This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1963. 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 Centralia property is directly attributed to underground storage tanks operated from 1963 through the early 1980s — more than two decades of pre-1986 operations during which occurrence-based CGL policies had no effective pollution exclusion. The excavation of 1,626 tons of impacted soil and the installation of a vapor barrier, at a cost exceeding $151,000, document the scale of remediation expenditures tied to those historical operations. Carriers who issued CGL policies to the oil and gas facility during its operating window may still be obligated to fund both the costs already incurred and the long-term monitoring program yet to come.

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.