This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1962. 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 fuel storage and dispensing infrastructure installed around 1962 — more than two decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in 1986. The documented remediation expenditures here — tank and soil removal across thousands of cubic yards, plus over a year of vapor extraction operations — represent substantial cleanup costs tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to UNOCAL during that operational window may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work that remains.

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.