Area Contingency Plans

Area Contingency Plans
Name	Area Contingency Plans
Purpose	Preparedness for environmental emergencies and hazardous releases
Jurisdiction	Coastal and inland response regions
Created	Various national statutes and directives

Contents

Area Contingency Plans

Area Contingency Plans are regional preparedness documents that integrate response roles among agencies, responders, and stakeholders to address oil spills, hazardous substance releases, and natural disasters. They synthesize mandates from statutes such as the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, directives like the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, and international instruments including the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation while aligning capabilities across entities such as the United States Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and regional authorities. These plans coordinate response resources across ports, counties, states, indigenous nations, and multinational partners including organizations like the International Maritime Organization and North Atlantic Treaty Organization to protect ports, estuaries, and critical infrastructure.

Overview

Area Contingency Plans describe predefined operational frameworks for incidents affecting marine and terrestrial environments, linking tactical arrangements with strategic authorities such as the President of the United States, Secretary of Homeland Security, and cabinet agencies including the Department of Transportation and Department of the Interior. They identify geographic response strategies for locations such as the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, and the Great Lakes, and account for transboundary considerations involving neighbors like Canada and Mexico. Plans integrate response resources from municipal entities such as the Port of Los Angeles and Port of New York and New Jersey, private sector actors like ExxonMobil and Shell plc, and non-governmental organizations such as the American Red Cross and National Audubon Society.

The legal foundation derives from statutes and regulations including the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, together with implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations. International obligations under treaties such as the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and regional agreements like the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea shape cross-border cooperation. Judicial interpretations from courts including the United States Supreme Court and appellate decisions refine liability and preemption issues, while oversight and appropriations by bodies like the United States Congress and committees such as the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works influence resourcing and statutory amendments.

Plan development convenes stakeholders including federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, state governors, tribal governments like the Navajo Nation, port authorities, shipping interests represented by the International Chamber of Shipping, and insurers linked to firms like Lloyd's of London. Core components include geographic response plans for sensitive sites such as Everglades National Park and Yellowstone National Park, resource inventories of assets owned by entities like Crowley Maritime and Maersk, notification protocols aligning with systems such as the National Response System, and delineated roles following the Incident Command System and National Incident Management System. Technical annexes reference modeling tools from institutions like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the United States Geological Survey for trajectory analysis, as well as environmental sensitivity indexes used by conservation groups like The Nature Conservancy.

Implementation operationalizes plans through command structures linking local agencies like the Los Angeles County Fire Department, state emergency management offices such as the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and federal coordinators from the United States Coast Guard Districts. Coordination with commercial stakeholders—terminal operators at Port of Houston, shipping lines like CMA CGM, and energy companies including BP plc—ensures access to response equipment and contractors such as Marine Spill Response Corporation. Multilateral coordination leverages mechanisms found in forums like the Arctic Council and regional compacts including the Great Lakes Commission to manage cross-jurisdictional incidents, while legal instruments such as memoranda of understanding with entities like United States Fish and Wildlife Service define protection priorities for habitats and species including Atlantic salmon and California condor.

Plans mandate exercises and preparedness activities consistent with guidance from agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and United States Coast Guard and standards from organizations like the International Organization for Standardization and American National Standards Institute. Exercises range from tabletops to full-scale drills involving responders from the New York City Fire Department, private contractors, and international partners such as Royal Canadian Mounted Police for cross-border scenarios. Evaluations use after-action reports and improvement plans influenced by investigations into incidents like the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and industrial accidents reviewed by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, with lessons applied to revise protocols, mutual aid compacts, and training curricula at institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and maritime academies.

Historical incidents that shaped contingency planning include the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and port-related events affecting hubs like Rotterdam and Singapore. Regional responses showcase coordination among agencies such as the United States Coast Guard District 8, state governments like Louisiana, municipal entities like the City of New Orleans, and industry participants including Transocean and Halliburton. International case studies involve responses coordinated under frameworks used in the Prestige oil spill off Spain and collaborative actions by the European Maritime Safety Agency. Investigations by bodies such as the National Transportation Safety Board and reforms following incidents have driven revisions to contingency planning, funding mechanisms administered by Congress and the European Commission, and innovations in response technology by companies like Schlumberger and research centers such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography.