This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1966. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

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.

Gasoline-range petroleum hydrocarbons, BTEX compounds, and lead — a marker of leaded gasoline predating the mid-1980s phase-out — have been detected at this site, tying the contamination directly to decades-old fueling operations. The UST infrastructure, estimated to have been installed as early as 1966 based on its service life, was in use well before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. With cleanup restarted in 2024 and further remediation still ahead, the historical carriers who covered this property during its fueling era may be obligated both to recover past cleanup expenditures and to fund the work that remains.

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.