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oilEPA oil color Spill Program Overview Welcome to the U.S. Environmental Protection paths Oil Spill Program. This website provides information about the U.S. EPAs course for preventing, preparing for, and responding to oil spills that occur in and around inland waters of the United States. As a major(ip) industrial nation, the United States produces, distributes, and consumes large quantities of oil. Petroleum-based oil is used as a major power source to fuel our factories and various modes of transportation, and in legion(predicate) everday products, such as plastics, nylon, paints, tires, cosmetics, and detergents. On average, the U.S. uses over 250 billion gallons of oil and crude oil products each year. To meet this demand, each year the U.S. produces an average of 125 billion gallons of crude oil and imports an average of 114 billion gallons of crude oil and opposite petroleum products. At every point in the oil production, distribution, and use of goods and se rvices process, oil is invariably stored in entrepot tanks. With billions of gallons of oil being stored throughout the country, the potential for an oil spill is significant, and the effects of spilled oil can stay serious threats to the environment. In addition to petroleum-based oil, the U.S. consumes millions of gallons of non-petroleum oils, such as silicone and mineral-based oils, and wolf and vegetable oils. Like petroleum products, these non-petroleum oils are often stored in storage tanks that have the potential to spill, causing environmental damages that are merely as serious as those caused by petroleum-based oils. To address the potential environmental threat posed by petroleum and non-petroleum oils, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a program designed to prevent oil spills. The program has reduced the number of spills from the total volume handled each year. The program is withal designed to prepare for and respond to any oil spill alter the inland waters of the United States.