This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1961. 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.

Contamination at this site is attributed to military operations that began in 1961 and ended more than two decades before 1986, squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures — large-scale UST removal, site investigation, equipment salvage, and decades of environmental assessment — represent costs tied to releases originating during that insured operational window. Historical carriers whose policies were in effect during the facility's active years may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remediation work still under way.

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.