This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This Tacoma property and the adjoining parcel to the north hosted automobile repair and fueling operations — including a petroleum service station with a gasoline underground storage tank — dating from as early as the 1920s through 1971. A separate 700-gallon used oil underground storage tank was also present on the subject property itself. Between September 2006 and February 2007, remediation under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included the excavation and removal of the used oil UST and approximately 1,516 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil; excavations were backfilled with clean fill and a concrete retaining structure was installed as a physical barrier. The VCP project extended through at least 2010, and cleanup is ongoing. 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 gasoline and BTEX contamination documented at this site originates from service station and fueling operations that ran for decades before 1986 — the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The scale of remediation already completed here — UST removal, excavation of more than 1,500 tons of impacted soil, physical containment installation, and years of VCP oversight — reflects the magnitude of costs tied to those pre-1986 releases. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the petroleum service station or auto repair operators during that operational window may retain obligations to fund the remaining cleanup.
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.
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
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
