This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 contamination at this property — petroleum saturating the soil around a tanker loading rack and 70,000 gallons of total underground storage capacity — reflects the kind of chronic, ongoing release that pre-1986 occurrence-based CGL policies were designed to cover, before effective pollution exclusions became standard. The 1991 investigation described the spillage as obviously historic, placing its origin well before 1986 when those policies were still in force. The property owner now faces the cost of a full investigation and remediation; historical carriers whose policies were active during the facility's operating years may be obligated to fund those cleanup expenditures.

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.