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.

Contamination here — petroleum hydrocarbons from gasoline, jet fuel, and fuel oil — originated from pipeline infrastructure that was in place and active well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Monitoring wells installed as early as 1992 and gasoline contamination discovered in 1995 confirm that the documented soil and groundwater impacts are tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. The remediation costs already incurred — multiple rounds of soil excavation, pipeline abandonment, and an ongoing groundwater monitoring program — represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window 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.