This website contains Geographic Response Strategies (GRS) developed to help protect sensitive coastal environments and resources along the Massachusetts coastline in the event of an oil spill into marine waters. 160 GRS have been developed for the state through a MassDEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup project that included participation from multiple federal, state, and local agencies and 70 coastal communities. To date, 32 GRS have been developed for the North Shore Region, 18 for Boston Harbor, 14 for the South Shore Region, 29 for sites in the Cape and Islands, 55 in Buzzards Bay, and 12 for the Mount Hope Bay Region.
2024 marks 16 YEARS
of continuous
Development
160
GRS
Developed
Training
2,528
First Responders
Trained
Testing
98
Exercises
Conducted
Contact Us
Anytime a community's trailer is used to respond to a spill, contact MassDEP's 24 hr spill line at
1-888-304-1133
In addition to the GRS, meeting materials, process descriptions and other supporting documents are included on this website.
Massachusetts GRS are grouped into six regions. Click on the region name below or the "GRS Regions" tab above for region-specific information and to view and download each GRS:
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has contracted with Nuka Research, an oil spill consulting firm with local offices in Plymouth, to facilitate this ongoing GRS development, testing, and training program.
MassDEP, Boston Office:
Julie Hutcheson
Section Chief
Marine Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program
100 Cambridge Street, 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 556-1191
MassDEP, Northeast Regional Office:
Andrew Clark
Section Chief
150 Presidential Way
Woburn, MA 01801
(617) 947-2245
MassDEP, Southeast Regional Office:
Dan Crafton
Section Chief
Emergency Response
20 Riverside Drive
Lakeville, MA 02347
(508) 946-2721
Nuka Research:
Sam Butler
10 Samoset St.
Plymouth, MA 02360
(774) 240-9194
Mike Popovich
10 Samoset St.
Plymouth, MA 02360
(508) 524-8015
If you would like to participate in future GRS development, and/or the ongoing exercise, testing, and training program in Massachusetts, please contact Sam Butler at sam@nukaresearch.com or Mike Popovich at popovich@nukaresearch.com and we will add you to our membership list for the appropriate GRS region(s).