This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1966. 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 gasoline tanks here were installed around 1966 and dispensed leaded fuel — a marker that definitively anchors contamination-generating operations to the pre-1986 era. The documented cleanup expenditures tied to those operations — UST and soil removal, vacuum groundwater recovery, SVE infrastructure, and a 28-year monitoring program — represent past costs that historical CGL carriers may be obligated to recover. Because natural attenuation is still the active remediation method and monitoring obligations continue, those same pre-1986 policies may also be called upon to fund the site's ongoing cleanup commitments.

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.