This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1930. 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.

Contamination at this property is directly tied to service station and gas station operations that began around 1930 and continued for several decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The scale of documented remediation — nearly 5,400 tons of impacted soil removed, dual UST extractions, and vapor barrier installation — reflects the environmental liability generated by those pre-1986 petroleum operations. With cleanup ongoing under the Standard Cleanup program, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the long operational window of gas station use here may be obligated to fund both incurred costs and continued remediation 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.