Since the early 1970s the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has been repsonding to oil and hazardous material incidents. Under the auspices of the National Contingency Plan (NCP), the President has designated specific personnel known as on-scene coordinators (OSCs) as the primary responders to oil and hazardous material spills. Their assigned responsibilities include the protection of environmental resources and public health. Managing logistics, personnel, finance, and operations is difficult under the best of circumstances. This paper will examine the functional aspects of GIS as it relates to issues involving spill response, prevention, preparedness, and planning.