This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1955. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
The Anacortes Refinery has processed crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other petroleum products since its construction in 1955, with the Oily Water Sewer system in continuous operation from that same date. Documented waste disposal activities at the site run from 1971 through 1974, and by November 1980 the facility was operating as a Dangerous Waste Management Facility, including management of leaded tank bottoms. Current corrective actions center on the OWS system and include excavation of hazardous fill, groundwater monitoring, remediation planning, and multi-year financial assurance obligations. 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 contamination timeline here spans from the OWS system's 1955 construction through documented leaded tank bottom management in the early 1980s — a 30-year window during which occurrence-based CGL policies were in force at this refinery. Leaded tank bottom handling is itself an automatic pre-1986 qualifier, and the site's waste disposal record from the 1971–1974 period falls squarely within those policies' coverage window. The documented remediation expenditures — hazardous fill excavation, groundwater investigation and treatment, and ongoing financial assurance obligations — represent costs that historical carriers 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.
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.
