The plan represents an agreement among concerned Departments and agencies of the Federal Government, state and local governments, and private groups for a pattern of coordinated and integrated response to pollution spills. It establishes a regional response team and provides guidelines for the establishment of sub-regional contingency plans and response teams. The plan provides for appropriate preventive and preparedness measures and systems for discovering and reporting the existence of a pollution spill; measures to restrict the further spread of the pollutant; adequate protection; to assure the public health and welfare; techniques to cleanup and dispose of the collected pollutants; a scientific response to spills as appropriate; strike forces of trained personnel and adequate equipment to respond to polluting spills; and actions to recover cleanup costs and to effect enforcement of existing Federal statutes and regulations issued thereunder. The geographic area covered by this plan is the Chicago Coastal Region.