This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1962. 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 contamination at this site — including separate-phase hydrocarbons detected in groundwater between 1990 and 1992 — traces directly to underground storage tanks installed in 1962 and 1975, more than a decade before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The remediation expenditures accumulated over three decades of active cleanup — tank and soil removal, vapor extraction, groundwater recovery, and ongoing monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued policies during the station's 1962–1986 operating window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as work continues.

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.