This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1905. 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.

Bulk petroleum storage at this Tacoma terminal began in 1905 — more than eight decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination here is directly tied to decades of large-volume fuel handling across 17 tanks, a liability profile that squarely fits the risk those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's long operational window may be obligated both to recover the documented remediation expenditures already incurred and to fund the cleanup work still underway.

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.