This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1934. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as the Hansville General Store with retail gasoline and diesel sales from prior to 1934 through 1988, supplied by two 1,000-gallon underground storage tanks feeding a fuel pump on site. The USTs were taken out of service in 1988, and interim cleanup in 1994 removed both tanks along with 200 cubic yards of contaminated soil and 10,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater. A Consent Decree issued in 1991 initiated a multi-year remediation effort under the Standard Cleanup program; remedial investigation and feasibility studies completed in 2010 have proposed additional soil excavation of up to 2,100 cubic yards, groundwater treatment via dual-phase extraction and permeable reactive barriers, and soil vapor extraction. Cleanup work is ongoing. 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 leaks and spills associated with fuel storage and dispensing operations that were already underway prior to 1934 — an operational window that falls squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carrying no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation costs documented here span decades: interim tank removal and soil excavation in the 1990s, long-running investigation, and a suite of proposed treatment systems still ahead. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the pre-1986 operating years may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work that remains.
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.
