NUCA Research presents MassDEP-backed study on adapting Massachusetts oil‑spill program to climate change

Elise McCullough, general manager at NUCA Research, told a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection advisory committee that a multiyear project evaluating the Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Act (MOSPA) program found climate change and decarbonization are reshaping oil‑spill risks and response needs.

"We focused on evaluating and adapting the MOSPA program against climate change and to build resilience within that program and more broadly, within the Commonwealth," McCullough said, summarizing work that included a literature review, threat assessment, vessel‑traffic analysis and a strategic‑foresight workshop held last May.

The study examined MOSPA’s planning, training and equipment elements. McCullough said MassDEP has funded "upwards of 80 trailers" placed in coastal and inland communities to stage response equipment, and described other program elements such as booming strategies, training for fire and harbormaster departments, navigational‑safety tools (including observational buoys) and an ongoing risk‑assessment effort.

Presenters reported several practical vulnerabilities: more frequent small spills associated with storms or wrecked and abandoned vessels; access challenges for responders when ramps and staging areas flood; and safety risks to response personnel during severe weather. McCullough also warned that decarbonization and shifting marine fuels — including increased LNG bunkering — may require MOSPA to adapt tools and training built around petroleum response.

Workshop participants concentrated on three places identified in the threat assessment — New Bedford, Boston Harbor and Vineyard Haven — to test scenarios. In New Bedford, presenters said the group flagged ‘‘mystery spills’’ likely tied to fishing vessels, the effects of offshore wind construction and long‑term shoreline changes that could alter booming tactics. The project used a futures‑wheel and risk‑certainty matrix to prioritize near‑term, high‑certainty actions and indicators to monitor longer‑term shifts.

McCullough said the workshop produced recommendations to: expand hyperlocal workshops tied to municipal resilience programs; review geographic response strategies and coastal booming plans; assess vulnerability of staged trailers and other response assets located in exposed areas; and identify indicators to track decarbonization impacts on fuel types and bunkering activity.

Michelle O’Brien, an advisory committee participant, praised the work and offered local support: "This is great work … New Bedford being a host community for us, getting in there and capturing those experiences ... really shaped the content and conclusions," she said. Another participant, Joe, said he could help widen outreach through attorney and real‑estate professional networks.

MassDEP staff present said the next phase will evaluate which recommendations fall within MOSPA’s authority and which will require coordination with other agencies or programs. The final report is finalized and in the process of being posted to MassDEP’s website, McCullough said.

The advisory committee recessed the presentation after public comments and offered contact points for follow‑up and local engagement.