This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1971. 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.

Petroleum releases at this site trace to fuel piping joints and tank-filling spills tied to operations that began fifteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation expenditures documented here — multiple rounds of soil excavation, groundwater treatment, vapor extraction infrastructure, and years of planned ORC applications — represent costs that historical carriers who wrote CGL policies during the 1971-to-1986 operating window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund through completion.

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.