Salisbury Awarded Grant to Enhance Oil Spill Prevention and Response Capabilities
SALISBURY – The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that more than $691,000 in grants have been awarded to nine municipalities, three non-profit community groups, and two private organizations as part of the Marine Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (MOSPRA) Grant Program. The MOSPRA Program, administered by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), was established following the 2003 Bouchard oil spill in Buzzard’s Bay to protect the Massachusetts coastline from contamination through spill prevention and response efforts. Grant awards may be used to purchase equipment, conduct marine oil spill response training, provide navigational aids, and other activities to reduce the likelihood of a marine oil spill and better prepare municipal and state agencies for spill response.
“Marine oil spills pose a threat to the health of our coastline, both to humans and habitat alike. Responding to a spill quickly and effectively is key to reducing its impacts,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “This funding will bolster the capabilities and resources of communities and emergency responders to prevent and mitigate oil releases up and down the Massachusetts coast.”
The local grant recipient is: Salisbury Fire Department – $14,233
The Town of Salisbury will use this funding to purchase a drone unit and associated equipment, software, and training to aid in the prevention, and response to, marine oil and/or hazardous material spill incidents within the waters of the Merrimack River or Atlantic Ocean. The drone will be used as a shared resource with the fire departments of Salisbury, Amesbury, Newburyport, Newbury, West Newbury, and Merrimack. Personnel from each agency will be trained as operators, and the drone will be available to any community.
More information on the 2024 MOSPRA Grant Program is available on MassDEP’s website.
