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 — 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.

The contamination profile at this Gig Harbor site — gasoline-range organics and BTEX compounds associated with fuel tank infrastructure and dispensing operations — is characteristic of releases tied to fuel station operations that predate the mid-1980s tightening of UST regulations, when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation record here reflects an already-installed SVE and Air Sparge system, active product recovery infrastructure, and ongoing groundwater monitoring, with additional chemical injection planned and multi-year costs still to come. Historical carriers whose policies were in force during the site's pre-regulation operational window may be obligated to fund both past cleanup expenditures and the continuing remediation program.

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.