This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1935. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 full remediation program at this site has yet to commence, and the costs of that coming cleanup are the central exposure facing the property owner today. The contamination here — mill-era ash disposal tied directly to GN Plywood and Mt. Baker Products operations that ran for decades before 1986 — is precisely the kind of slow, historical release that occurrence-based CGL policies were designed to cover. Historical carriers who issued policies to the facility during its long pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund the investigation and remediation now pending; the excavation, capping, and monitoring costs already incurred demonstrate the scale of expenditure this type of industrial contamination generates.

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.