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U.S. Coast Guard (USCG or CG)

A military, multi-mission, maritime service that is charged with a broad scope of regulatory, law-enforcement, humanitarian, and emergency-response duties. The Coast Guard (www.uscg.mil) is responsible for responding to oil spills at sea, as well as creating regulations to prevent those spills and contingency plans to be activated should an offshore oil spill occur.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS)

A bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior that works to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats, with a particular focus on migratory birds, endangered species, certain marine mammals, and freshwater and anadromous fish. (www.fws.gov)

UC

See Unified Command.

UEL

See Upper Explosive Limit.

UN/NA number

United Nations-North America number. (Also UN Number or DOT Number.) Four-digit number identifying an individual chemical or group of chemicals with similar characteristics. Required on shipping papers; often shown on placards or labels. Often preceded by "UN": e.g., "UN1219."

Unified Command (UC)

The group responsible for conducting response operations at the scene of an incident. It is usually comprised of the U.S. Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC), the State On-Scene Coordinator, and a representative of the responsible party.

Upper Explosive Limit (UEL)

Or Upper Flammability Limit. Highest concentration of a flammable vapor in air at which explosion or combustion can occur.

USCG

See U.S. Coast Guard.

USCG District

One of 9 administrative units within the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific and Atlantic areas (www.uscg.mil/top/units/).

USFWS

See U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

UST

Underground storage tank.