This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1965. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks that were in the ground well before 1986, with facility records dating to 1965 and the tanks themselves showing extensive corrosion consistent with decades of service. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the station's operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, free-product recovery, and years of program oversight — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated to reimburse, and with the Voluntary Cleanup Program terminated without completion, further cleanup obligations may yet arise.

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.