Manufactured Gas Plants—Processes, Historical Development, and Key Issues in Insurance Coverage Disputes

Abstract

Abstract Gas production from solid and liquid hydrocarbon fuels was once a major industry. The gas manufacturing process produced a variety of wastes including tars, oils, and wastewater. An important issue in insurance litigation over who pays the cost of cleaning up these wastes is whether contamination was “expected and intended” or whether it resulted from accidental spills and leaks. After presenting a review of gas manufacturing processes and the historical development of this industry, we present 13 known intentional disposal practices for tar and oil and wastewater at manufactured gas plants (MGPs). We then introduce the concept of differential diagnosis, a method used in medicine and in medical/legal settings, and show how this method can be used to help determine if the cause of contamination at MGP sites was accidental or intentional.