This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1956. 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 at this property originates from underground storage tank operations that ran for nearly two decades entirely before 1986 — the period when occurrence-based CGL policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Shell Oil's operation of four gasoline USTs at this site from 1956 through 1974 falls squarely within the window those policies covered. The remediation costs already incurred — tank removal, extraction well installation, pilot testing — and the substantial planned work still ahead represent expenditures that historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during Shell's operational tenure may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.