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.

2022 marks 14 YEARS
of continuous

Development

Training

Testing

In addition to the GRS, meeting materials, process descriptions and other supporting documents are included on this website.

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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:

• North Shore

• Boston Harbor

• South Shore

• Cape & Islands 

• Buzzards Bay

• Mt. Hope Bay​​​​​​

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.

If you would like to participate in future GRS development, and/or the ongoing exercise, testing, and training program in Massachusetts, please contact Mike Popovich at popovich@nukaresearch.com and we will add you to our membership list for the appropriate GRS region(s).