An official website of the United States government. 
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.
Supporting Clean, Healthy Coasts and Economies
Prepare • Respond • Restore • Recover
OR&R Services
Disaster and Pollution
OR&R delivers critical services to address increasing impacts from disasters and from pollution due to oil, chemicals, and marine debris. Our pollution and disaster mandates provide the backbone for our mission to the changing nature of coastal threats and hazards, which impact our coastal communities and the economies on which they rely.
Oil and Chemical Spill Response
OR&R provides scientific support to over 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. waters annually. Spills impact lives, property, and public natural resources, as well as disrupt marine transportation with widespread economic impacts.
Oil and Chemical Natural Resource Restoration
OR&R and partners assess the impacts of oil spill and industrial pollution incidents and reach legal settlements with those responsible to fund restoration. Over the past 30+ years, NOAA and co-trustees have helped recover $10.8 billion for restoration of injured resources across the country.
Marine Debris Prevention and Removal
OR&R investigates and prevents the adverse impacts of marine debris. Since 2006, we have supported over 260 marine debris removal projects and removed more than 38,000 metric tons of marine debris from our coasts and ocean.
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
Through planning, training, exercises, disaster coordination, and continuous improvement, OR&R ensures the National Ocean Service and its partners have the tools and information necessary to plan for and respond to disasters so commerce, communities, and natural resources can recover as quickly as possible.
Featured News
A new dataset and updated Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps are now available for Lake Michigan, providing a critical tool for oil spill preparedness and response in the Great Lakes region. This new Lake Michigan ESI data, which replaces the previous 1993-1994 data, can be downloaded and viewed in Great Lakes ERMA®.
The winners of the 2025 NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest are in. The NOAA Marine Debris Program hosts this art contest to engage students in grades K-8 across the United States and territories in raising awareness about marine debris and using the power of art to express meaningful messages. The winning artwork is featured in a calendar, which will help to remind us every day of the importance of being responsible stewards of the ocean.
Following a highly competitive review process, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce 13 projects awarded for funding under our NOAA Marine Debris Removal and Interception Technologies grant awards for fiscal year 2025. These projects represent an investment of over $26.4 million for marine debris removal focused on two priority areas. The first funding opportunity focused on the removal of large marine debris, such as abandoned and derelict vessels and derelict fishing gear.