This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1978. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has operated as the Shuffleton Steam Plant and electrical substation complex under Puget Sound Energy (formerly Puget Power & Light), with facilities including a power plant, large fuel oil storage tanks, control and maintenance shops, and electrical transmission infrastructure. An underground storage tank installed in 1978 and a leaking underground transformer oil line are the primary contamination sources, with historical overfills contributing to soil and groundwater impacts. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included multiple excavation events removing asphalt, soil, and underground storage tanks, groundwater treatment via pumping and air sparging, monitoring well installation, and a pilot study for land farming — a multi-year remediation effort that remains 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.
Transformer oil contamination and petroleum releases at this substation complex originated from infrastructure installed and operated well before 1986, including a UST dating to 1978 and underground oil lines serving decades-old electrical equipment. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the utility during that pre-1986 operational window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, groundwater pumping and treatment, air sparging, and long-term monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.
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
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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.
