NJ Deputy Attorney General assigned to the State Department of Environmental Protection from 1986 - 1990. Here is a common scenario. You find a home that you love, which is now heated with natural gas. However, the seller tells you that in the past the house had been heated with oil.
Nobody has any documents indicating whatever happened to the old tank.
All is not lost, you may very well be able to buy this home. But, you do need to be smart about this possibly sticky issue. Unfortunately, home purchasing is often premised more on emotions than legal or historic considerations. But everyone needs to understand that when they purchase a home, they not only purchase all of the desirable aspects of the home, but also all of the blemishes and liabilities. That means that any oil contamination which was not properly addressed and still remains on site becomes the responsibility of the new owner.