50-State Oil Spill Response (OSRO) Laws
State-by-state Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) regulations, USCG-classified Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSRO), state emergency spill notification deadlines (15 minutes to 2 hours), and marine terminal primary containment booming mandates.
| State | State Emergency Environmental Spill Response Agency | Mandatory Emergency State Notification Window | USCG / State OSRO Primary Containment Booming Mandate | Statutory Responder Immunity Protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ADEM Emergency Response / Alabama EMA | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Port of Mobile & Coastal Marine Booming | Clean Water Act § 311(c) Qualified Immunity |
| Alaska | ADEC Division of Spill Prevention & Response (SPAR) | Immediate (within 15 minutes) | Strict Prince William Sound & Cook Inlet OSRO | State Responder Immunity (AS 46.04.045) |
| Arizona | ADEQ Emergency Response Unit | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Colorado River & waterway protection boom | State Qualified Responder Protection |
| Arkansas | Arkansas DEQ Emergency Services Branch | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Arkansas River navigable channel booming | Statutory Good Samaritan / CWA Protection |
| California | CDFW Office of Spill Prevention & Response (OSPR) | Immediate (within 30 minutes) | Mandatory OSPR-Rated OSRO & Pre-Booming (Lempert-Keene Act) | Strict State Responder Immunity (Gov Code § 8670) |
| Colorado | CDPHE Emergency Response Program | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Platte & Arkansas river containment booming | Colorado Revised Statutes § 29-22-102 |
| Connecticut | CT DEEP Emergency Response & Spill Prevention | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Long Island Sound pre-booming on fuel transfer | CGS § 22a-452 Responder Liability Release |
| Delaware | DNREC Emergency Response Section | Immediate (within 15 minutes) | Delaware Bay & River Marine Terminal OSRO | 7 Del. C. § 6028 Emergency Immunity |
| Florida | FDEP Office of Emergency Response / FWC | Immediate (State Watch Office < 1 hr) | Deepwater Port & Intracoastal Waterway Booming | Florida Statutes § 376.09 Responder Immunity |
| Georgia | Georgia EPD Emergency Operations Center | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Port of Savannah & Brunswick Marine Booming | O.C.G.A. § 12-14-3 Statutory Immunity |
| Hawaii | Hawaii DOH Hazard Evaluation & Emergency Response (HEER) | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Honolulu Harbor & Pearl Harbor Marine OSRO | HRS § 128D Environmental Response Immunity |
| Idaho | Idaho DEQ Emergency Response / IOEM | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Snake & Columbia tributary river booming | Idaho Code § 39-7109 Emergency Immunity |
| Illinois | Illinois EPA Emergency Operations Unit / IEMA | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Lake Michigan & Mississippi River OSRO | 415 ILCS 5/45 Emergency Protection |
| Indiana | IDEM Emergency Response Section | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Lake Michigan & Ohio River navigable booming | IC § 13-25-2 Qualified Responder Immunity |
| Iowa | Iowa DNR Emergency Response Unit | Immediate (within 6 hours) | Mississippi & Missouri river containment | Iowa Code § 455B.392 Liability Limits |
| Kansas | KDHE Spill Response Program | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Kansas & Missouri river drainage containment | K.S.A. § 65-171d State Immunity |
| Kentucky | Kentucky DEP Environmental Emergency Branch | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Ohio River & inland waterway marine booming | KRS § 224.01-400 Statutory Immunity |
| Louisiana | LDEQ Emergency Response / Louisiana State Police | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Mississippi River & Gulf Coast Marine OSRO | La. R.S. § 30:2465 Responder Immunity |
| Maine | Maine DEP Division of Response Services | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Portland Harbor & coastal marine terminal OSRO | 38 MRSA § 548 Responder Liability Protection |
| Maryland | MDE Emergency Response Division | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Port of Baltimore & Chesapeake Bay Marine OSRO | Environment Article § 4-411 Immunity |
| Massachusetts | MassDEP Emergency Response / MassDOT | Immediate (within 2 hours / 21E Rule) | Boston Harbor & Buzzards Bay Marine Booming | M.G.L. c. 21E § 4 Responder Protection |
| Michigan | EGLE Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) | Immediate (within 15 minutes) | Great Lakes & Straits of Mackinac OSRO | NREPA Part 201 Responder Immunity |
| Minnesota | MPCA Emergency Response Program | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Port of Duluth-Superior & Mississippi Booming | Minn. Stat. § 115E.06 Responder Protection |
| Mississippi | MDEQ Emergency Response / MEMA | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Gulf of Mexico & Mississippi River Booming | Miss. Code § 49-17-43 Immunity |
| Missouri | Missouri DNR Environmental Emergency Response | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Mississippi & Missouri river commercial booming | RSMo § 260.510 Responder Protection |
| Montana | Montana DEQ Spill Management Program | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Yellowstone & Missouri river containment | MCA § 75-10-711 Emergency Immunity |
| Nebraska | NDEE Emergency Response Program | Immediate (within 24 hours) | Platte & Missouri river waterway booming | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1506 Immunity |
| Nevada | NDEP Spill Reporting Hotline | Immediate (within 1 hour to water) | Lake Tahoe & Colorado river containment | NRS § 459.750 Responder Immunity |
| New Hampshire | NHDES Emergency Response Program | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Portsmouth Harbor & coastal marine OSRO | RSA § 146-A:3-a Responder Immunity |
| New Jersey | NJDEP Bureau of Emergency Response | Immediate (within 15 minutes) | Port of NY/NJ & Delaware River Marine OSRO | N.J.S.A. 58:10-23.11f1 Responder Immunity |
| New Mexico | NMED Emergency Response Team | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Rio Grande & Pecos river containment booming | NMSA § 74-6-1 Emergency Protection |
| New York | NYS DEC Spill Response Program | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Port of New York, Long Island Sound & Hudson OSRO | Navigation Law § 176 Responder Immunity |
| North Carolina | NC DEQ Division of Waste / NC Emergency Management | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Port of Wilmington & Morehead City Booming | NCGS § 143-215.86 Responder Immunity |
| North Dakota | ND DEQ Division of Emergency Response | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Bakken crude rail & Missouri river containment | NDCC § 23.1-08 Emergency Immunity |
| Ohio | Ohio EPA Emergency Response Section | Immediate (within 30 minutes) | Lake Erie & Ohio River navigable waterway OSRO | ORC § 3750.10 Responder Protection |
| Oklahoma | ODEQ Complaints & Local Services (Spill Hotline) | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Arkansas & Red river basin containment | Title 27A § 2-6-105 State Immunity |
| Oregon | Oregon DEQ Emergency Response / OERS | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Columbia River & Pacific Coastal Marine OSRO | ORS § 468B.385 Responder Immunity |
| Pennsylvania | PA DEP Emergency Response Program | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Delaware & Ohio/Monongahela river OSRO | 35 P.S. § 6020.702 Responder Protection |
| Rhode Island | RIDEM Office of Emergency Response | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Narragansett Bay & Providence River OSRO | RIGL § 46-12.5.1-4 Responder Immunity |
| South Carolina | SC DHEC Emergency Response Division | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Port of Charleston & coastal marine OSRO | SC Code § 48-1-100 Responder Protection |
| South Dakota | SD DANR Spill Response Program | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Missouri river drainage containment | SDCL § 34A-12 Emergency Immunity |
| Tennessee | TDEC Division of Emergency Response / TEMA | Immediate (within 2 hours) | Tennessee & Cumberland river marine booming | TCA § 68-212-107 State Immunity |
| Texas | Texas GLO (Coastal) / TCEQ / Railroad Commission | Immediate (within 1 hour to GLO) | Houston Ship Channel & Gulf Coast OSRO (OSPRA) | Texas TNRC Chapter 40 Responder Immunity |
| Utah | Utah DEQ Division of Environmental Response | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | Great Salt Lake & Colorado river containment | Utah Code § 19-6-310 Emergency Immunity |
| Vermont | Vermont DEC Spill Response Team | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Lake Champlain & Connecticut river booming | 10 V.S.A. § 6615 Responder Immunity |
| Virginia | VDEQ Pollution Response Program (PREP) | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Port of Virginia / Hampton Roads Marine OSRO | Va. Code § 62.1-44.34:18 Responder Immunity |
| Washington | Washington State Ecology Spill Prevention (SPILLS) | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Strict Puget Sound & Columbia River OSRO (WAC 173-182) | RCW § 90.56.390 Responder Immunity |
| West Virginia | WV DEP Homeland Security & Emergency Response | Immediate (within 15 minutes) | Kanawha & Ohio river commercial booming | WV Code § 22-19-4 Emergency Immunity |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin DNR Spill Response Program | Immediate (within 1 hour) | Lake Michigan, Lake Superior & Mississippi OSRO | Wis. Stat. § 292.11 Responder Protection |
| Wyoming | Wyoming DEQ Spill Response Program | Immediate (within 24 hours / 1 hr water) | North Platte & Green river containment | W.S. § 35-11-301 Emergency Immunity |