The National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) was developed to establish a workable exercise program that meets the intent of section 4202(a) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), amending section 311 (j) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), by adding subsection (6) and subsection (7) for spill response preparedness (33 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 1321 (j)).
PREP was developed to provide a mechanism for compliance with the exercise requirements, while being economically feasible for the U.S. Government and oil industry to adopt and sustain.
PREP is a unified federal effort and satisfies the exercise requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Completion of the exercises described in the PREP Guidelines is one option for maintaining compliance with OPA 90-mandated federal oil pollution response exercise requirements.
Additional information is available at:
▪ USCG MER-4, Domestic Preparedness and Planning Division website (External Link)
▪ EPA PREP webpage (External Link)
▪ PHMSA PREP webpage (External Link)
▪ BSEE Preparedness website (External Link)
In addition, according to the 2016 National Preparedness for Response Program (PREP), “Plan holders are encouraged to notify their PHMSA regional office at least one month in advance of conducting their PREP exercises.” Please send your annual PREP exercise schedule to PHMSA.OPA90@dot.gov. When possible, PHMSA will participate and provide feedback on your exercises.