This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as a petroleum bulk-storage facility for the Hanson Brothers Moving & Storage operation, with an underground storage tank holding gasoline, diesel, and oil to fuel a commercial fleet. Releases from the UST contaminated both soil and groundwater at the site. Remediation was conducted under the Voluntary Cleanup Program as an independent remedial action spanning from 2000 through 2006, including soil cleanup and groundwater monitoring, and the site ultimately received a No Further Action determination for both soil and groundwater. 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.
The petroleum contamination at this property originated from an underground storage tank that, based on the timeline and nature of the remediation, was installed and operating well before 1986 — the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Six years of documented remedial action under the Voluntary Cleanup Program generated investigation, soil cleanup, and monitoring costs tied directly to releases from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the tank's operating life may still be obligated to recover those remediation expenditures.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
