This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1942. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could help fund the ongoing and future cleanup under Oregon DEQ oversight.
This former military installation served as an Army training base from 1942 to 1946, with subsequent Navy and Air Force use continuing through 1970, leaving a legacy of unexploded ordnance, dioxins, PCBs, petroleum, semi-volatile organic compounds, and arsenic across soil, groundwater, and sediment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading cleanup under the Formerly Used Defense Sites program and completed Phase 1 of a revised Remedial Investigation using Advanced Geophysical Classification in 2024, with Phase 2 underway in 2025. Three munitions response sites — grenade courts, artillery and bombing ranges, and field combat ranges — still require full characterization and a proposed plan, and at least one area remains in an interim risk management phase pending site access. That history could support an insurance coverage claim against the carriers who issued policies more than 40 years ago — coverage that could help fund the cleanup ahead.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Oregon — and those policies may provide coverage that remains enforceable today. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
Military training operations at this property began in 1942 and continued through 1970, placing all contaminating activity well before 1986. The Phase 2 Remedial Investigation now underway, the full characterization of three munitions response sites still requiring a proposed plan, and the remediation and long-term monitoring work ahead represent substantial future costs under Oregon DEQ oversight that historical pre-1986 carriers may be obligated to fund going forward.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.