This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1895. 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.

Petroleum releases at this site trace directly to bulk fuel storage and locomotive fueling operations that ran from the late 1890s through 1974 — decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Oil seeps were documented on the property as early as 1912 and underground storage tanks were in place by at least 1967, meaning contamination-triggering releases occurred across the full span of the pre-1986 policy window. The documented remediation costs — UST removals, soil and source excavation, lead-grit disposal, product recovery, and an ongoing RI/FS — represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in force during the fueling era 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.