Rhode Island General Laws Title 46. Waters and Navigation § 46-12.5.1-1. Definitions

(1) “Containment and cleanup” includes all direct and indirect efforts associated with the prevention, abatement, containment, or removal of a pollutant, the restoration of the environment to its former state, and all incidental administrative costs;

(2) “Contaminated ballast water” means ballast water carried in uncleaned cargo tanks or mixed with oil in some other manner such that the discharge of such water would produce a visible sheen.

(3) “Department” means the department of environmental management or its successor;

(4) “Director” means the director of the department of environmental management;

(5) “Oil” means oil of any kind and in any form, whether crude, refined, or a petroleum by product, including, but not limited to, petroleum, fuel oil, gasoline, lubricating oils, oily sludge, oil refuse, oil mixed with other wastes, crude oils, liquified natural gas, propane, butane, or other liquid hydrocarbons regardless of specific gravity;

(6) “Oil pollution” means discharging, causing to be discharged, or permitting the discharge of oil into or upon the waters of this state, or to construct or install any industrial, commercial, or other establishment, to make any modification or addition thereto, or to undertake any development which may result in the discharge of oil into the waters of the state, unless the discharge is made to a system or means to prevent pollution approved by the director;

(7) “Operator” means the person who, through contract, lease, sublease, or otherwise, exerts general supervision and control of activities including, but not limited to, a prime general contractor, the “master” of a vessel and the master's employer or any other person who, personally or through an agent or contractor, undertakes the general functioning of the facility;

(8) “Person” includes an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation (including a quasi government corporation), municipality, municipal or state agency, fire district, club, nonprofit agency, or country;

(9) “Discharge” means any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, releasing, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into the environment;

(10) “Vessel” means every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water, whether self propelled or otherwise, and includes barges and tugs;

(11) “Waters of the state” shall include all surface waters including all waters of the territorial sea, tidewaters, all inland waters of any river, stream, brook, pond or lake; and all ground waters and wetlands of the state of R.I.