RESPONSE AND RESTORATION

The speed and effectiveness of spill response today is greatly enhanced by the advance planning and coordination of the National Response System. In the event of an accidental release, the responsible party need only refer to the Area Response Plan to identify the appropriate response strategies and technologies.

Still, there is a certain degree of response decision-making that occurs on a case-by-case basis. Variables such as the type of product spilled, how much is released, and the precise ecosystem where the spill occurs must be considered. The predominant tool for evaluating these variables is called Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA). Because any clean-up operation is going to have its own environmental impact - from the transport of heavy equipment to the foot traffic of clean-up workers - NEBA seeks to balance the potential impacts of the spill against the impacts of the available response options. Although it seems counterintuitive, there are cases where the least-damaging option is to leave a spill untreated and monitor its natural breakdown.