Background on the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP)

Despite the nation's best efforts to prevent spills, almost 14,000 oil spills are reported each year, mobilizing thousands of specially trained emergency response personnel and challenging the best-laid contingency plans. Although many spills are contained and cleaned up by the party responsible for the spill, some spills require assistance from local and state agencies, and occasionally, the federal government. Under the National Contingency Plan, the EPA is the lead federal response agency for oil spills occurring in inland waters, and the U.S. Coast Guard is the lead response agency for spills in coastal waters and deepwater ports.

The National Contingency Plan, or NCP, is the federal government's blueprint for responding to both oil spills and hazardous substance releases. The National Contingency Plan is the result of our country's efforts to develop a national response capability and promote overall coordination among the hierarchy of responders and contingency plans.

The EPA prepares and maintains the NCP Product Schedule, a "schedule of dispersants, other chemicals, and other spill mitigating devices and substances, if any, that may be authorized for use on oil discharges...". Vendors, response personnel, other federal agencies, state agencies, and the public request and use Product Schedule information.

Information obtained from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's web site. Additional information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/index.htm