The best way of avoiding the negative effects of oil spills is by preventing them from happening. The Environmental Protection Agency works hard to see to it that oil discharges do not happen from oil storage facilities. The EPA also has certain requirements for people who store, transport, and distribute oil to make sure that they are doing so as safely as possible. Another safeguard against oil spills is the EPA's onsite facility inspections to ensure that facilities take enough precautions to prevent an accidental discharge.