This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property operated as a gasoline service station with underground storage tanks and a pump island, with the release of petroleum contamination characterized in a 1999 report as "relatively old" based on the absence of benzene and toluene — indicating significant degradation consistent with pre-1986 operations. A report documented that petroleum products were removed from the USTs, but no official remediation records are available, and the gasoline USTs appear to remain underground at the site. The property is currently in use as a parking lot, and cleanup status remains at the awaiting-cleanup stage under Ecology's Standard Cleanup program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 Washington. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this former service station originated from gasoline storage and dispensing operations that predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The site now faces a full cleanup obligation — investigation, remediation design, and active remediation — with no documented offset from prior cleanup work. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund these upcoming cleanup costs, which for petroleum-contaminated sites with USTs still in the ground can be substantial.
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 & Forensic Accounting
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.
