This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal 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 detection of both total and dissolved lead in groundwater at this site is a direct marker of operations during the leaded-gasoline era, which ended well before 1986 — placing the contamination origin squarely within the window when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Those pre-1986 carriers who issued CGL coverage to the bulk plant's operators during active petroleum storage and distribution remain potentially obligated to respond to this contamination. The documented remediation trail — tank and fuel-line excavations, vapor extraction, in-situ treatment, a recovery trench, and decades of groundwater monitoring — reflects both historical expenditures and ongoing costs that historical policy obligations may 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.