Geographic Response Strategies

Geographic Response Strategies (GRS) are oil spill response plans tailored to protect a specific sensitive area from impacts following a spill. These map-based response strategies can save time during the critical first few hours of an oil spill response. They show responders where sensitive areas are located and where to place oil spill protection resources. Each GRS has two priorities, which are to:

• Identify sensitive natural, cultural or significant economic resources
• Describe and prioritize response strategies.

The purpose of these projects was to develop GRSs to protect sensitive environments and resources on inland rivers, as well as the Upper Narragansett Bay/Providence River coastline and the southern ocean facing coastline of Rhode Island.

Additional Resources

• GRS Tactics Guide
• MassGRS Tactics Guide

View Geographic Response Strategies

Inland GRSs

The Inland GRSs listed below were completed in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA provided funding for Nuka Research and Planning Group, LLC to completed GRSs for Pawtuxet and Blackstone Rivers.

Upper Narragansett Bay/Providence River Areas GRS

The Upper Narragansett Bay/Providence River project was directed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) with funding provided by Motiva Enterprises, LLC. Nuka Research and Planning Group, LLC was contracted by Motiva to develop the Geographic Response Strategies, which have been listed in the RI Geographic Response Strategy below under Additional Resources.

Southern Coastal Areas GRSs

The original GRSs published in May of 1999 for the coastal areas are also included in the GRSs listed below.

Tidal Inlet Protection Strategies for Oil-Spill Response