NRDA

When oil spills or hazardous waste releases damage or close our favorite parks and beaches, NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) works to quantify the loss to the public. Leveraging new technologies, OR&R economists are exploring mobility data from smartphones to get a more complete picture of how community recreation is impacted after environmental disasters.

Ship grounding refers to a vessel unintentionally making contact with the seabed, a waterway side, or underwater structures. Despite advances in navigation, ships of all sizes can still run aground in U.S. waters. Groundings can result from storms, mechanical failures, or even human error. NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) provides scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard which handles the immediate incident and vessel aspects. OR&R may be called in to address the environmental consequences of the grounding, from initial scientific assessment during the response to long-term restoration of affected habitats.

Over the past five years, NOAA and co-trustees have secured over $86 million from twelve pollution settlements addressing eight oil spills and four hazardous waste sites in the Southeast region. These funds contribute to the $9 billion recovered for restoration in the region since 1991. These recovered funds are used for restoration projects that benefit the impacted communities, the ocean economy, and coastal recovery by enhancing robust fisheries, protecting endangered species, revitalizing coastal habitats, and improving recreation access.

Over the past five years, NOAA and co-trustees have secured $163 million from eight pollution settlements from seven hazardous waste sites and one oil spill in the Northeast region. These funds contribute to the $390 million recovered in the region since 1988. These recovered funds are used for restoration projects that benefit the impacted communities, the ocean economy, and coastal recovery by enhancing robust fisheries, protecting endangered species, revitalizing coastal habitats, and improving recreation access.

In 2024, NOAA and co-trustees secured $40 million from four hazardous waste pollution settlements for the restoration of U.S. waterways.

As new and more intense forms of marine pollution threaten coastal ecosystems, economies, and communities, scientists from NOAA OR&R collaborate with leading experts on topics like marine debris, environmental economics, endangered species, environmental chemistry, and many other subjects that intersect with pollution science. This blog highlights some recently published scientific advances supporting pollution response and assessment.