This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility 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.

The degreasing operations in Building #2 — the identified source of the TCE release at this site — establish a discrete, localized occurrence that predates 1986 by decades, when occurrence-based CGL policies were standard for industrial manufacturers. Carriers who insured WPT's operations during the active degreasing era in Building #2 potentially remain obligated to respond to contamination traced directly to that activity. The site's documented and continuing remediation costs — vapor extraction infrastructure, repeated carbon vessel replacements, and annual monitoring commitments — represent expenditures that those historical carriers may be required to fund.

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.