Natural resource damage consists of a monetary or in kind value paid to a trustee of natural resources to compensate the public for an injury or injuries to those resources. The Commonwealth's claims for natural resource damage are authorized by several state and federal statutes, as well as common law principles. Those statutes include the Pennsylvania Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA), the federal Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), and the Oil Pollution Act.
The natural resources for which damages may be recovered generally include water, air, wildlife, fish, land and other resources belonging to, held in trust by or controlled by the Commonwealth or a federal trustee agency.
More comprehensive information relating to Natural Resource Damage Assessment can be found at U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.