This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. 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.

Contamination at the Bremerton Naval Complex accumulated over decades from historical naval shipyard operations that long predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation expenditures documented here — marine sediment cleanup and long-term groundwater monitoring — address releases tied to that extended operational history. Historical carriers whose policies were in effect during the naval complex's pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the ongoing monitoring program.

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.