This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank 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 heating oil release at this rail terminal originated from an underground storage tank operated by Burlington Northern Railroad well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Documented remediation expenditures — site investigation, UST decommissioning, groundwater well installation and monitoring — trace directly to that pre-1986 operational period. Because the site's cleanup status remains open, historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the tank's operating life may be obligated both to recover past remediation costs and to fund remaining work.

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.