This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1931. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 site is attributed to routine fueling operations and leaking underground storage tanks dating back more than five decades before 1986 — well within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation costs over nearly twenty years — site assessments, UST removals, soil excavation, and contaminated-area capping — represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured the terminal's operators during those pre-1986 decades may be obligated to recover, and with cleanup still underway, to continue funding.

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.