This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1969. 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 this facility — petroleum hydrocarbons from fueling operations and pentachlorophenol from the pole storage yard — originated from utility maintenance activities that began in 1969, more than fifteen years before 1986. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to Puget Sound Power & Light during that pre-1986 operational window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. Nearly two decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation and treatment, water management, and long-term monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers 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.