This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1972. 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.

The solvent USTs at this federal facility are estimated to have been installed around 1972 and operated through their removal in 1997 — more than a decade of service before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The chlorinated solvent contamination now requiring long-term groundwater monitoring traces to releases during that pre-1986 operational window. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies covering this facility during the 1970s and early 1980s may be obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the ongoing monitoring and cleanup work ahead.

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.