This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1899. 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 bulk petroleum storage facility operated continuously from 1899 to 1993 under Standard Oil of California and its successor Chevron, distributing diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and stove oil from twelve above-ground storage tanks. Site assessments have confirmed widespread contamination across multiple media — dissolved-phase petroleum hydrocarbons and free-phase product in groundwater, chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, methylene chloride) in monitoring wells, lead concentrations up to 2,340 mg/L, naphthalene vapor intrusion in indoor air, and petroleum-impacted sediments discharging toward the Columbia River. Chevron entered into a Voluntary Cleanup RI/FS Agreement with Oregon DEQ in 2004 and remains the responsible party under active DEQ oversight, with 2024 directives requiring vapor intrusion mitigation, building remedy development, in-water and offshore remediation planning, and continued groundwater monitoring and sediment investigation. 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.
The contamination at this property originated from nearly a century of bulk petroleum distribution operations that began in 1899 and continued through 1993, spanning decades before 1986. The cleanup work now underway and still ahead under Oregon DEQ direction — vapor intrusion mitigation, building remedy development, in-water and offshore remediation planning, and continued groundwater monitoring and sediment investigation — represents substantial ongoing and future costs that historical pre-1986 carriers may be obligated to fund.
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
The Restorical Proven Process
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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.