• 200. Oil spills, chemical releases, and other threats we responded to. 
• 47. That’s the number of training and response events we led or hosted.
• 9. That's the number of hurricanes and tropical storms we served as Incident Coordinators for the National Ocean Service. 
• 4,989. Metric tons of marine debris removed. 
• 4,016. That’s the number of people we trained in disaster preparedness, oil and chemical spill response, and planning. 
• $2.2 million. Funds for restoration of public natural resources in Washington state from two pollution settlements.

In 2020, OR&R made significant improvements to two of its spatial data tools—enhancing decision-making and the ability to address risks and ensure restoration and recovery efforts are underway. 

ERMA® supports mapping and data visualization needs for responders across NOAA, partner agencies, and researchers. ERMA saw a nearly 10% increase in user sessions over 2019. This was a result of major updates to system architecture and new data, tools, and components—with 2,222 data layers added (1,388 publicly accessible). Finally, the ERMA development team partnered with the National Weather Service (NWS) to collaborate in a new joint effort to significantly improve NWS data dissemination. 

The DIVER application is an electronic warehouse that stores and shares environmental data. DIVER improvements, based on user feedback, included enhanced photo management tools, new data queries for toxicity calculations, and updated help files to better explain approaches for data analysis. Nearly 128,725 field observation and photo record updates were added to the data warehouse and hundreds of case records were added to the document libraries to support natural resource damage assessment cases nationwide.

On Oct. 16, 2020 a $22.3 million settlement was finalized to restore natural resources injured by the 2015 Refugio Beach oil spill near Santa Barbara, California. The settlement will go toward resolving natural resource damage claims, to restore habitats and wildlife injured by oil, and to compensate the public for lost recreational opportunities. To ensure these restoration projects best benefit communities, economies, and ecosystems. In the spring of 2020, the draft restoration plan was released for public comment and projects will be selected with this public input. 

On May 19, 2015 a pipeline owned and operated by Plains All American Pipeline ruptured near Refugio State Beach, spilling over 120,000 gallons of crude oil on land. Approximately 50,000 gallons of this crude oil ran down a storm drain, into a ravine under the freeway, and spilled into the ocean. The spill impacted wildlife including brown pelicans, common murres, Pacific loons, and snowy plovers, marine mammals including California sea lions and dolphins, as well as shorelines and underwater habitats. The incident also shut down fisheries, closed multiple beaches, and prevented public recreation like camping, recreational fishing, and beach visits. This settlement marks a major accomplishment for communities, economies, and natural resources impacted by the spill.

The Disaster Preparedness Program supported NOAA preparedness and response operations to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As the incident coordinator for the National Ocean Service, the program is responsible for coordinating across program offices during an event when multiple offices are impacted. The program continues to collect information on NOS mission readiness, logistical needs, and impacts to personnel and infrastructure. 

During the COVID-19 response, the program coordinated information on the tracking and safety of all NOS staff and impacts to numerous sanctuaries, reserves, facilities, and laboratories. Throughout the response, staff supported the NOAA Homeland Security Program Office by leading the After Action Reporting/Lessons Learned Unit. Program staff developed a process to capture lessons learned across the agency, and memorialize new processes for the future. Additionally, the program supported community recovery needs by working with NOAA Fisheries to coordinate CARES Act information dissemination through the Recovery Support Function Leadership Group and several state COVID-19 forums. The COVID-19 work strengthened the systems for NOS coordination with NOAA for disasters and spills.

The Disaster Preparedness Program partnered with the NOAA Office for National Marine Sanctuaries to hold a functional exercise, “Shaken Sanctuaries.” This exercise simulated a 7.2 magnitude earthquake impacting California between Monterey and San Francisco. This area encompasses numerous NOAA offices as well as the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. 

Exercise participants located in California stimulated responses to the earthquake damage and secondary hazards such as chemical and oil spills, while participants located in NOAA headquarters collected critical personnel, mission, and infrastructure information that was shared with NOAA leadership. After the exercise was completed, DPP staff provided an after action report on what went well during the exercise, and areas that need improvement. Exercises like these help to ensure NOS plans, policies, and procedures are disaster ready, and NOS personnel are well-trained for the next disaster response.

As part of its mission, OR&R provides training to the U.S. Coast Guard and other NOAA partners on addressing oil and chemical releases in coastal waters. During FY20, OR&R brought its training online and expanded its reach by making training available to all. 

Beginning in late April, OR&R staff began creatively providing training sessions to responders and planners via a weekly online lecture series dubbed “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.” To create the lectures, staff sought out spill response specialists from government, academia, and industry to describe their research and experience, with topics ranging from oil booms to oiled birds, burning to bacteria, satellites to submarines. The series became immensely popular, drawing between 200-300 participants each week. Training for chemical spill responders continued, with a pilot online training in Science of Chemical Releases. To ensure that learning also continued internally, OR&R’s spill responders shared their knowledge and experience in “Tuesday Technical Talks,” at which scientific support coordinators and other scientists lectured on a large variety of technical and operational topics.

On Sept. 8, 2019, the 656-foot car carrier Golden Ray capsized, caught fire, and sank in St. Simons Sound, Brunswick, Georgia. In addition to its own fuel, the vessel was carrying 4,200 vehicles, laden with gasoline and other hazardous materials. NOAA’s Emergency Response Division responded on-scene throughout the fall and winter of 2019 and 2020, to support the U.S. Coast Guard’s pollution response and salvage efforts. NOAA provided pollution trajectory modeling, resources at risk, shoreline surveys, environmental sampling, weather, currents, and the development of incident-specific response tactics. 

Remote NOAA support continues a year later. The vessel remains capsized in the sound and all of the vehicles remain inside the ship’s cargo holds. The salvage and wreck removal efforts—one of the most complicated and expensive salvage efforts in U.S. history—have been slowed by the hurricane season. An environmental protection barrier has been built around the wreck and later this fall, the vessel will be cut into large sections and removed from the waterway.

Following a highly competitive review process, the NOAA Marine Debris Program provided approximately $2.7 million in federal funds to 23 recipients of our 2020 removal and prevention grant awards. Federal funding is matched by non-federal contributions, bringing the total investment of these marine debris projects to approximately $5.9 million.

The Marine Debris Program offers nation-wide competitive funding opportunities for community-based projects that improve ecological resources through the removal of marine debris, as well as prevention projects that provide the knowledge and resources necessary to change behaviors, raise awareness, and promote the long-term prevention of marine debris. Through these opportunities, the Marine Debris Program is proud to support impactful, community-driven, and cost-effective projects.

The 2018 hurricane and typhoon seasons inflicted severe damage to communities and coastal resources across North Carolina, Florida, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Hurricanes Florence and Michael, and Typhoon Yutu left a swath of destruction and large amounts of debris in the coastal zones of the affected states and territory. Following the storms, NOAA received disaster relief funding to aid in coastal recovery efforts by supporting marine debris assessment, removal, and disposal in the impacted states and territory (Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019, P.L. 116-20).

In 2020, NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded $8.2 million in federal funds through the Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund to six projects that assess, remove, and dispose of marine debris that was caused by or moved by the storms and prevent further harm to habitats and fish and wildlife populations. The projects will assess and remove debris impacting coral reefs, as well as debris that is near National Wildlife Refuges, state parks and reserves, and aquatic preserves, among other sensitive habitats.