The newly released Alaska Marine Debris Action Plan is the result of a collaborative effort between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and partners across Alaska, including federal, state, and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, industry, academia, and Alaska Native Communities. It represents a partner-led effort to guide marine debris efforts across the state.
Supporting Clean, Healthy Coasts and Economies
Prepare • Respond • Restore • Recover
OR&R Services
Disaster and Pollution
OR&R delivers critical services to address increasing impacts from disasters and from pollution due to oil, chemicals, and marine debris. Our pollution and disaster mandates provide the backbone for our mission to the changing nature of coastal threats and hazards, which impact our coastal communities and the economies on which they rely.
Oil and Chemical Spill Response
OR&R provides scientific support to over 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. waters annually. Spills impact lives, property, and public natural resources, as well as disrupt marine transportation with widespread economic impacts.
Oil and Chemical Natural Resource Restoration
OR&R and partners assess the impacts of oil spill and industrial pollution incidents and reach legal settlements with those responsible to fund restoration. Over the past 30+ years, NOAA and co-trustees have helped recover $10.8 billion for restoration of injured resources across the country.
Marine Debris Prevention and Removal
OR&R investigates and prevents the adverse impacts of marine debris. Since 2006, we have supported over 260 marine debris removal projects and removed more than 38,000 metric tons of marine debris from our coasts and ocean.
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
Through planning, training, exercises, disaster coordination, and continuous improvement, OR&R ensures the National Ocean Service and its partners have the tools and information necessary to plan for and respond to disasters so commerce, communities, and natural resources can recover as quickly as possible.
Featured News
The draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (DARP/EA) for the Bayport Channel Collision Oil Spill is now available and members of the public are encouraged to provide comments. The draft plan proposes projects that will restore coastal wetland habitat at Gordy Marsh in Trinity Bay—which will help protect and improve water quality and support the recovery of species affected by the spill.
Ten years after the Refugio Beach oil spill, a long-term effort to restore the coast and its habitat is well underway, thanks to a strong partnership, scientific expertise, and deep commitment to restoring what was lost.
NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) is aiding in the response to an oil and natural gas release following a well rupture in a marsh environment in Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana.