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.

Petroleum contamination at this former BP facility — gasoline-range and diesel-range hydrocarbons, benzene, and total lead — traces to fueling operations that were active well before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Over twenty-five years of documented remediation expenditures — excavation work, shoring-basin infrastructure, and long-term groundwater monitoring — were incurred to address releases tied to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's early operational window may still be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund ongoing remediation.

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.