Section 293.

Where damage arises out of, or is caused directly and proximately by, the acts of an owner or operator, without the interposition of any external or independent agency which could not reasonably be foreseen, any owner or operator of any vessel engaged in the commercial transportation, storage in a vessel, or transfer of petroleum, fuel oil, or hazardous substances shall be absolutely liable without regard to fault for any property damage incurred by the state or by any county, city or district, or by any person, within the state, and for any damage or injury to the natural resources of the state, including, but not limited to, marine and wildlife resources, caused by the discharge or leakage of petroleum, fuel oil, or hazardous substances from such vessel into or upon the navigable waters of the state.

As used in this section, "owner or operator" means any person owning or operating, or chartering by demise, such vessel; "person" means an individual, firm, corporation, limited liability company, association, or partnership; and "navigable waters of the state" means all portions of the sea within the territorial jurisdiction of the state and all inland waters navigable in fact.

As used in this section, "hazardous substance" means any substance designated as such pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 1321 of Title 33 of the United States Code.

This section shall be known and may be cited as the Miller Anti-Pollution Act of 1971.

(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1010, Sec. 147. Effective January 1, 1995.)