This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1979. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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.

NWES began operations in 1979 and escalated to RCRA interim-status dangerous waste treatment in 1980 — both dates well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The facility's documented handling of solvents, corrosives, metals, pesticides, and oily waste during that pre-1986 window creates a direct nexus to historical CGL carriers. The multi-year closure effort — waste removal, equipment decontamination, containment closure, and long-term groundwater monitoring — represents remediation expenditures that historical insurers from the 1979–1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.