Marine environmental protection

Marine environmental protection is one of the eleven missions of the United States Coast Guard.^[1]

Officially, there are five areas of emphasis in the marine environmental protection (MEP) mission. These areas cover virtually every aspect of oil and chemical response and provide the goals and objectives for Coast Guard initiatives.

The five areas of emphasis are:

• Prevention
  • To stop pollution before it occurs using:
    • Training.
    • Equipment.
    • Procedures.
• Enforcement
  • To provide civil and criminal penalties for illegal acts.
• Surveillance
  • To protect the marine environment by conducting:
    • Pollution over flights.
    • Vessel boardings.
    • Harbor patrols.
    • Transfer monitoring.
    • Facility inspections.
• Response
  • To clean up and limit the impact of an oil or chemical discharge.
• In-House Abatement
  • To ensure Coast Guard vessel and facility compliance with federal pollution laws and regulations.

References