Natural Resource Damage Assessments

In the maritime context, Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDA) refer to the legal process used by federal, state, and tribal authorities to evaluate the impacts of oil spills, hazardous waste sites, and other harmful substances on natural resources both along the coastline and in marine environments. The goal of NRDA is to quantify the physical and biological harm caused by these incidents, as well as the loss of human use of these resources, in order to determine the necessary actions for restoration. The process involves several steps including pre-assessment, injury determination, injury quantification, damage determination, and restoration planning. The NRDA process is guided by various laws and regulations, including the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The results of NRDA can lead to legal actions against responsible parties and the implementation of restoration projects to compensate for the damages.