This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1928. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

Pulp and paper manufacturing at this site began in 1928 and continued for decades under occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that predate the effective pollution exclusions introduced after 1986. The dioxin and furan contamination now driving remediation is the direct byproduct of Kraft pulping operations conducted throughout that pre-1986 window — precisely the category of gradual industrial release those policies were written to address. With a documented remediation horizon of 5 to 10 years and long-term monitoring to follow, the total cleanup liability here is substantial, and historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the mill's pre-1986 operational decades may bear an obligation to fund those costs.

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.