This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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.

Soil samples collected during the 1999 UST removal detected lead at concentrations tied directly to the gasoline contamination — a chemical fingerprint of leaded fuel, which was phased out of commercial sale before 1986. That evidence establishes that the contamination-generating operations at this Kardlock station predate 1986, the period when occurrence-based CGL policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. With remedial investigation continuing and future cleanup expenditures on the horizon, historical carriers whose policies were in force during those pre-1986 operations may be obligated both to recover documented costs and to fund the cleanup work still ahead.

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.