This gas station property in Polk County experienced a release from a regulated underground storage tank, discovered in September 1993. Soil contamination and vapor intrusion have been confirmed at the site. Oregon DEQ executed a Cost Recovery Agreement in November 2023 and has assigned the site for active project management, with the cleanup currently in the Site Assessment phase. 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.
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 gas station infrastructure at this property was operated well before 1986, with the underground storage tank release first discovered in September 1993. The Site Assessment work now underway, along with the investigation, remediation, and monitoring costs directed under Oregon DEQ's 2023 Cost Recovery Agreement, represents ongoing and future cleanup costs that pre-1986 carriers whose policies were in effect during tank operations 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.
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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.