This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1968. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

This terminal began bulk petroleum storage and distribution operations in 1968 — nearly two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were replaced by forms carrying effective pollution exclusions. The first documented release was recorded in 1986, at the precise boundary of the pre-exclusion policy era, and the contamination originates from above-ground storage tank failures tied directly to those long-running historical operations. The multi-system remediation infrastructure now in place — dual-phase extraction, soil vapor extraction with thermal oxidation, and sustained groundwater monitoring — represents the kind of ongoing cleanup expenditure that pre-1986 CGL carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund as remediation continues.

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.