all necessary containment and removal tactics in a coordinated manner to ensure a timely, effective response that minimizes adverse impact to the environment.

(d) All parts of this national response strategy should be addressed concurrently, but safety and stabilization are the highest priorities. The OSC should not delay containment and removal decisions unnecessarily and should take actions to minimize adverse impact to the environment that begins as soon as a discharge occurs, as well as actions to minimize further adverse environmental impact from additional discharges.

(e) The priorities set forth in this section are broad in nature, and should not be interpreted to preclude the consideration of other priorities that may arise on a site-specific basis.

2.3 Responsibility. (a) The predesignated OSC has the responsibility to direct response actions and coordinate all other response efforts at the scene of an oil discharge or threatened discharge. The OSC monitors or directs all federal, state, local, and private removal actions, or arranges for the removal of an actual or threatened oil discharge, removing and if necessary, requesting authority to destroy a vessel. Additionally, the CWA requires the OSC to direct all federal, state, local, and private removal actions to any incident that poses a substantial threat to the public health or welfare.

(b) Cleanup responsibility for an oil discharge immediately falls on the responsible party, unless the discharge poses a substantial threat to public health or welfare. In a

large percentage of oil discharges, the responsible party shall conduct the cleanup. If the responsible party does conduct the removal, the OSC shall ensure adequate surveillance over whatever actions are initiated.

(1) If effective actions are not being taken to eliminate the threat, or if removal is not being properly done, the OSC should, to the extent practicable under the circumstances, so advise the responsible party. If the responsible party does not respond properly, the OSC shall take appropriate response actions and should notify the responsible party of the potential liability for federal response costs incurred by the OSC pursuant to the OPA and CWA. Where practicable, continuing efforts should be made to encourage response by responsible parties.

(2) If the Administrator of EPA or the Secretary of the department in which the USCG is operating determines that there may be an imminent and substantial threat to the public health or welfare or the environment of the United States (including fish, shellfish, and wildlife, public and private property, shorelines, beaches, habitats, and other living and nonliving natural resources under the jurisdiction or control of the United States, because of an actual or threatened discharge of oil from any vessel or offshore or onshore facility into or upon the navigable waters of the United States), the Administrator or Secretary may request the U.S. Attorney General to secure the relief from any person, including the owner or operator of the vessel or facility necessary to abate a threat or, after notice to the affected state, take any other action authorized by section 311 of the CWA including administrative orders, that may be necessary to protect the public health or welfare.

(3) The responsible party is liable for costs of federal removal and damages in accordance with section 311(f) of the CWA, section 1002 of the OPA, and other federal laws.

(c) In those incidents where a discharge or threat of discharge poses a substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the United States, the OSC shall direct all federal, state, or private actions to remove the discharge or to mitigate or prevent the threat of such a discharge, as appropriate. The OSC shall also request immediate activation of the RRT.

(d) During responses to any discharge the OSC may request advice or support from the Special Teams and any local support units identified by the Area Committee. Examples include scientific advice from the Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC), technical guidance or prepositioned equipment from the District Response Group (DRG), or public information assistance from the National Strike Force (NSF).

(e) When an oil discharge exceeds the response capability of the region in which it

occurs, transects regional boundaries, or involves a substantial threat to the public health or welfare, substantial amounts of property, or substantial threats to the natural resources, the NRT should be activated as an emergency response team. If appropriate the RRT Chairman may contact the NRT Chairman and request the NRT activation.

3.0 Components of national response system and responsibilities.

The NRS is the mechanism for coordinating response actions by all levels of government in support of the OSC. The NRS organization is divided into national, regional, and area levels. The national level comprises the NRT, the National Strike Force Coordination Center (NSFCC), and the National Response Center (NRC). The regional level is comprised of the RRT. The area level is made up of the OSC, Special Teams, and Area Committees. The basic framework for the response management structure is a system (e.g., a unified command system), that brings together the functions of the federal government, the state government, and the responsible party to achieve an effective and efficient response, where the OSC retains authority.

3.1 National.

3.1.1 National response team. (a) National planning and coordination is accomplished through the NRT. The NRT consists of representatives from the USCG, EPA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (DOA), Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of State (DOS), Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and General Serv

ices Administration (GSA). Each agency shall designate a member to the team and sufficient alternates to ensure representation, as agency resources permit. The NRT will consider requests for membership on the NRT from other agencies. Other agencies may request membership by forwarding such requests to the chair of the NRT (see Figure 1).

(b) The chair of the NRT shall be the representative of the EPA and the vice chair shall be the representative of the USCG, with the exception of periods of activation because of response action. During activation, the chair shall be the member agency providing the OSC. The vice chair shall maintain records of NRT activities along with national, regional, and area plans for response actions.

(c) While the NRT desires to achieve a consensus on all matters brought before it, certain matters may prove unresolvable by this means. In such cases, each agency serving as a participating agency on the NRT may be accorded one vote in NRT proceedings.

(d) The NRT may establish such bylaws, procedures, and committees as it deems appropriate to further the purposes for which it is established.

(e) The NRT shall evaluate methods of responding to discharges, shall recommend any changes needed in the response organization, and shall recommend to the Administrator of EPA changes to the NCP designed to improve the effectiveness of the national response system, including drafting of regulatory language.

(f) The NRT shall provide policy and program direction to the RRTS.

(g) The NRT may consider and make recommendations to appropriate agencies on the training, equipping, and protection of response teams and necessary research, development, demonstration, and evaluation to improve response capabilities.

(h) Direct planning and preparedness responsibilities of the NRT include:

(1) Maintaining national preparedness to respond to a major discharge of oil that is beyond regional capabilities;

(2) Monitoring incoming reports from all RRTS and activating for a response action, when necessary;

(3) Coordinating a national program to assist member agencies in preparedness planning and response, and enhancing coordination of member agency preparedness programs;

(4) Developing procedures, in coordination with the NSFCC, as appropriate, to ensure the coordination of federal, state, and local governments, and private response to oil discharges;

(5) Monitoring response-related research and development, testing, and evaluation activities of NRT agencies to enhance coordination, avoid duplication of effort, and facilitate research in support of response activities;

(6) Developing recommendations for response training and for enhancing the coordination of available resources among agencies with training responsibilities under the NCP;

(7) Reviewing regional responses to oil discharges, including an evaluation of equipment readiness and coordination among responsible public agencies and private organizations; and

(8) Assisting in developing a national exercise program, in coordination with the

NSFCC to ensure preparedness and coordination nationwide.

(i) The NRT shall consider matters referred to it for advice or resolution by an RRT.

(j) The NRT should be activated as an emergency response team:

(1) When an oil discharge:

(A) Exceeds the response capability of the region in which it occurs;

(B) Transects regional boundaries; or

(C) Involves a substantial threat to the public health or welfare, substantial amounts of property, or substantial threats to natural resources;

(2) If requested by any NRT member.

(k) When activated for a response action, the NRT will meet at the call of the chair and may:

(1) Monitor and evaluate reports from the OSC and recommend to the OSC, through the RRT, actions to combat the discharge;

(2) Request other federal, state and local governments, or private agencies, to provide resources under their existing authorities to combat a discharge, or to monitor response operations; and

(3) Coordinate the supply of equipment, personnel, or technical advice to the affected region from other regions or districts.

3.1.2 National response center. (a) The NRC, located at USCG Headquarters, is the national communications center, continuously manned for handling activities related to response actions, including those involving discharges of oil. The NRC acts as the single point of contact for all pollution incident reporting, and as the NRT communications center. Notice of discharges must be made by telephone through a toll free number or a special number (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) and collect calls accepted). Upon receipt of a notification of discharge, the NRC shall promptly notify the OSC. The telephone report is distributed to any interested NRT member agency or federal entity that has established a written agreement or understanding with the NRC.

(b) The Commandant, USCG, in conjunction with other NRT agencies, provides the necessary personnel, communications, plotting facilities, and equipment for the NRC.

(c) Notice of an oil discharge in an amount equal to or greater than the reportable quantity must be made immediately in accordance with 33 CFR part 153, subpart B. Notification will be made to the NRC Duty Officer, HQ USCG, Washington, DC, telephone (800) 424-8802 or (202) 267-2675. All notices of discharges received at the NRC will be relayed immediately by telephone to the OSC.

3.1.3 National strike force coordination center. NSFCC, located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, may assist the OSC by providing information on available spill removal resources, personnel, and equipment. The NSFCC can provide the following support to the OSC:

(a) Technical assistance, equipment, and other resources to augment the OSC staff during spill response;

(b) Assistance in coordinating the use of private and public resources in support of the OSC during a response to or a threat of a worst case discharge of oil;

(c) Review of the area contingency plan, including an evaluation of equipment readiness and coordination among responsible public agencies and private organizations;

(d) Assistance in locating spill response resources for both response and planning, using the NSFCC's national and international computerized inventory of spill response resources;

(e) Coordination and evaluation of pollution response exercises; and

(f) Inspection of district prepositioned pollution response equipment.

3.2 Regional. (a) Regional planning and coordination of preparedness and response actions is accomplished through the RRT. In the case of a discharge of oil, preparedness activities shall be carried out in conjunction with Area Committees as appropriate. The RRT agency membership parallels that of the NRT, but also includes state and local representation. The RRT provides: (1) the appropriate regional mechanism for development and coordination of preparedness activities before a response action is taken and for coordination of assistance and advice to the OSC during such response actions; and (2) guidance to Area Committees, as appropriate, to ensure inter-area consistency and consistency of individual ACPS with the RCP and NCP.

(b) The two principal components of the RRT mechanism are a standing team, which consists of designated representatives from each participating federal agency, state governments, and local governments (as agreed upon by the states); and incident-specific teams formed from the standing team when the RRT is activated for a response. On incident-specific teams, participation by the RRT member agencies will relate to the technical nature of the incident and its geographic location.

(1) The standing team's jurisdiction corresponds to the standard federal regions, except for Alaska, Oceania in the Pacific, and the Caribbean area, each of which has a separate standing RRT. The role of the standing RRT includes communications systems and procedures, planning, coordination, training, evaluation, preparedness, and related matters on a regionwide basis. It also includes coordination of Area Committees for these functions in areas within their respective regions, as appropriate.

(2) The role of the incident-specific team is determined by the operational requirements of the response to a specific discharge. Appropriate levels of activation and/or notification of the incident-specific RRT, including