This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility 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.

The petroleum contamination here originated from Aurora Crane Corporation's ongoing equipment-maintenance activities — routine industrial operations whose washwater discharges occurred well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies remained the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Carriers who issued CGL policies to Aurora Crane Corporation or Washington Marine Engineering Corp during that pre-1986 operational window may remain obligated to address the resulting cleanup liability. The documented remediation costs — soil excavation, off-site bioremediation and landfarming, engineered barriers — represent expenditures those historical policies may be required both to recover and to fund as the 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.