Pre-Spill Planning for Natural Resource Damage Assessments

by Douglas Helton, National Oceanic and Atmospheric, Administration, Silver Spring, United States,
Frank Csulak, National Oceanic and Atmospheric, Administration, Silver Spring, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Zone '93

Abstract:

The effectiveness of the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) process for oil and chemical spills can be improved by planning and coordination among natural resource trustees before the spill occurs. Improved planning should lead to more rapid implementation of NRDA activities and limits duplicative efforts and loss of critical time-sensitive data. The NRDA regulations under development for the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 encourage trustees to develop regional and local contingency plans for damage assessment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other trustees are currently developing standard protocols and procedures to resolve as many administrative and technical issues as possible before a spill. This planning effort will allow trustees to quantify more fully and accurately the injury to natural resources resulting from oil and chemical spills and will ultimately allow trustees to restore those resources more rapidly.

Subject Headings: Hazardous materials spills | Natural resources | Federal government | Pollution | Hazardous wastes | Chemicals | Chemical processes

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