This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1939. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property operated as a gasoline fueling station and self-service car wash in Sedro-Woolley, with four underground storage tanks installed in 1945 and 1959 and a documented chain of petroleum-company ownership — Gilmore Oil, General Petroleum, and Mobil Oil — extending to at least 1939. The four tanks, totaling 16,500 gallons of capacity, were temporarily closed in 2004; in July 2013, all four USTs and associated product piping were excavated and removed, with impacted soil stockpiled and backfilled. Petroleum hydrocarbons and lead contamination attributable to decades of fueling operations remain in soil and groundwater, and the site is awaiting active cleanup under Washington's Standard Cleanup program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 underground storage tanks here were installed in 1945 and 1959 and operated under major petroleum-company ownership for decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Lead detected in soil and groundwater is a direct indicator of leaded-gasoline operations that predated the mid-1980s, placing the contamination's origin squarely within the period those policies covered. The remediation costs now facing the property — with tank removal already completed and soil and groundwater cleanup still ahead — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during those pre-1986 operations.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
