This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This Tacoma property served as a petroleum bulk storage and fleet fueling facility, with tank infrastructure traceable to the early twentieth century. A 20,000-gallon underground vault storing Bunker C fuel oil and additional underground storage tanks used to fuel a fleet were present at the site, contributing to soil and groundwater contamination. Cleanup activities in 1997 included decommissioning the large vault — pumping out more than 10,000 gallons of oil and wash water before cleaning and filling it with concrete — and in 1999 a 1,100-gallon gasoline UST and its associated contaminated soil were excavated and removed. Cleanup work is ongoing. 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 contamination at this site — petroleum hydrocarbons from Bunker C fuel oil and gasoline, along with lead — originated from bulk storage infrastructure installed and operated well before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies had no effective pollution exclusion. A 20,000-gallon underground vault and multiple gasoline USTs attest to the scale of pre-1986 petroleum handling at the facility. The documented remediation costs — vault decommissioning, removal of thousands of gallons of oil and wash water, UST excavation, and soil removal — represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies covered operations during the facility's pre-1986 decades may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
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.
