Waste Site Cleanup & Reuse in New England

Response Teams

Emergency Response activities conducted through the National Response System are oriented around three response team entities:

National Response Team (NRT)
The NRT is an interagency group co-chaired by the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard with representatives from 16 Federal agencies. The NRT exists to coordinate planning, preparedness, and response support on a national basis and provides support to the thirteen Regional Response Teams.
Regional Response Teams (RRT)
Because discharges of oil and releases of hazardous substances often affect multiple local, state, and Federal jurisdictions, RRTs are composed of representatives from field offices of the Federal agencies that make up the National Response Team, as well as state representatives. The RRTs not only provide a focus for planning activities, but also provide a mechanism, in the event of a major incident, to obtain support for a region from throughout the country. In order to effectively plan for these types of incidents, Regional Response Team I serves the New England region.
On-Scene Coordinator (OSC)
The OSC directs Federal activities at the scene of the emergency, and coordinates with local, state, and private resources to protect the public health, welfare, and the environment. Depending on where an emergency takes place, either the EPA or U.S. Coast Guard takes the lead as the OSC. When incidents occur along the New England coastal area, the OSC is the U.S. Coast Guard's Captain of the Port, with jurisdiction for the Coast Guard First District. For inland incidents in New England, EPA serves as the OSC.