Environmental Response and Recovery Division

Within the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance (OEPC), the Environmental Response and Recovery Division (ERRD Team) works with multiple federal, state, and local agencies and partner organizations to improve nation-wide emergency preparedness. Working with OEPC’s Regional Environmental Officers (REOs) that provide support from Regional Offices across the country, the ERRD Team facilitates protection and recovery of the Interior’s lands and resources, as well as the Nation’s natural and cultural resources through both emergency and long-term responses.

The Headquarters Team in Washington, DC and the REOs work together to coordinate resolution of oil spill and hazardous substance contamination problems and by facilitating response with natural resource restoration. OEPC facilitates such coordination by providing response agencies with a single point of access to the full range of resources and expertise that the Department of the Interior (DOI) can offer and by coordinating DOI’s own response activities when multiple bureaus are involved. With these responsibilities, the ERR Team is able to resolve potential problems to expedite environmental response and restoration actions, and to implement key environmental statutes, programs, and regulations including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), Oil Pollution Act, Clean Water Act, National Response Framework, National Disaster Recovery Framework, and the National Response System/ National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan.

Environmental Safeguards Group

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  • The ERR team leads the coordination of natural and cultural resources on federal and tribal lands.
    Disaster Recovery & Response

    Disaster Response & Recovery

  • Oil Spills pose a threat to human health and safety and frequently result in significant impacts to natural and cultural resources.
    Oil & Hazardous Substances Response

    Oil & Hazardous Substances Emergency Response

  • The Department of the Interior coordinates with its bureaus/offices to minimize the exposure of bureaus/offices to liabilities and potential remediation costs.
    Environmental Site Assessment

    Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment

  • The DOI accepts into its public land inventory lands that were once used by the military services (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps) that may contain munitions or explosives.
    Military Legacy Sites

    Military Legacy Sites