This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station 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 petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks that were in service well before 1986 — multiple USTs were removed in 1990 and 1992, with additional tanks documented as removed even earlier. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators during those pre-1986 years of fuel dispensing carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington State. Nearly two decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, bioremediation, and long-term monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup 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.