This website contains Geographic Response Plans (GRP) developed to help protect sensitive coastal environments and resources along the Massachusetts coastline in the event of an oil spill into marine waters. 160 GRPs have been developed for the state through a MassDEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup project that involved work team members from federal, state and local agencies and sought community input through outreach meetings. To date, 32 GRPs 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.

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 GRPs, meeting materials, process descriptions and other supporting documents are included on this website.

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Massachusetts GRPs are grouped into six regions. Click on the region name below or the "GRP Regions" tab above for region-specific information and to view and download each GRP:

• North Shore

• Boston Harbor

• South Shore

• Cape & Islands 

• Buzzards Bay

• Mt. Hope Bay​​​​​​

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has contracted with Nuka Research and Planning Group, an oil spill consulting firm with local offices in Plymouth, to facilitate this ongoing GRP development, testing, and training program.

If you would like to participate in future GRP 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 GRP region(s).