NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration recently released the latest version of the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®). ERMA is a web-based mapping application used by environmental responders and natural resource decision-makers. During environmental disaster response and cleanup, it serves as the common operating picture for NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other state and federal agencies by providing a consolidated view of static and real-time information that enhances situational awareness, improves interagency collaboration, and streamlines decision-making. Check out key enhancements in the latest release, ERMA 5.6, including several improvements to bookmark views, dashboard features, and new drawing tool features.

In November and December 2025, OR&R provided support for 14 new incidents in nine states, ranging from separate sinkings of a tugboat and a fishing vessel in Washington state; sheens from three separate pipeline leaks in Alabama and Louisiana; a dielectric fluid discharge in New York state; a vessel grounding in Alaska; two separate vessels adrift or aground in California; a hydrogen sulfide release at a refinery in Mississippi; and 15 vessels sunk at their docks due to heavy snowfall and ice in several southeast Alaska harbors.

In October 2025, OR&R provided support for seven new incidents in five states, ranging from an uncontrolled release of natural gas from a well head in Louisiana; a derelict commercial fishing vessel run aground in Washington State; a shrimp boat that sank after alliding with the Sunshine Skyway in St. Petersburg, Florida; and the flooding of coastal communities of Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska caused by Typhoon Haalong.

In 2025, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) continued its critical mission of protecting the nation's coasts from pollution. From January to December 2025, OR&R supported 167 incidents, providing scientific support for oil spills, chemical releases, and unique environmental marine emergencies. Of the new incidents OR&R supported in 2025, 132 were oil spills and 13 involved chemical releases. Additionally, OR&R supported 22 other environmental incidents, including responses to grounded vessels, abandoned and derelict vessels, and large-scale marine debris incidents.

Oil spills are a race against time, where every second matters. To win that race, the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA are turning to an ally: uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), more commonly referred to as “drones.” This July, both agencies completed a final training that equipped responders with a powerful new tool for environmental protection.

In September 2025, OR&R provided support for 10 new incidents in six states, bringing the total for the year to 139 incident responses. Incidents ranged from a derelict fishing vessel sunk in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina; a grounded fishing vessel in Alaska; pipeline leaks in Main Pass, Louisiana; a heavy fuel oil spill from a fuel transfer accident at the Port of Houston, Texas; and potential discharges of various pollutants in Allakaket, Alaska due to flooding.

In August, OR&R provided support for 16 new incidents in eight states and one territory (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), bringing the total for the year to 129 incident responses. These incidents ranged from an explosion and fire of above-ground storage tanks at a facility in Louisiana; a tour boat that sank at its pier in the Wailua River on Kauai, Hawaii; a satellite imagery report of possible oil on water south of Sabine Pass in Texas; a discharge of heating oil from an elementary school basement into surrounding woods in Ketchikan, Alaska; a passenger vessel that grounded on a reef on Oahu, Hawaii; and a diesel spill into Padden Creek in Bellingham, Washington.

In July, OR&R provided scientific support for 11 new incidents in seven states, including a cross-border incident with Canada, bringing the total for the year to 113 incident responses. The incidents that OR&R supported in July varied from a hydraulic fluid spill into the St. Marys River, between Michigan, U.S., and Ontario, Canada; to an aircraft crash in Monterey Bay, California; to a grounded towing vessel in the Mississippi River; and a tanker truck spill into Indian Creek in Washington state.