This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1910. 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.

Foundry and machine shop operations at this property — including leaded-fuel storage, cyanide quenching, and paint and sandblast shop activity — began more than seven decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination sources documented here are precisely the kind of slow, cumulative industrial releases those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. The substantial remediation work still planned — complete lagoon decommissioning, long-term waste management, and ongoing site controls — represents future expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in force during those decades of operation may be obligated 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.