Zenith Terminals LLC filed a federal lawsuit today alleging the city of Portland has unreasonably delayed approving the transfer of Zenith’s franchise agreement with the city to a purchaser of the terminal.
Zenith operates a 39-acre, 1.5 million-barrel terminal that receives and distributes crude oil and refined petroleum products, including diesel and aviation fuels. The terminal, located on the Willamette River waterfront in Northwest Portland, includes a pipeline that runs underneath Northwest Front Avenue from a tank farm to a marine terminal on the river.
That pipeline runs through city right of way, triggering a requirement that it have a franchise agreement with the city. (Electric, natural gas and telecommunications utilities also hold franchise agreements with the city that require annual payments in exchange for the use of city right of way)…