Marine environmental protection is one of the eleven missions

Missions of the United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard carries out three basic roles, which are further subdivided into eleven statutory missions. The three roles are:* Maritime safety* Maritime security* Maritime Stewardship...

 of the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

.

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.