When oil spills happen in the ocean and Great Lakes, the U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for cleaning up the oil. NOAA scientists provide support to the Coast Guard with data and expertise to make smart decisions that protect people and the environment. When oil spills happen in inland areas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency leads the assessment, response, and cleanup efforts.

The methods and tools that responders choose to remove oil after a spill depends on the circumstances of each event. Responders need to consider the weather, the type and amount of oil spilled, how far away from shore the oil has spilled, whether people live in the area, what kinds of bird and animal habitats are in the area, and other factors. Different cleanup methods work on different types of beaches and with different kinds of oil. For example, road equipment like bulldozers works very well on sand beaches, but can't be used in marshes or on beaches with big boulders or cobble (rounded stones that are larger than pebbles, but smaller than boulders). Most cleanup methods depend on whether the oil is found at sea or on shore.

Cleanup activities can never remove 100% of the oil spilled. All methods have advantages and disadvantages, and their effectiveness depends on the situation—the amount and type of oil, the degree of weathering of the oil (that is, the changes in chemical composition and physical characteristics over time), the ocean currents and tides, and the weather conditions. Also, scientists have to be careful that their actions don’t cause additional harm. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, scientists learned that the high-pressure, hot-water hoses used to clean up shorelines caused more damage than the oil alone. Scientists and responders now uniquely consider sensitive habitats during oil spill cleanup.