This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property served as a Union Pacific Railroad railcar repair shop and fueling facility in Seattle, with bulk petroleum storage infrastructure including an 11,500-gallon lube oil UST, a 10,660-gallon used oil UST, a gasoline UST, and an 18,000-gallon diesel aboveground storage tank. Remediation activities from 1990 through 2007 included removal of multiple underground storage tanks, excavation of approximately 1,100 cubic yards of contaminated soil, and extensive groundwater treatment — LNAPL skimming, an interceptor trench, recovery pumping that extracted 980 gallons of diesel, and an air sparging system. The railyard remains in active use. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this site originated from bulk storage tanks that were installed and operating well before 1986 — lead detected in soil from the gasoline UST excavation confirms leaded-fuel-era operations, and the tanks were already leaking when placed on Ecology's LUST list in 1990. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators during that pre-1986 window remain enforceable in Washington and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The seventeen years of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, groundwater recovery, air sparging — represent costs the historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding as cleanup work proceeds.
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.
