This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1931. 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.

Bulk fuel storage operations at this site began in 1931 — more than five decades before 1986, the year pollution exclusions became standard in Commercial General Liability policies. The contamination events documented here, a 1984 gasoline tank leak and 1986 groundwater diesel detection, trace directly to that extended pre-1986 operational window. Remediation expenditures are substantial: over 132,000 gallons of product and contaminated groundwater recovered, thousands of cubic yards of soil excavated and treated, and monitoring commitments that continue under recorded environmental covenants. Historical carriers who issued occurrence-based CGL policies across more than fifty years of pre-1986 bulk fuel operations at this site may be obligated to fund both past and ongoing cleanup costs.

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.