Md. Code, Environment § 4-419
This is the official text of Md. Code, Environment § 4-419, part of Maryland’s Code, Environment — governs environmental protection.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§4–419.
Official statutory text
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person is not liable for costs of containment, cleanup, and removal of the discharge or damages as a result of acts or omissions taken in the course of rendering care, assistance, or advice consistent with this subtitle and the National Contingency Plan, or as otherwise directed by the federal on–scene coordinator or appropriate State official unless:
(1) The person is a person responsible for the discharge in accordance with § 4–401(j) of this subtitle;
(2) The person is a responsible party as defined by the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990; or
(3) The person is grossly negligent or engages in willful misconduct.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) of this section shall be construed to affect or limit any cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death arising from an act or omission of a person responding to a discharge.
(c) A responsible party as defined by the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 or a person responsible for the discharge as defined in § 4–401(j) of this subtitle is liable for any containment, cleanup, and removal costs or damages that another person is relieved of under this section.
(1) The person is a person responsible for the discharge in accordance with § 4–401(j) of this subtitle;
(2) The person is a responsible party as defined by the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990; or
(3) The person is grossly negligent or engages in willful misconduct.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) of this section shall be construed to affect or limit any cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death arising from an act or omission of a person responding to a discharge.
(c) A responsible party as defined by the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 or a person responsible for the discharge as defined in § 4–401(j) of this subtitle is liable for any containment, cleanup, and removal costs or damages that another person is relieved of under this section.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.