Spill Response and Planning
  -Resources at Risk (RAR) Reports-

During the initial response phase of a spill emergency, RPI is contacted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) for the region where the incident is occurring, and is tasked with providing a detailed report on resources potentially at risk in the area of concern. The report is typically completed within 2 hours of initial contact. RPI has an extensive library of shoreline, biological, and socioeconomic resource information that covers the U.S., including the territories, and for several countries in Central America. The primary resource used for RAR reports are the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) atlases and digital data.

The key components of the RAR reports are:

• Spill Source Information, which is typically provided by NOAA or other federal or state agency involved in the emergency response phase.
• Geographic Region Covered, which includes descriptions of important landmarks that can be identified in the field during response. Since oil spills are dynamic, the region often extends beyond the initial estimated impact zone. RPI is often given trajectory information at the time of initial contact.
• Expected Behavior of the Spilled Material, which is based on laboratory and field studies as well as on-scene experience by RPI staff.
• Shoreline Resources at Risk, which are identified using ESI atlases.
• Biological Resources at Risk, including: fish, shellfish, birds, marine mammals, reptiles, amphibians, terrestrial mammals, plants, and benthic habitats. Included in this section are species likely to be at risk in the area, as well as expected adverse effects based on behavior and specific life-history traits.
• Human-Use Resources at Risk, including information on important administrative areas (National Wildlife Refuges), recreational areas, water intakes, cultural resources, etc. that may impacted by the spill or response effort.
  

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