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  • To whom do I report an oil discharge?

    A facility should report discharges to the National Response Center (NRC) at 1-800-424-8802 or 1-202-267-2675 . The NRC is the federal government's centralized reporting center, which is staffed 24 hours per day by U.S. Coast Guard personnel. If reporting directly to NRC is not practicable, reports also can be made…

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  • When must I report an oil discharge to NRC?

    Any person in charge of a vessel or an onshore or offshore facility must notify the National Response Center (NRC) immediately after he or she has knowledge of the discharge.

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  • Will applicants be evaluated on whether or not they leverage funds?

    Cost share and leveraging of non-federal funds is not a requirement of this Funding Opportunity, but if leveraging is proposed, applicants will be evaluated based on how they will obtain the leveraged resources, the likelihood the leveraging will materialize during grant performance (e.g., if they have letters of commitment), the…

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  • Is it possible to distribute the majority of project funding in Year 2 and 3?

    Yes. Applicants should commit to being able to issue its first Project RFA within one year of being selected as Principal Recipient (page 9 of the RFA), however this is not a threshold eligibility requirement. There are no specific requirements as to the timing of issuing Project RFAs and funding…

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  • Will there be a non-federal cost share or match required of grants made by the principal recipient?

    No, non-federal cost share is not required. If an applicant proposes voluntary cost share, they should carefully review section III.B on page 21, description of Supporting Materials in section IV.D on page 27, and section V.B.

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  • Will there be an increase in turbidity (cloudiness or muddiness) or silt in the streams?

    The increased flow from this work is expected to be minimal and should not impact turbidity or silt.

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  • Will returning the natural flow of water to Sulphur Run disturb areas with sheen?

    Conditions in the streams are much improved because of previous cleanup work conducted in 2023. Although oily sheens remain, they are settled in the sediment and do not impact surface water unless disturbed. The increased water flow to Sulphur Run will be minimal and is not expected to disturb sheen…

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  • How will the budget for year six be treated in case of a continuation of sampling past 2029?

    Sampling past 2029 will not be covered under this assistance agreement.

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  • What happens after a facility submits the information about an oil discharge to EPA?

    The EPA Regional Administrator will review the information submitted by the facility and may require a facility to submit and amend its SPCC Plan. Facilities and equipment that qualified for the new streamlined requirements may lose eligibility for those options as determined by the Regional Administrator. A state agency may…

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  • Who is subject to the Discharge of Oil regulation?

    Any person in charge of a vessel or of an onshore or offshore facility is subject to the reporting requirements of the Discharge of Oil regulation if it discharges a harmful quantity of oil to U.S. navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the contiguous zone, or in connection with activities under…

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  • Can the application also include program admin support for various coalition partners outside of the principal recipient?

    Yes. Coalitions are allowable. Applicants should reflect related admin-related costs in the budget narrative. Please see Question 2 under this section for additional information.

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  • What is the status of the cleanup at the site?

    In October 2023, it was announced that the excavation work, which removed the known areas of contaminated soil at the derailment site, was complete. The soil double-check work has been ongoing for months and is expected to continue into the fall. The timeline of our expected completion plans for final…

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  • When can we access the streams again?

    The upcoming cleanup efforts will focus on oil-based compounds which, based on recent sampling, are the only derailment-related contaminants remaining in the creeks. Please obey all posted signage and continue to avoid access in Sulphur and Leslie Runs until further notice.

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  • What has changed?

    For the past several months as the collected wastewater has gone through the system, sample results have shown that the wastewater meets the standards set for vinyl chloride and other derailment-caused contaminants without treatment, meaning it can be disposed of as non-hazardous waste. Testing of the collected wastewater will continue…

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  • Why collect the rainwater and snowmelt around the derailment site?

    Until excavation work and confirmatory sampling are completed, any wastewater collected from the derailment site is considered a “listed hazardous waste” because it may have come into contact with vinyl chloride or other hazardous contaminants from the derailment. Even though the soil contamination has been removed, our double-check work is…

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